Mating- What Went Wrong?

[DreyOfAud]

Okay.. so I'm pretty sure that all my babies have died.. Can anyone tell me what went wrong? What did I do that killed them all?

They were living in a half-filled 29 gal tank and being fed frozen brine shrimp.. the first few weeks they had no filter at all, and there were lots of elodea plants floating on the surface. The plants started to turn all brown and mucky, and nasty bits were dropping onto the floor of the tank. There was a little log in there too that was getting all fuzzy. I didn't want them living in such a crappy atmosphere, so I hand caught every single fish and put them in a bowl while I cleaned the tank out. I filled it all the way, added some white rocks at the bottom and some plastic plants, let the water get warm, and put a new sponge filter in. The tank stayed a little cloudy for a few hours, but eventually it settled. I put all the babies back in after that. They seemed fine, but started disappearing. Now I can't find a single one!

This was my first breeding attempt and I tried really hard.. I guess I didn't take very good care of them. Was the tank too gigantic? Was the food too large for them? Did they get sucked up by the sponge filter?

I want to try again.. it's been a month exactly since I've bred Alvin and Peaches. I've been conditioning them ever since and they've fully recovered and look great! Would it be cruel to do it again this soon? If I were to breed them again, should I use a really small container for the fry?

Thanks everyone!

 

[NottsFishy]

Sorry to hear about youre loss sounds to me like they were sucked up by the filter i would turn it down and put something to stop it sucking up large particles even though it is still a sponge filter imo

 

[stevefish21]

Ok, there are many things you have done that could have killed them. But firstly, a sponge filter isn't going to suck them up. Most breeders use them from the day the fry are free-swimming.

Doing a 100% water at that stage of their development is what probably did it. Also filling the tank all way could have done it. At 25 days old, which yours were, they would have just about been starting to take their first breaths, so if they had and the air was cold that would have killed them.

I suggest that before you attempt breeding them again, you do some more research as there were some very basic errors made here.

Here are a couple of sites that i think would be usefull.

[Mod Edit] (Links to these websites are not allowed as you well know, Andy / Netty )

Click on the breeding/spawning sections.

The list is endless though, but some sites are not that good to be honest with you. And others are far too complicated to actually understand lol

 

[DreyOfAud]

Yeah, I've already read both of those a long time ago. Guess it wouldn't hurt to reread 'em. I just thought that the dirty mucky water would be bad for them.. The elodea plants must have had snail eggs on them when I purchased them because somehow, the tank got overrun with snails! They were EVERYWHERE! Not to mention these tiny little white worms.. *sigh* Those plants messed everything up.

I think I'm going to breed in a really small tank this time and leave the fry in the tiny tank as well.

 

[tropic_john]

Slightly murky water isn't that bad for them because they live in darkish water anyway thats why the very 'into it' breeders put indian almond leaves into their water to make it go a bit murky like back in the rice fields they live in.

 

[stevefish21]

Yeah, I've already read both of those a long time ago. Guess it wouldn't hurt to reread 'em. I just thought that the dirty mucky water would be bad for them.. The elodea plants must have had snail eggs on them when I purchased them because somehow, the tank got overrun with snails! They were EVERYWHERE! Not to mention these tiny little white worms.. *sigh* Those plants messed everything up.

I think I'm going to breed in a really small tank this time and leave the fry in the tiny tank as well.

10 gallon tank is the smallest you want to go. I wouldn't blame the snails though.

Slightly murky water isn't that bad for them because they live in darkish water anyway thats why the very 'into it' breeders put indian almond leaves into their water to make it go a bit murky like back in the rice fields they live in.

No no no, Indian almond leaves are used for the calming and anti-bacterial qualities. There is a big difference to rotting Elodea and the dark waters on rice paddies.

 

[loraxchick]

the little white worms were most likely planaria and would have eventually become food for the fry...id be psyched to have some in a fry tank!
are you sure they arent hiding in the gravel? betta fry are TIINNNYYY and might be hard to see.
i agree the sponge filter is in NO way the culprit...as are not the snails.
best of luck!

 

[DreyOfAud]

It's not like I TRIED to make the elodea rot! It just started to! It looked like a thick fungus was growing all over everything.. and the fry would do nothing but sit in the long, furry strands. I was afraid bacteria would start to build up or something.. The snails and the worms were scary too, because I didn't put them in there!

I know all about the Indian Almond Leaf stuff, so I wasn't too scared at first, but the tank just kept getting worse and worse! There was even a thick oily residue on the surface, and it kind of smelled funny in there.

I've already started preparing another tank for my second attempt. I've got a 5 gal 3/5 filled with water. I bought a new sponge filter that fits perfectly and have started it running right away! I have a submersible heater and thermometer in there too so I can find the perfect setting to keep the tank between 80 and 82 at all times. I even got a styrofoam cup cut in half for him to build his nest in rather than elodea plants! I'm going to leave it running for a few more days, then reintroduce them both into the tank in their separate little floating cups.

Now.. should I breed them again in a couple of days, or is it too soon? Was frozen brine shrimp good food, or was it too big? The pet shop owner said it was small enough for fry, but you know pet shops.. Should you be able to see the fry actually EATING the food? I really wanna make this work this time!

 

[Shred]

I have no first hand experience in this but I have read that you should leave the female at least 3 weeks before attempting to breed again. Also the fry should really be fed on a microworm culture or something similar.

 

[DreyOfAud]

I've decided to use Dory, my blue female instead of Peaches. She's perfectly capable at the moment, but she ate the eggs last time! Maybe it's time to give Dory a chance. She's always eggy too..

I ordered a microworm culture online last night.. should be here in a few days. I'll get it started and then introduce the pair and see how it goes! This time I'll know just what to expect. Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[stevefish21]

Another very good fry food is Vinegar eel. I personally would recommend this over microworm.

 

[betta fish]

Great to hear you have found some microworm frozen brineshrimp would have been far too big for their little mouths! hope all goes well this time