Ooops

[Engel]

So I have a 20 gallon tank at work that had one dwarf gourami, two albino coydras, and six neon tetras. It has kind of become the office tank, and a co-worker asked if she could add a few fish. She came back with three platys!!! I checked them out and I'm positive they are all females, but one must have shown up pregnant (I suspected), because this morning I was checking them out, and saw a tiny little fry hiding behind the heater. I managed to set up an extra goldfish bowl with some of the water and siphoned him into it. I looked all over the tank and only found one more hiding in the rocks. I bought some fry food, and a little nursery box on my lunch break, and put the two fry back into the tank in the nursery. I looked all day for more, but all I kept seeing was the grotesquely swollen belly on the dwarf gourami!! I think even the coydras had tummy dragging issues today, but it could just be my imagination. They certainly all went somewhere.
Anyway, my question is how long do I keep the fry in the nursery? CAN I keep them in the nursery, or should I consider setting up an extra tank? I'm having start up issues with a tank at home, and don't have time to set up another one. I GUESS I could do one of those three gallon deals in my kid's room?

 

[BigJim]

The extra tank would be the best option, but I totally understand not wanting to set one up.

The breeder box works for fry. Just keep them in there until they're too big for the gourami to eat. It should only take a few weeks.

 

[vic021]

Oto

Sorry please delete this post clicked reply to thread instead of make new thread.

 

[Crepe]

Send it back to the LFS as feeder fish. Or humanely destroy them. It's the circle of life.

The best thing to do is a separate tank but that's not always the easiest method.

You have to remember, animals don't think. They feel pain and sometimes the best idea is to limit pain. Being kept in sub par conditions is for an animal worse than death.
Also the fish we buy at the fish store are often the best of the best. Thousands of fish were culled and they were selected.

 

[Engel]

Send it back to the LFS as feeder fish. Or humanely destroy them. It's the circle of life.

The best thing to do is a separate tank but that's not always the easiest method.

You have to remember, animals don't think. They feel pain and sometimes the best idea is to limit pain. Being kept in sub par conditions is for an animal worse than death.
Also the fish we buy at the fish store are often the best of the best. Thousands of fish were culled and they were selected.

I'm right there with you. A steward is a judge and executor, not a mother... I'm actually really glad the gourami ate all but two of the fry. Of course upon finding them, I couldn't stand by and witness them get eaten too... it was eerie. We ended up getting another 10 gallon for my son to raise them. I just started cycling it today, so they may have to spend some time overcrowding the tank at work, but it's temporary. I'm just praying they are both females, so we have no more issues!! The lfs is PetSmart, and won't take fish back AT ALL.

 

[alLexX]

crepe,animals do so think.