Feeling Guilty

[stef_uk]

After months of finding new swordtail fry in my tank on a daily basis and giving away as many as i could to friends and family,i bit the bullet yesterday and bought a baby angel fish to try and cut the numbers down a bit.

After putting it in i avoided looking at the tank and seeing my babies being picked off.Then last night whilst eating dinner i saw it chase, catch and eat a baby..within 20 minutes i had 18 babies back in the fry net and safe from harm!
I know i need to let this happen..if i dont then i risk losing a lot more fish from overstocking.

Sorry to ramble on but if anyone who's been in the same position has anyother ideas...

 

[dunchp]

Sorry to ramble on but if anyone who's been in the same position has anyother ideas...
[/quote]

You could always buy another tank, then another, then another, then another..., or you could get rid of your females and only keep male swords. If you don't want to do this then you don't have any other option I am afraid.

 

[theotheragentm]

Livebearers make babies in large numbers because they are eaten in the wild. If you are not culling their numbers, you will be overrun. There are no two ways about it. I wouldn't feel guilty. I am planning to raise livebearers as a food source for some of my larger fish.

 

[Alistriwen]

If you have no interest in raising the fry, they are best as feeders. Live food is a good addition to your fish's diet. I regularly feed convict fry to all of my fish and cull all of my deformed or otherwise undesirable fry of other species by giving the cons their revenge. In Once you get over the baby eating thing it's fun to watch fish chase down and eat other fish as they do in nature.

 

[Gaz2007]

get another tank then when they big enough sell to any pet shops etc that sell tropical fish

 

[Butch]

I know how you feel about it. I have overpopulation of wild guppies in 20 gal tank and I put 5 to 8 bumblebee gobies and they are good controlling the fry and I just add a female gambusia in case some fry hiding near surface (this isn't good idea to put gambusia with other fish, my gambusia's an unique). I also put daffondi cichlid with the wild guppies too. Its not easy but almost all of livebearers can easily overpopulating in aquarium expect the gambusia and their relatives and bulldog goodeid is only goodeid species that eat their own fry. Bumblebee gobies and fat female guppies are good mix.

 

[wendyngd]

I know how you feel about it. I have overpopulation of wild guppies in 20 gal tank and I put 5 to 8 bumblebee gobies and they are good controlling the fry and I just add a female gambusia in case some fry hiding near surface (this isn't good idea to put gambusia with other fish, my gambusia's an unique). I also put daffondi cichlid with the wild guppies too. Its not easy but almost all of livebearers can easily overpopulating in aquarium expect the gambusia and their relatives and bulldog goodeid is only goodeid species that eat their own fry. Bumblebee gobies and fat female guppies are good mix.

I hear you. I donated my extra molly fry to my local LFS since I couldn't keep so many...Wendy

 

[dunchp]

the gambusia and their relatives and bulldog goodeid is only goodeid species that eat their own fry.
[/quote]

Butch, this is not quite correct; many species of livebearers eat their own fry; some of the Allodontichthys, Xenotaenia and many of the Poeciliids aswell as Alloophorus (bulldog goodeid) eat their fry. Even in the species that don't you do sometimes get individuals that do eat their fry.

 

[stef_uk]

Thanks for all the replies.

I saw sense last night and released the fry back into the tank.Better to lose fry now rather than more fish later through overstocking.
Out of the 18 i put back in,it looks as if the Angel has done his job-i can only see about 5 or 6 in there now.

I did get in touch with a few LFS in the area but because the fry aren't one particular type they weren't interested.

 

[LauraFrog]

I have three female platies and two mollies and I'm in the same position, but my tank is far too small to support a 'fry-cleaning' fish.

One of the mollies never got pregnant. The other did. The molly fry are too big for the platies to eat. They are gorgeous, so I pull them out. The LFS will take them.

Two of the platies throw relatively unattractive fry. The mollies eat them.

The third platy gives me DROP DEAD GORGEOUS little fish, every time. EVERY SINGLE ONE of her last fry drop was a tuxedo, dalmatian, iridescent-scale or calico pattern, and they've all got homes.