New babies, lots of questions!

[Kiarra]

Well, you stressed her out by putting her back in the net, so she's clamped onto them pretty good for the time being. They'll probably be born sometime much later tonight, towards the morning.

They should be fine with her until morning and you can pull her out, especially since the net you put her in has those plants in it. They'll hide from their mum, and, if she turns predatory, she probably won't be able to find the bulk of them.

 

[mlee0332]

okay. I just did the change...

The babes ate well when I fed them. They didn't eat much, but i'd say 2-3 pieces of flake per each one. I don't have liquifry yet, b/c she was so small I assumed she had a while before they would be born .

 

[Kiarra]

Don't worry too much about their eating habits. Many don't even choose to eat within their first 24 hours of life, but eat voraciously thereafter.

Good food options include:
Baby brine shrimp (live or frozen)
Finely powdered flakes
Liquifry
Hikari First Bites
Wardley Small Fry

My personal recommendation is frozen BBS, but I've used all of the above before.

 

[mlee0332]

oh okay. Well, do you suggest a variety? or just feed them powdered flakes (what they got tonight )

I have adult brine shrimp that are frozen... But that's the only other thing I have on that list...

 

[Kiarra]

Variety is NEVER a bad thing. You can use all of the above mentioned if you'd like to. Just be aware that Small Fry and Liquifry cloud your water a bit.

Also, feed them 3-4 times a day. Small amounts often is a good thing to do.

Edit: Adult brine shrimp aren't very nutritious, and they need as much nutrition as they can get right now. I wouldn't recommend them until the fry are at least a couple weeks old, and then they won't choke on them, and can be used as an occasional treat, but not as a staple of the diet.

 

[mlee0332]

okay. Is there anything else that is very vital to know about keeping fry in general? I have another guppy that is pregnant, and lord knows when she'll pop, and she is the same size now, as the other was just a few hrs ago. She, I know, has only been preg for about 2-3 weeks, so I have a little time, but maybe not much. I know I need to get another tank, would a 5g do?

 

[Kiarra]

A 5 gallon tank would be quite wonderful.

 

[mlee0332]

thankyou very much!

 

[mlee0332]

what is a acceptable temperature for fry?

I know somewhere in the 80's, correct?

I went on ahead and got a 10 g kit b/c it cost the same as a 5 g kit !!! Well, I am also going to sue it for a quarantine tank when there aren't any babes in it, so it was okay!!

 

[Kiarra]

I wouldn't recommend 80's at all for Guppy fry. 74-75 should be good. I don't even use a heater for mine.

 

[daudy_dojo]

once it took my molly a whole day to have 50 fry but i only could find 18 and the rest were eatin!

 

[mlee0332]

I wouldn't recommend 80's at all for Guppy fry. 74-75 should be good. I don't even use a heater for mine.

I wish you woulda told me that a few hours earlier... But the heater I bought for them wasn't very expensive, so it's okay...

 

[mlee0332]

once it took my molly a whole day to have 50 fry but i only could find 18 and the rest were eatin!

thas sad... what color gravel was in their tank (the one they were born in?)

 

[Kiarra]

The great thing about heaters is that they can always be used later!

Seriously, you can use the heater if you want. I just choose not to.

 

[mlee0332]

o I no! I'll need it later b/c this is doubling as a hospital when the fry are out of it (if they ever do ) I have 2 female guppies. The one thet just had the babes (1 st birthing from mating) and the other has been a pregger for 2-3 weeks. So my schedule for the next few months:

first fry born
-2 weeks-
next fry
-3weeks-
next fry

etc...

Is it okay that the fry are going into a tank with absolutely nothing in it? No gravel, no plants, no decor, nothing.

I know that gravel is a no no for fry, so that's why I didn't bother.

Also, how would you say fry are in general:

• about as easy to keep as grown guppies
• easier to keep '' '' ''
• harder to keep '' '' ''