First baby fish

[chrisn20]

Well, I've done it now. My tank is done cycling with 3 wagtail platies and I was going to add my next fish this weekend. So I just went to double check all my readings and there it was - a teeny tiny baby swimming merrily just above the sand.

Questions!!

1. Do I go ahead and add more fish or wait till the little one gets a bit bigger?
2. Will the baby survive in there or do I need to get a trap?
3. How do I feed it?

Any help would be appreciated at this early stage in my fish keeping.

 

[sylvia]

You can add more fish but this increases the chance of it getting eaten.
It might but it might also get eaten. Breeding traps are a possibility but with a cycling tank this increases the chance of infection due to bad circulation/water quality in the trap. It's also stressful - I'd just elave it, you'll have plenty of other fry if this one doesn't quite make it.
Crushed flake will do - it'll probably be able to scavenge food the adults miss anyway.

 

[chrisn20]

Many thanks. I will leave it and hope for the best. Will wait a few weeks before I buy any more fish in case the mommy has any more fry. I just fed them and noticed the baby was feeding off the smaller pieces of flake so thats ok.

 

[Kittycat]

Newly hatched baby brine shrimp would help it grow faster.

You can add some plants in your tank for the babies to hide in and minimize chances of getting eaten, if you don't have a separate growout tank. I use java moss.