New Fry

[chob]

ok, so i dont know wether it was my swordtail or guppy (this would be lil guppies 1st batch) who have had fry and around 10 are alive now, every other time my fry have died, i dont know how, but it always happens. Anyway, want to know any tips on keeping them alive. Plus a few have been eaten i think, but alot of people tell me (if they can swim away, theyre too big to be eaten, HOWEVER i seen one wriggle out of a sword tails mouth the other day and they often get chased.

I seen a neon tetra today swimming with them, i think theyre too big for the tetras now, is this normal, it seems as if its protecting them or something, all replies will be massively appreciated, chob

 

[fishnovice]

Most fish will eat any fry that fits inside their mouth -mollies and guppies will even eat their own fry. Babies won't be safe in a community tank until they are too big to be eaten, unless you have dense planting with a lot of hiding places. If you want to save the fry you need to separate them. Either keep fry in a breeding net or trap in the main tank or set up a separate fry tank.

 

[chob]

Most fish will eat any fry that fits inside their mouth -mollies and guppies will even eat their own fry. Babies won't be safe in a community tank until they are too big to be eaten, unless you have dense planting with a lot of hiding places. If you want to save the fry you need to separate them. Either keep fry in a breeding net or trap in the main tank or set up a separate fry tank.

ok thx alot, how should i know when to take them out ???

 

[biokid101]

take em out when they r to big to fit in the biggest fishes mouth. maybe around 2-3 months old

 

[chob]

take em out when they r to big to fit in the biggest fishes mouth. maybe around 2-3 months old

u mean keep em in a small box for 2 months !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Paradise3]

I have a separate tank for mine. My fry are in a 15gal hex tank until they are big enough to be sold or taken to the LFS.

~AJ~

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

I have a separate tank for mine. My fry are in a 15gal hex tank until they are big enough to be sold or taken to the LFS.

~AJ~

Get some plastic matting plants for the floor of the tank, will give them a decent place to hide untill they are big enough to venture out on their own. Used to do this in a community tank way back when, and there was always a healthy survival rate.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the livebearer area Malt Vinegar. What many of us have found is that the plastic matting or similar items do not lead to the high survival rates that we can obtain using more conventional fry preservation methods. That does not mean that we do not believe that things like a bottom cover of grassy cover will be effective in helping but merely that our own "primitive" methods work very well. A more basic approach is simply to establish a situation in which the primary predators are well fed and do not act as primary predators. Since the primary predators have no incentive to become a limiting factor, they do not become such a factor. That means that our fry are free to survive and thrive in the presence of things that might otherwise be considered predators.

 

[chob]

Just like to say now that my beuties are big enough to roam around like they own the place, 7 survived woop i got 3 boys one is ABSOLUTELY (as in already more colourful than the dad) amazing, the other 2 have amazing colours also but late bloomers, what should I do about the other 2 ??? the colourful one is named pimp because he basically rapes everything!

 

[chob]

any suggestions, they only fight a little bit now, but soon they'll be killing each other

 

[OldMan47]

Your guppies will not fight each other. They will display to the females and try to get their attention though.