Premie Fry Question

[wyanii]

Does anyone know or at least have an opinion on whether fry do better in groups or alone? I had one that appeared to be stuck in the jelly and I couldn't tell if there was still an egg with it. It was struggling to get free and I managed to free it but seems a bit small and recovering. So I guess what I'm getting at is will he/she do better in with it's siblings or by itself for awhile? Does it make a difference at all. I know as a human I'd want others around... But that's just me.

 

[Murk]

Definitely alone.

I am of the firm opinion that adult axolotls do better with a tank mate than alone - but not fry.

The difference in growth is enormous, the first weeks.
Simply the difference in birth date for a clutch of eggs means the first-borns have a head-start: being bigger, they can eat all the the food while the later-borns don't get anything at all. Some time later, this difference will be so big that the first-borns (or exceptionally fast growers) can eat the later-borns themselves.

If you have a fry that has lagged in growth for a few days and you put it together with slightly smaller siblings, it will get outcompeted, and eventually, when it is weak, small and hungry, it will get eaten.


I'm not saying that is necessarily wrong. The axolotls are very efficient in filtering a clutch of 400 eggs down to five incredibly strong and big individuals; that's just the way it works, ethics aside.

If you want this specific fry to survive, though, it definitely needs alone time until it is strong enough not to get eaten by its siblings.

 

[wyanii]

Definitely alone.

I am of the firm opinion that adult axolotls do better with a tank mate than alone - but not fry.

The difference in growth is enormous, the first weeks.
Simply the difference in birth date for a clutch of eggs means the first-borns have a head-start: being bigger, they can eat all the the food while the later-borns don't get anything at all. Some time later, this difference will be so big that the first-borns (or exceptionally fast growers) can eat the later-borns themselves.

If you have a fry that has lagged in growth for a few days and you put it together with slightly smaller siblings, it will get outcompeted, and eventually, when it is weak, small and hungry, it will get eaten.


I'm not saying that is necessarily wrong. The axolotls are very efficient in filtering a clutch of 400 eggs down to five incredibly strong and big individuals; that's just the way it works, ethics aside.

If you want this specific fry to survive, though, it definitely needs alone time until it is strong enough not to get eaten by its siblings.

I really wanted to say thank you for such a thoughtful response. It was exactly what I was looking for... Very Informative.

I left the little one alone and he/she seems to be doing alright. I figured if it made it through the first 24 hours it would have a good chance of surviving. Still didn't see any food intake yet, I hope it's still digesting yoke. I don't know really what was going on except it was stuck. There were 4 altogether on the same leaf. 2 hatched normal, 1 was also stuck but was easier to free and was more matured, and the little one.

The jelly was pretty thick and I read on the old Indiana University site that eggs that get caught in the center of a clump have oxygen issues. I'm hoping and praying every day.

Thank You Again.