New Fish Owner and I already have FRY!!

[michelle767]

I've been reading over the posts in the forum so I wouldn't ask questions that have already been answered...hopefully this won't be too redundant.

So about a week ago, my bf and I, after talking about it for awhile, bought a 29g tank (from someone who was selling her whole setup...gravel, marbles, decorations, the whole deal). We went to our lfs and bought 1 male dwarf gourami, 1 male red wag swordtail, and two female red wags. The nice lady at the store mentioned that swordtails were, uhm, prolific...but she neglected to say how prolific....

We had been getting used to the tank and everything was going swimmingly (!) and then tonight - around oh 11pm - I noticed one of the females was acting very frantic, swimming up and down the side of the tank. And she looked a little big. So I got online and read up a bit. About an hour later, when I went back in to check on her, I noticed the telltale white protrusion (I think the temp was a little too high - 79). I started searching around the tank and sure enough - FRY! One, anyway, hidden away in the gravel. And then, a little bit later, I found another. So, my questions:

1) How long will the birthing process last? Does it take awhile?
2) I've pretty much resigned myself to losing most of them...considering how I was totally unprepared for this, I have no place to put the little ones. But is there anything I can do that might help them out?
3) Since the tank setup is new, should I be worried that this will affect the cycling process? The adult fish have been doing great so far, but I'm afraid that the added stress of extras - that is, if any survive - will throw the cycling process off.

Thanks for any help, in advance,
Michelle

**I just went and checked and during the writing of this *8* more arrived. Whoo! They've all buried themselves in the gravel and marbles. Sooo cute.

 

[Angry_Platy]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

If you have lots of hiding places in your tank...plants....decorations etc....they fry should be OK...if you wish to keep some in the future, get yourself a breeders net/trap....this way you can put your female in there just before she is about to give birth (they do so every 4 weeks or so)...and keep some of the fry!!

My platies have been known to give birth over a 24hour time period

The new fish shouldn't affect the cycling too much....but if the ammo and nitrite levels get too high they may not survive...

Good luck and keep us updated!!

 

[gto_cowgirl]

1) The birthing process is usually different depending on the fish. I know with my guppies (and i just started breeding) that one took only a few hours. The guppy fry were popping out so fast i couldn't keep up with them. But i have also heard that some livebearers take as long as 24 hours. So i would probably just watch her and whenever she looks much much smaller and hasn't dropped a baby in a hour or so then i would say its finished.

2) Like mentioned a well planted tank can save many guppy fry. But i liked to watch the little guys grow up and making sure everything went great. I had some extra 1 gallons laying around which i keep my newborns in and then when they grow up a little i place them in the 5 gallon. Then once the fry hit adult stage i put them back in the main tank which doesn't happen for a couple of months i hear. Make sure that wherever you keep your fry that its heated and oxygenated. If i were you i would just buy a little breeder trap and let them grow up in there for the first week or so until you can figure out what to do exactly.

3) Those little guppy fry are pretty strong after the first week. I would almost say almost as strong as guppy adults but probably not fully. I had my guppies go through some coppersafe, high heat and probably the stress of moving back and forth from aquariums when i first started. Just make sure your ammonia and nitrites stay as low as possible while cycling. I would do daily water changes if possible.

 

[michelle767]

Update:
When I went to bed last night, it looked like she had had somewhere around 30 fry (at least, that's approximately how many I estimated to be in the tank.) This morning they were about 15 or so. And this evening about 8 are left. But I'm actually pretty confident that the ones left might make it. The marbles in the tank have been a tremendous help by giving them places to burrow and, boy, those little fellows are some real speed-racers. I think tomorrow I'm going to go out and buy a 5-gallon tank for the fry. (Heh...I just bought my first tank a week ago and now I'm already thinking about getting another.)

Thanks for the much-needed advice.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi michelle767

Welcome to TFF!

It sounds like you're off to a great start with your new hobby.

I'd just like to suggest that instead of getting a 5 gallon tank, you get a 10 gallon one. They cost about the same and in a very short time you'll be happy to have the extra space.

 

[cometcattle]

Congrats on the fry!!

My red wag/neon sword just gave birth 3 weeks ago. After about 10 days I could see their caudal fin turn black.

Keep us updated.