Stowaway Fry From A Live Plant

[NeonBlueLeon]

Hey folks,
 
I'm still in disbelief at what has just happened.  Today I was at my LFS buying some new anacharis for my tank.  I bought a bunch and went home.  After I pruned and planted the anacharis, I planted it in my tank.  As I was examining the newly planted anacharis, I noticed something very very small moving around in the middle of the bunch.  It was a stowaway fry!!!
 
Anyway, I watched him closely for a while.  I went away for 20 minutes and came back to check on him, but he wasn't in the anacharis anymore!  I looked all over the tank (20 gallon) and had just about given up, accepting that one of my mollies or swordtail had eaten it.

  I looked up at the my heater and THERE IT WAS!  I quickly fished him out and put him in a little one gallon bucket.
 
I believe he might be a rosy barb fry.  The tank I pulled the anacharis out of had all adult rosy barbs.  It must be fate, because the employee at the LFS rinsed the plant, and I rinsed the plant thoroughly before I planted it.  I even re-bound the plant with the magnesium strip that came with it.  How did he make it safely into my tank?!
 
So... what do I do now?  I want to keep and care for him

 

[Mamashack]

Oh bless! I had a similar experience when I bought a large java fern on stone. However in my case the single fry turned out to be 4 fry and were survivors of the previous days batch of fry that I thought had all been eaten and they had just managed to hide until the java fern was put in and then they'd homed in on the plant. 
All fry loook the same to me to be honest - mine looked just like that. Have you got a smaller tank you could put it in til it's big enough? If not get a breeding box and suspend that in the main tank anc make sure you cover the bottom with sand or something to stop the adults from sucking the fry out of the box for supper. You'd have to do mini water changes as the water flow through would be reduced. Also you can add a few small plants so it can hide when the big fish inevitably come and stare at it licking their lips. LIquifry is a good food but you could try crumbling flake to tiny tiny pieces almost powder until the fry is a bit bigger - the amount of time will depend on how big your other fish are I guess.

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

Thanks for the response,
 
I figured that identifying the fry would be difficult just because they all look the same.  I will probably keep it in a breeder tank since my one gallon bucket I have it in at the moment is filter-less and aeration-less.  How exciting this all is!  Thanks for the food suggestions, I've never taken care of fry before!
 
I've got rummynose tetras, a two inch swordtail, and a 1.5 inch molly in the tank at the moment.  I saw Jumper (swordtail that jumped out of the quarantine tank when I purchased him) circling the plant which is why I assumed it was eaten!  That's probably why he swam away to hide behind the heater.

 

[Mamashack]

Just a word of caution if you go the liquifry route - don't give as much as they suggest on the bottle - try 1 drop at a time and if it wolfs that down try 2 but 4 drops per litre is way over the top and would just pollute the water and just a ploy to get you to buy more.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I bet its a live bearer fry. They breed wherever they are, even in your LFS.

 

[Shelster]

Ha ha, that is an incredible story for an incredible fry, hmmm, I think you should call him Chuck Norris lol!

I love a good photo, so keep us updated

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

Update!
 
So I've moved him back into my main tank in a breeder net!  He was frightened at first, but now he seems okay.  He's easily startled when I open the lid.  I picked up some Hikari First Bites dry fry food for him.  It's tricky not to overfeed one single fry!  I literally use a toothpick to scoop the powdered food for him.

 

[Mamashack]

So sweet! They are all eyes at this stage, aren't they?
It should begin to be more identifiable in a couple of weeks. Mine start out as virtually transparent and start to get some colour at 1-2 weeks.
Keep us updated of "his" progress!

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

If he is in fact a rosy barb which are schooling, I hope he isn't stressed from being alone!  He seems lonely to be such a small little thing in a breeder net.  As much as I like to keep him company, I'm sure my presence is less comforting (if not stressful) than another fry would be!

 

[Mamashack]

Well once he's established as a rosy barb you can maybe think about getting him some company if you've room in your tank.
You are probably right about the stress thing - s/he is lucky to have survived the journey and being rinsed twice so obviously a fighter! lol

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

Update!
 
So since I found the little guy on Saturday, three days ago, he/she's almost doubled in size!  He/she has been eating well and seems comfortable.  Also, we've found a name for him/her: in Chinese, it's 细细粒.  In English, it means "little grain of rice."  
 
More importantly, 细细粒 has got tank mates!!  My guppy, Betty, just had 18 little fry!  So excited!  I've attached some pictures

 
In the picture with the fry in the net, you can see 细细粒's head poking out at the bottom left corner of the picture.  It's bright orange speck in the picture.

 

[Mamashack]

I can't see 细细粒 on either of those pics, but congratz on the fry!

 

[mtbdean]

Looks like a Platy or Swordtail 

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

Hey folks,
 
Quick update.
The guppy fry are doing great!  18 born, 18 still alive.  They will quickly outgrow the net they are in, so as soon as my quarantine tank is clear, I'll be putting them in there. 
 
It's been six days since the guppies' birth, and they have grown a lot!  They have gotten almost twice as long now.  Meanwhile, 细细粒 has been growing longer as well, but actually "taller" too!  Even without his orange color (the guppies are grey), he is still identifiable from the guppies cause he's growing into a different shape!
 
I'll keep you guys updated!

 

[This Old Spouse]

This sounds like great fun. I think you have the perfect conditions for him since your guppy provided all the playmates he needs! Good luck!