leaving fry in the main tank to grow up...feasible?

[five]

As I was reading the spawning report of the L240, this comes to my mind.

Is it fine to just leave the fry in the main tank with the parent? I have a group of 8 L02, which I could ID to be 5 male and 3 female. Togather with them is another 4 L. filamentosus. These are housed in a 200 litres tank with rocks and branches and some caves, 5 to be exact.

I am just wondering if they ever (sure hope so ) gives me some babies, should I just leave them in the tank? Will they be eaten by any of the fishes?

I am concern because the caves are placed so strategically in the tank that makes it very difficult to take them out.

[Richard B]

I think it is certainly possible. Many hobbyists find baby ancistrus in their community tanks that they never knew had spawned. For it to be "successful" we need to know if you have specific aims - like raise some young or maximise the amount of young raised?

If it is to be a single-tank process, it'll help to have the biggest tank available (as larger bodies of water are more stable) but you'll still need to ensure top quality water if the bioload inceases drastically with lots of fry - filtration & oxygenation being the primary concerns

[five]

Hi Richard, for this tank, I am running it with a eheim2260 filled up with Sera Siporax and Eheim Substrate Pro to the brim. At the same time, I am also running the ozonizer, hoping it will help to kill some parasites lurking around. To reduce the NO3, I have in place a nitrate filter, which currently managed to bring down the NO3 level to below 5ppm or even less with these amount of fishes I am currently having. I am really pleased with it. Sure hope it can cope if the population increases.

If I could maximise the survival rate, that will be great. Due to the difficulties in taking out the caves (for some of them, and usually the fishes like those caves which I can't reach ), I am thinking of leaving them to grow up in the main tank by themselves. Once they get bigger and starting to roam about, giving me an opportunity to catch them, I will slowly transfer them to another 4 footer grow up tank.

Am not not sure if this is the best ways in doing it. Now I am just wondering does the adult feast on the fry?