# feeding babies... younger babies?



## lderrau2 (Dec 12, 2007)

So I have red bellies that breed all the time.... I tried a couple times (kinda half-heartedly) about a year ago to raise them but I wasn't home enough so I gave up and have been letting the eggs just hatch (and die lol) in the adult's tank. I've had a little more time lately so I decided to try again. I have about 200-300 babies about 2 1/2 weeks old in a heavily planted 25g. The problem is, I'm super lazy and I'm really getting sick of hatching brine shrimp even though they gobble it up like mad. They are not eating frozen zooplankton, baby brine, rotifers, or first bites, I've also tried some other liquid food for corals and nothing. 
Here's my big idea: two of my pairs just laid other nests, can I hatch these out and feed them to the older ones? I don't see why this wouldn't work, the only thing is I don't know how much of an age difference there should be, and I don't want to have to feed the younger ones too, so ideally I would want them to be eaten before their egg sack runs out. Any thoughts?


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## Domelotta (Apr 25, 2007)

redbelliedchicka said:


> So I have red bellies that breed all the time.... I tried a couple times (kinda half-heartedly) about a year ago to raise them but I wasn't home enough so I gave up and have been letting the eggs just hatch (and die lol) in the adult's tank. I've had a little more time lately so I decided to try again. I have about 200-300 babies about 2 1/2 weeks old in a heavily planted 25g. The problem is, I'm super lazy and I'm really getting sick of hatching brine shrimp even though they gobble it up like mad. They are not eating frozen zooplankton, baby brine, rotifers, or first bites, I've also tried some other liquid food for corals and nothing.
> Here's my big idea: two of my pairs just laid other nests, can I hatch these out and feed them to the older ones? I don't see why this wouldn't work, the only thing is I don't know how much of an age difference there should be, and I don't want to have to feed the younger ones too, so ideally I would want them to be eaten before their egg sack runs out. Any thoughts?


honestly thats what my lfs owner told me to do because I didn't have enough tanks for the babies and my big ones just kept breeding. I did it a little bit and the ones that ate little yolk sack fish definately had growth spurt. So if you can do it without feeling bad then go for it. I had to stop because it was awful just watching them carry around babies like doggy treats.


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## lderrau2 (Dec 12, 2007)

LOL. I have thick skin. Either they get eaten by bigger babies, or they starve in the adult's tank. I'm just worried they are too close in age.


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