Baby Fish Help Neded Urgently!

[Pecesenelrio]

I should start by saying that I am a complete novice and have never kept fish before. I have a new aquarium set up and am waiting for the water to stabilise before getting the fish - it has been about two weeks now. BUT.... I have just noticed that there are three tiny little fish swimming around - perhaps about 2-3mm long. I can only assume that there were some eggs attached to the plants that we bought and that these have now hatched!!! They may have been there a while, as I haven't really been watching my "empty" aquarium that closely!

Anyway, I have no idea what to do and obviously the shop is closed. to make matters worse, we are going away for three days at the crack of dawn tomorrow.

I am being realistic and don't imagine that they will survive but I obviously want to try and do what I can for them. Not knowing what they are doesn't help but I have put in a small bit of lettuce and crumbled a bit of flake food which is all I have available. They didn't seem interested!

Any suggestions gratefully received!!

 

[Prime Ordeal]

If you have a filter running it's likely they'll get sucked into it (depending on type) so turn that off. Then, if you have a dechlorinator that also detoxifies ammonia, squirt a small amount into the tank and that will detoxify the ammonia they produce over the time you are away. Make sure your heater is on and maintaining a stable temperature. Leave the tank light off.

Don't add any food. In fact remove any that you have added and any other debris and dying plant leaves as they will produce ammonia too.

Then when you get back you need to start cycling the filter and as you have fish you'll be doing a fish-in cycle. You wouldn't normally cycle with fry but as you've got them and if you're tank is fairly large,you'll probably be ok depending on what type of fish they are. You can also think about getting some appropriate fry food while you're away.

Hopefully you've got a liquid test kit as you'll need that for the cycling period. Get one of those too while you're away if you haven't got one already.

 

[mtbdean]

Dont turn the filter off!!!!!

Just put some tights over the intake

 

[Pecesenelrio]

Hi
Thank you.

I have removed the lettuce but the flake stuff crumbled really small and can't really be seen any more, although I'm sure that they haven't eaten it!

Won't the plants die if I leave the lights off? If they die, won't the nitrates build up and kill the little fish anyway?

what happens to the water balance if the filter is off? I guess if it is still in the water it will be OK?

I have got a test kit but we are going to be in Czech republic and I envisage that feeding ourselves may be tricky let alone trying to negotiate fish fry food but I can get something as soon as we get back. - assuming that there is still something to feed!

thanks again

If you have a filter running it's likely they'll get sucked into it (depending on type) so turn that off. Then, if you have a dechlorinator that also detoxifies ammonia, squirt a small amount into the tank and that will detoxify the ammonia they produce over the time you are away. Make sure your heater is on and maintaining a stable temperature. Leave the tank light off.

Don't add any food. In fact remove any that you have added and any other debris and dying plant leaves as they will produce ammonia too.

Then when you get back you need to start cycling the filter and as you have fish you'll be doing a fish-in cycle. You wouldn't normally cycle with fry but as you've got them and if you're tank is fairly large,you'll probably be ok depending on what type of fish they are. You can also think about getting some appropriate fry food while you're away.

Hopefully you've got a liquid test kit as you'll need that for the cycling period. Get one of those too while you're away if you haven't got one already.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Won't the plants die if I leave the lights off? If they die, won't the nitrates build up and kill the little fish anyway?

what happens to the water balance if the filter is off? I guess if it is still in the water it will be OK?

If you have the lights on a timer it's OK but otherwise you'd have to leave them on constantly and the stress of that over three days may be enough to kill off the fry anyway. You may be better off removing the plants to a container and placing them by a window.

If you want to leave the filter running then do as mtbcean suggested and cover the inlet with tights/stocking/hose over the inlet. At the moment, however, the filter is doing nothing other than causing flow and adding aeration to the water (assuming it's output is disturbing the surface). You have to have ammonia in the water to make it cycle, so that two weeks you've waited is really wasted time. Three fry will survive without a filter (and food) for three days, as long as you add a squirt of dechlorinator that also detoxifies ammonia (it'll say so on the bottle).

 

[Pecesenelrio]

Thanks!!

All advice heeded and fingers crossed!

Won't the plants die if I leave the lights off? If they die, won't the nitrates build up and kill the little fish anyway?

what happens to the water balance if the filter is off? I guess if it is still in the water it will be OK?

If you have the lights on a timer it's OK but otherwise you'd have to leave them on constantly and the stress of that over three days may be enough to kill off the fry anyway. You may be better off removing the plants to a container and placing them by a window.

If you want to leave the filter running then do as mtbcean suggested and cover the inlet with tights/stocking/hose over the inlet. At the moment, however, the filter is doing nothing other than causing flow and adding aeration to the water (assuming it's output is disturbing the surface). You have to have ammonia in the water to make it cycle, so that two weeks you've waited is really wasted time. Three fry will survive without a filter (and food) for three days, as long as you add a squirt of dechlorinator that also detoxifies ammonia (it'll say so on the bottle).

