baby tetras!

[hossgal]

I just brought home two adult black tetras three days ago, and today I saw at least 4 baby tetras in my tank. I am new to fish, and am surprised to see them! I hope they don't get sucked into the filter or eaten by another fish. They are hiding out pretty well in the plants.

What are the chances that they will survive?

Apparently I had a pregnant tetra...does anyone know anything about their breeding cycle? Thanks!

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum.

Do you know which species of tetra it is?

I keep all my fry in the community tanks in which they are born. I've never lost one to a filter yet. The strongest and smartest survive by hiding in the java moss. They are able to find micro-organisms in the moss to eat and I also supplement their diet. They finally come out of hiding when they know they are too big for the others to eat.

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

how have you been caring for the adults? how did you know they were male and female? details!!! well done! x

[hossgal]

I do not know what species the tetras are, only that they are black. I have only had my tank up and running for less than 2 weeks. I guess the tetras came to me ready to have the babies- I have no idea what their sex is, so apparently I just lucked out.

The tetras live in a 30 gal tank with a few guppies. I hope to get more fish soon, but since the tank is just getting started, I am going to wait now until I see what happens with the babies. If I had known more about tank cycling, I would have been hesitant to jump into getting an aquarium, but the guys at the fish store told me it wouldn't be too hard. The main thing they said was to 'wait two weeks' before getting more fish. (yeah, ok!)

The reason I worried about the baby tets is because I also had 6 young tiny white clouds when I got the tank started up, and they have disappeared, 3 of them I saw dead in the intake to the filter. The rest...I don't know?

So far the babies are still there, except for one which I saw burrowed down into the gravel and died there. It would be so awesome to see them grow up against all the odds of living in my new tank and the filter intake suction!!

[LyndaB]

It's really important that you know the species you have in your tank. This helps you know how many fish that species need in their school, what fish they are compatible with, what their environmental and dietary needs are, etc.

I would suggest that you google tetras, specifically black skirt tetras, to see which species you have.

Most of us have been led astray by the lfs employees. Seems we know more than they do. You'll find lots of great information here.

[Aspencer]

Originally Posted by hossgal

I do not know what species the tetras are, only that they are black. I have only had my tank up and running for less than 2 weeks.

You might want to check out the links people have to fish-in cycling of a tank. With your babies, water quality is more important than ever.

[GuppyLover]

If there are Guppys in the tank then I highly doubt they are tetra fry.

[toddnbecka]

Originally Posted by GuppyLover

If there are Guppys in the tank then I highly doubt they are tetra fry.

Agreed, the fact that you saw them at all indicates guppy fry, day-old tetra fry would be tiny. Not to mention that tetras are egglayers, and don't spawn nearly as quickly or often as guppies.

[hossgal]

Thank you for all this great info. The guys at the pet store seemed informative, but nothing compared to what I am learning here!

I did wonder if tetras were egg layers....but these babies are black! The same color as the adults I have in the tank. The gups are a golden/white color.

This is a new tank set up, and the guppies have been in the tank for a week, and the tetras have been there for FOUR days.

That's why it is so puzzling to me....for sure I will research their breeding cycles. Do you guys really think they are guppy babies and not tetras?? The fry are now about 3/8ths of an inch long and black.

Any more thoughts???!!! Thanks!

[GuppyLover]

Originally Posted by hossgal

Thank you for all this great info. The guys at the pet store seemed informative, but nothing compared to what I am learning here!

I did wonder if tetras were egg layers....but these babies are black! The same color as the adults I have in the tank. The gups are a golden/white color.

This is a new tank set up, and the guppies have been in the tank for a week, and the tetras have been there for FOUR days.

That's why it is so puzzling to me....for sure I will research their breeding cycles. Do you guys really think they are guppy babies and not tetras?? The fry are now about 3/8ths of an inch long and black.

Any more thoughts???!!! Thanks!

I really think they are guppys. My two yellow guppys gave me black Moscow, blue and black, and yellow and black fry.

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

pics!!! we will help

[hossgal]

Do you know how many babies one guppy can have at a time?

I started out with only 2 guppies as my starter fish in my new 30 gal aquarium. After a few days, one of them died, and now I have just 1 guppy, plus the 2 tetras I bought several days ago. I see 5 black fry hiding in the plants.

They all seem to be adapted to the tank water and I used a 6 in 1 test strip to test the water. Everything seems to be ok so far, but I want to take a sample into the pet store to double check it. I am wondering about my alkalinity. I may be a little high, though when I tested the water that the tetras came home in from the store, my water matched theirs.

It would be cool if these baby guppies lived....I will not buy any more fish until these get bigger and I can be assured my tank is stable.

Will these blank guppies remain black or do they change color as they get older?

You guys are really helpful...thanks a lot!!

[GuppyLover]

Test strips are notoriously inaccurate, youll want to pick up a API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

[toddnbecka]

Some fast-growing line plants like hornwort or Najas would be helpful, both for the fry and the water quality in general.
Throw out the test strips and get the API test kit, the strips really do lack for accuracy.
Alkaline water is fine for livebearers (guppies, mollies, etc.) and the black skirt tetras. They are one of the reltively few tetras that come from hard/alkaline water in the wild, and they have a lower temp range as well.
If the guppy fry are black now chances are good they will be when they grow out too, though maybe not black all over.