Tiny Fish from Nowhere

[happygirl65]

So I just added some neon tetras to my tank and noticed that there was a really tiny fish swimming around the next day. I am not sure if it was an egg that hitched a ride on a plant when I first set it up, or a tiny addition from the bag at petsmart.

Does anyone know how to keep a fish this small alive? It is TINY it is hard to find it most of the time and I am surprised it has not been made a snack already.

My other big concern is...how do I do a PWC without sucking it up? Any ideas?

[papa_bear_21]

best advice, find a breeder net or tank that will stay in the big tank, catch the tiny guy and put him in there. keeps him safe, and you wont suck him up. Feeding is fairly easy as well, flake food that is finely crushed up, a small flake...

[Blazeherd2306]

Right now you could crush up fish flakes into really tiny pieces and see if it eats that. You could also feed it baby brine shrimp if you really want to go out of your way...

When you do water changes, just keep any eye on the fry and make sure you don't get too close to it with the tube.

[ezy33]

When I PWC ia a tank with fry I siphon into a white bucket. Any fry that make it out of the tank are easy to see against a white background.

[theotheragentm]

That's strange that you just have tiny fish. Could anything of else have laid eggs you missed?

[newfound77951]

I had a baby fish "appear" in an otherwise unpopulated tank...I think it came in as an egg on a plant. I think the breeding trap or net idea would be the best, until the little guy is big enough to fend for himself.

[papa_bear_21]

We have our baby mollie, and our "free" baby guppie in a breeder net, 2 of our guppies are having babies as I type this, so there will be more babies in the net before too long...

[Alshain]

It is most likely to be a livebearer as their offspring tend to survive easier. It is possible that eggs were laid on a plant, but I would find it hard to believe that they would not have been eaten in a pet store tank that is usually crowded.

[happygirl65]

Well some of the plants came from my other 55gal and some from people here at AA, and most came from an aquabid purchase, although several days out of water and shipping it is unlikely that any would survive that journey. I do have lemon tetras and cherry barbs in the 55 that could have produced a viable egg I suppose although I have not noticed any fry in that tank at all.
It is just one tiny fish, haven't seen anymore. He does seem to eat the really tiny bits I crush up. Hopefully he will be able to hide in plants enough until I can get to town and get a breeder net. It is really hard to say what it could be but it looks like a tiny tetra of some kind although it has almost no color at this point.
The only other fish in this tank are some kuhli loaches, an ADF and a BN pleco. But if it came in with the neons I just added from petsmart it could be just about anything. I just thought it was kind of neat when I discovered it. Hope he/she makes it.

[Alshain]

Now you got me curious, you had better keep him alive cause if he disappears I'm gonna be mad you got us all wondering :P