 

[Pecesenelrio]

Just to update you, we returned to find that, amazingly, we still have three babies!

The water tested fine today as well so we now have three babies Of unknown identity and four x ray tetras, which the shop advised would be the least likely of the good starter fish to eat the little ones!

So far so good!

 

[snazy]

Hi there, glad your little fish are ok.

I really don't feel like criticise you, but it seems you have not cycled your tank yet, so adding more fish may cause a problem.

Running the fish tank for 2 weeks without fish is not cycling or stabilizing your water. This does almost nothing to prepare the water for the future inhabitants really.
The 3 little babies are small enough to produce any ammonia, so adding the new fish now will change the "fine water" results. What were the results by the way?

Anyway, if you want to learn more about cycling, there is a beginners section on this forum. You are in a fish-in cycle now and water changes must be done everyday, otherwise the fish may die.

If you want to learn what the little babies are, then maybe post a picture.
There is also a chance they won't be compatible with your tetras once grown to adulthood.
Also, those tetras might not be able to eat the babies, but can start chasing them and nip at them to death. Make sure you have enough decorations and plants for cover.

 

[Pecesenelrio]

As far as the cycling goes, I have been taking the advice of our retailer who has been testing my water samples for me along the way. As they turned me away empty handed a couple of times I am confident that they were satisfied that the balance was right when I brought home the tetras.

I agree that the babies and tetra may not be compatible when they a older but all seems peaceful so far and they seem to be basically ignoring each other. I tried to take some pictures but the little ones just come out as blurred dots at the moment. what is confusing is that we noticed babies in the tank where the retailer keeps the plants and thought that ours may be the same until we got closer and realised that theirs are orange - Mollies, apparently. hey said ours would be orange by now if hey were the same so we are all a little confused! the babies actually do look a bit like the x ray tetra inasmuch as they are clear bodied and a bit silvery towards the head.

I did specifically ask in the shop if I should change the water often at the moment and was told to leave it for a week.

there seems to be quite a lot of conflicting advice in my new hobby!

 

[snazy]

As far as the cycling goes, I have been taking the advice of our retailer who has been testing my water samples for me along the way. As they turned me away empty handed a couple of times I am confident that they were satisfied that the balance was right when I brought home the tetras.

I did specifically ask in the shop if I should change the water often at the moment and was told to leave it for a week.

there seems to be quite a lot of conflicting advice in my new hobby!

There isn't any conflicting advice in fish keeping as long as cycling goes.

I presume you haven't got a test yourself for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. It may take 2 months to cycle a tank and that takes a lot of water changes to keep ammonia and nitrIte as close as possible to 0 until the filter starts processing these for you.
An advice not to change the water for a week in an uncycled tank is ridiculous. Excuse my language. I would suggest you try reading the beginners section here what a cycled tank means. And just google what ammonia and nitrite can do to your fish if you don't do water changes.

By the way, any idea what the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings were when the retailer tested these for you?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

When you add fish to a tank the ammonia they excrete gradually builds up and if not removed or detoxified will eventually kill your fish. As I explained in an earlier post, leaving your tank for two weeks with no fish in does nothing other than increase you electricity bill. You have to cycle the filter and to do that you're going to need a test kit. You did get one didn't you? As you have fish in you need to be making regular water changes to keep the ammonia below 0.25ppm and for that you need your test kit.

 

[Pecesenelrio]

Yes, I have a test kit and have had all along. this is what I have used to determine when to take water to be tested in more detail by the retailer. they would not allow me to have fish without doing this. Without doing a test here and now I can't remember exact readings other than nitrates were at 0.

I have read lots about cycling and there is so much advice out there that I have decided to stick, where possible, to the advice given by the retailer as that is a constant. if that is wrong then I have to take responsibility for that but to try and pacify those that feel that I am doing wrong then I can say that the filter in my tank was running in a tank at the retailers for a week before I brought it home and then for two weeks here before we noticed the babies and also that we were assured that the x ray tetra were good starter fish as they produce little waste. I also used a product called Nutrafin Cycle, which claims that fish can be introduced immediately. The retailer said that this was an exaggeration but that it would help.

 

[snazy]

You sound a bit defensive responding. I am not attacking you in anyway, but it does sound like you don't know what to cycle a tank is and I am just trying to give some constructive advise. It is up to you to who to listen to.

nitrates were at 0.

A nitrates of 0 means tank is not cycled. And you missed to remember the most important values which are ammonia and nitrites. It's not hard to remember if these were 0 to. Obviously not.

Yes, I have a test kit and have had all along. this is what I have used to determine when to take water to be tested in more detail by the retailer.

What do you mean in more detail? What type of test have you used at home-like brand, strips or liquid?

 

[Pecesenelrio]

Ok, it was nitrites (no2) that were 0, not nitrates. chemistry not my thing but have rechecked and it is definitely that. I have used the strips, the shop used a liquid. maybe more accurate is a better description than more detailed.

 

[snazy]

Well, strips are not very accurate, but is still something.
If I were you, I would test the water right now for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and post the results here.