Silver Tipped Tetra

[saz326]

Set up my fry tank on Friday evening with filter medium from my main tank.

Noticed the silver tips were chasing each other and in the mood for looove, so I caught 4 of them up (2 males and 2 females) and left them in the fry tank for a while.

Within 3 minutes they had forgotten about being netted and were chasing each other and displaying. After about half an hour i could see small disk shaped eggs covering a few bottom pebbles. The females were dropping a fair number of eggs.

Around an hour after putting them in the tank I took them back out as I had not been checking the temperature since setting up the tank and didnt want the fish to be cooked overnight. They went back to their antics once back in the main tank.

So now I have scatterings of eggs in the fry tank. A few have whitened, but some seem to be fertile.

How long will these guys take to hatch - and will I be able to see the fry?

The bottom of the fry tank has small 2mm sized stones on the bottom and is planted with a few green cuttings from the main tank. Shall set up a batch of brine shrimp so they will be ready to feed by tomorow afternoon. Will I have fry by then?

I heard that these are relatively easy to breed but have never seen any photos on here.

 

[The-Wolf]

eggs of this fish are photosensitive so as soon as you see any (usually adhered to plants)
turn off any tank lights and reduce light in the room, curtains/blinds drawn during day, or
wrap the tank in a duvet/blanket to reduce light getting in.

HTH

 

[saz326]

Thanks The-Wolf. Have covered the tank with a tea-towel to prevent light from the window oposite.

This morning I saw one teeny-tiny fry. A little brown swimmer. So there has been some kind of success.

Next time I think I will use the bare plastic tank that I have for hatching the fry and raising them for a week or 2 with water changes etc. Think the built in filter is a little on the powerful side on the fry tank I have already set up. Fitted sponge on the intake to stop anyone being sucked up and diffuse the inlet so the hatched baby may still survive. Shall use this tank as a grow out tank from now on.

Im learning. This can only be good.

 

[saz326]

Over the weekend I was able to see several incrediably tiny fish laging on the glass. This morning I have counted 8 babies!

There are possibly more in the tank, just not quite as free swimming as the others. (didnt think that many eggs were laid)

I have some fine powdered "baby fish food" (Hikari for newborn type stuff) that I have been mixing with water and pippetting into the tank - their mouths are so small though. Will this fish food be able to sustain them by providing bacteria growing on it etc if their mouths are too small for the food?

..Am kinda proud of the little ones. Tried to take a photo but they are so darn small.

 

[The-Wolf]

congratulations and please keep us updated on their progress