The chances are great if they can be fed properly or are getting enough to eat on their own.
If you can net them, I would. However the fry are very fragile and can literally drop dead from fright. If you net them I would never remove them out of the water. Simply trap them and gradually move them into a breeding net that hangs inside the tank.
Live food is a must I'm afraid for new fry. After a couple weeks you can start to week them off of it, but I have never seen any of my fry accept prepared foods right out of the gate. Even when cyclop-eeze finally came onto the market.
You might try purchasing, or making a long spine urchin to place in the tank where the fry are. This would be where they would hang in the wild. Might make it a little easier for you to catch them.
If you can't catch them, don't worry. Your pair will have another clutch soon. Probably more productive too as they get better with experience. In the meantime make sure you feed the male well to get him up to strength for another month without food or he will abort the clutch. Live black worms are a great treat for banggais.
I try and keep track of the male so I can tell when he got the eggs. That way later I can be ready for the babies. When I start to notice them peeking out of the mouth or venturing out and then darting back in, I know the male is close to releasing and I will try and herd him into a breeding net late at night after lights out while the fish is still "groggy" from sleeping. Usually by lights on in the morning he has released and he can be let go. Make sure you cover the box though so he can't spook and jump at night.
My first pair of banggais had 22 babies that I could find in their very first clutch together.
Good luck to you. |