Guppy Babies!

[kathh]

So i got home from work today to find lots of tiny baby fish in the tank!

looks like she still has more inside so i am leaving her a few more hours before returning her to the big tank with the others!

can anyone tell me how long i should leave the babies in the small tank before putting them in my big tank with the other fish? and what i should feed them/ how often?

thanks!

 

[XFiSh_CichildX]

what other fish do you have in the big tank ? i just feed my fry crushed flake and they do great

 

[This Old Spouse]

Crushed flake is good. I used to feed mine ground flakes, almost a powder, increasing the size of the flakes as they grew.

They can go in the big tank as soon as they're bigger than the biggest mouth in there.

 

[kathh]

thanks for the replies

in the big tank i have neon tetra, 3 other guppys, 5 mollys and 4 gouramis and a couple of tiger snails.

this is the first fry ive had, this is also the first time i have put the fish in the small tank to have the babies so thats probably why! they all got eaten the last 2 times

 

[XFiSh_CichildX]

at least these once are surviving look on the bright side good luck ! and enjoy watching the wee babies grow up and develop a variety of colors

 

[Fishy friend2]

I would leave them in there until they are too big to fit in the dwarf gouramis mouth, so 1/2 and on to 2/3 of an inch is good
Oh and good luck with the baby fry! You should post a journal with daily or every other day updates on how it goes

 

[kathh]

ive counted about 18 fry in the tank! it looks like she still has a few in her belly, i dont know whether to put her back in the big tank now before i go to bed incase she eats them??

yeah i definitly will try to post every day to show them growing! im so excited!

 

[Fishy friend2]

Good luck!

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's a good idea to feed the mom about now. She's done a lot of work and worked up an appetite, so feeding her regular food will take away the temptation to eat her kids.

 

[Three Ring Circus]

Congrats on the babies

 

[kathh]

thankyou!

i have now counted 26 babies.. they are getting on fine and seem to be happy with the crushed flakes.

 

[Symo420]

Personally, I feed small and often. A small pinch if finely crushed flake 3 times a day, alternating occasionally with live or frozen baby brine. Also, extend the photo-period of your fry tank for a couple extra hours to stimulate growth, and double your water changes. Just make sure that any excess food is removed and the tank is kept clean for best results.

 

[kathh]

will do a water change later today, wasnt sure on when to do it as i didnt want to scare them to death!
also, shall i take the filter out and clean it? its been in there for about 10 days without cleaning it.. only had 1 fish in there during that time and now just the babies.

out of the 24-26 fry, how many on average will survive? because ive heard some die..

 

[This Old Spouse]

I wouldn't worry about cleaning the filter just yet. And make sure you cover the end of any pipe you use to do the water change so you don't suck up any babies.

I never had fry die unless they were eaten. Keep the water clean and feed them several times a day (tiny amounts) and they should be fine.

 

[kathh]

i do all of my water changes with a jug.. takes a long time but then atleast i know the fish are safe!

disaster!.... just cleaned out my big tank and went to but the filter back in and it wont work! dont know what to do! will have to pop to pets at home later for a replacement if it doesnt start working!