I'VE GOT FRY!!!

[ostrichkiller]

ok i was looking in my tank for a little while before i went to work. i looked up to the top of the water where i have a buch of hornwart just floating for the smaller fish to hide if they want to. and i noticed that i have about a dozen very tiny fish swimming around. i have never tried breeding at all so you can imagine how excited i was to find that my tank is suitable enough for the fish to do it on their own. then i thought that i could be due to the marvin gaye that my g/f and i were playing over the weekend. i was worried then that they would get eaten but as one of the fancy guppies that i have swam up neer there all the fry darted into the folliage where i couldn't see them again until the guppie left. i got some liquid food from the LFS and have fed them for a while but i still don't know what they are. i think they might be iridesent FW sharks but i will have to wait a little before i find out.

very exciting
-Jim

 

[webmoose]

congrats!! I've found my hornwort floating on my surface to be really good for protecting my guppy fry as well! They started out as eyeballs with tails but quickly started looking like real guppies... As my population of fry has grown so has their confidence they hang around near it and duck into it if they feel threatened. way better than a net! kinda blury but you can see them here:



congrats again!

 

[grimlock3000]

I saw some baby Cherry Barbs in my tank one day and was really excited especially since I never even saw eggs in the tank. Unfortunately, all of the babies were gone by the next day because I had no cover for them to hide in, whoops.

 

[puffergirl]

Guppy babies are soo cute! I have 2 month old guppies that now have all of their colors and they are so beautiful, its amazing how they go from tiny to big and colorful. Its so rewarding to watch them grow up!

 

[Neurotic_Fish]

Concerning baby guppies.
How much time do they need until they grow up enough so as not to be eaten by bigger fish?

 

[grimlock3000]

"How much time do they need until they grow up enough so as not to be eaten by bigger fish?"

Depends on the other fish. Most fish will only eat things that easily fit in their mouths. Once the new fry are large enough to not be considered food, most will manage OK.

 

[madasafish]

However, keep in mind that most fishes' mouthes are bigger than they appear (e.g. Asian Leaf Fish, Gourami, Pikes), and they often expand to accomodate larger pieces of food. In the case of the Asian Leaf Fish, this is quite extraordinary. So, be prudent and wait if you want all the guppy babies to survive. I waited a couple of months before admitting my Danio Fry into a tank with adult danios, and I still wouldn't put them in with my gourami and minnows.

 

[madasafish]

BTW, it's like a maternity ward around here!!!! Dozens of babies every day. I guess the AquariumAdvice community must be doing something right if all our fish feel comfortable enough to give birth!

OK, so livebearers aren't terribly discriminating...

 

[grimlock3000]

For the record, I have a bunch of new fry as well I am going full natural with the fry in my 10g tank. They have no seperation from the adult fish and do not get special food. The entire survival of the fry is based on their ability to remain in the java moss. Some seem to be doing quite well, and I swear the fry try playing hide and seek with each other in the rocks

 

[myriam]

Congrats! Fry are exciting and amazing--can't wait to watch them grow.