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Hello !

I'm french, my english is not perfect at all... I'll try to be as readable as possible. I tried on a french generalist forum but nobody answered, nobody knew, I think my question is too specific so I try on a specialist forum.

I know, i've not presented myself, but i have a problem :

I have bought 6 peckoltia compta the 09 April, they are in a communautary tank. Yesterday, I saw 2 new-born babies outside the cave... I put them into a Tupperware ,but this morning they were dead.
Tonight after work, I saw 4 other babies outside... 1 dead, 1 still into its egg but ready to hatch, and 2 alive. I put them in a Tupperware but bigger than yesterday.

What can I do ? Are they doomed ?

My tank :
- 360 Litres
- pH 6.8
- KH 3
- Gh 5
- NO3 5
- NO2 0
- water change frequency : 15%, 2 weeks

2. Tank set up
a) Size : 120 * 60 * 50 cm
b) Substrate : 100% quartz, no substrate
c) Filtration : 1250L / h + 600L / h
d) Furnishings
e) Other tank mates : 6 peckoltia compta, 4 hypancistrus L201, 2 sturisoma, 3 trichogaster leeri, 40 trigonostigma espei

f) How long has it been set-up? 1.5 month, but when I bought it, it was already with fishes and water, I only emptied it, drived it to my home, and filled it. I selled almost all the fishes and waited 2 weeks to be sure the water was OK.

g) When was the last new fish added? Swimming fishes have been introduced ~3-4 weeks ago, and locariidae 1.5 week ago

h) Foods used and frequency? i don't know if the names are different in England. I use JBL NovoTabs, JBL GranoMix, JBL NovoPleco for dry food, frozen cyclops and artemias, and a piece of cucumber or salad from time to time. I will buy frozen red worms and maybe something else this week-end.

Thank you for your answers.

and temp 27°C

the baby in its egg has hatched. I helped it a little. 3 babies alive, i would love to save them... If possible.

They must like it in your tank if they spawned this quickly. My first suggestion would be to add an airstone to the box. In my experience, P. compta often lay up to 40 eggs per spawn so hopefully there are still many in the cave.

Thank you.
I hope so. This morning 6 more babies, 1 dead included, were outside, they are with the 3 of yesterday. I Will buy a guppy hatching box this afternoon.

The father is young (8cm), so is the Mother, i don't think there are à lot of eggs. This Will be a surprise !

I bought a spawning box. 1 of the babies is very weak, I don't think it will survive the night.

Here is the fry !

Hi i have only just started to keep these. But what might help, is positioning the breeder box near to a outlet from a powerhead or a filter the flow does not need to be fast but enough to keep a good supply of air going through the box from one side to the other through the holes. You don't need to feed them until egg sacks are dissolved.
All the best.

Yes, the box is near an outlet, and there's an air pump to keep the water moving inside. I also put catappa leaves.

The weak baby was dead this morning. The others are normal, they have grown up !

Day 2 :




Thank you for your help, I hope the last 6 will survive.

Hope you go on to raising them successfully. It seems the parents were quite young or small to breed. But now they have they most likely will again and the dad will become better at raising them himself.