New Fry At Last

[Fizban]

hmmmm im not shore what color they will be i had 3 females in there and i changed the male a night befor i saw them so i guess it could be ether male as well .............i have a qestion i lowed the water in the tank to get them to breed can i now fill it back up with out killing them ??cuz i dont want to clean the tank out cuz there only just the size u can see i think it will be okay for a time but probly would be better if i could at least add some clean water..................any help on idears of best careing for them too is good cuz i have only done this one time befor ................i have fry food just incase u were wondering.........................there so cute

 

[sylvia]

What kind of fry food do you have?

Are the fry free-swimming or is the male still guarding them in his nest?

Either way, take out all the females. This will also keep the water from getting dirty. Once the fry leave the nest, you should also take out the male.

Once the fry are alone in the tank, start feeding them tiny fry foods. Hopefuly you have some kind of liquid food or infusoria ready.

Don't try changing the water until the fry are free swimming. If you destroy the nest while they are still in it, they'll probably all die.

Once you've removed the male and they are free swimming and you are feeding them regularly, it's ok to fill the tank back up. You can also do water changes if you use a light colored bucket. That way, when you syphon up water into your bucket, you'll be able to see the fry so that if you suck them up you can just catch them and put them in the tank again.

 

[Fizban]

i have a fry food called liquifry they are free swimming and i took the male out with the females cuz they were free swimming when i saw them oh and the foods a liquid typ of food ...............i think i will add some water in a week and change the water a bit later on cuz the fry are realy smalll and theres soooooooooooooooooooo many

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Congrat Fizban. Sounds like they're more likely to be from the other male since it takes a while for the eggs to develop and hatch. I use the liquid fry food for egg layers with mine and 3 or 4 times a day. At this stage they do not get out of the way of a water clean and you will not be able to avoid sucking some up but as Sylvia said you can just pop them back after by scooping them out of the bucket.
You say you lowered the water? Is there a filter or heater in the tank? If not you will need them. A heater for sure and a filter once they start getting bigger. Just not one with a powerful outlet or they'll knocked around horribly. I direct mine towards the surface so they aren't being buffeted and there's surface agitation, which they will need once they are around 3 weeks old. Which is when they will start breathing air. They grow quite rapidly. Faster then livebearer fry and show remarkable learning qualities from an early age. Already the fry I have know when to get out the way (During water changes) when I am feeding them, respond to my voice. And are suprisingly inquisitive. Possibly this is due to the tank being in a high traffic area (the kitchen) so they have become used to the noise/smells/vibrations I make and the children make.
Best of luck with them.
Hugs,
P.

 

[Fizban]

I use a liquid fry food for egg layers as well it say on one part breeding tips and in it say stuff like air operated filters like the airstreem sponge filter are ideal for rearing baby fish as they remove waste from the aquarium without the turbulence that can be created by other types of filter aeration is particularly important to baby labyrinths (fighters, gouramis, etc.) to break the skin on the water surface. at abouth the tenth day the labyrinths start coming to the surface for air..........................................................................theres a heater but i still need a filter but im not shore on a good one for baby fry .....................how many frys do gouramis have rownds about ?

 

[sylvia]

A sponge filter would be ideal. They also tend to be quite cheap so won't cost you much and there's no danger from them sucking up younger fry or causing too much water movement. Having said that, you don't NEED a filter. You can get by with an airstone set on a low power and frequent water changes.

As for the number of fry, this varies a lot but, if the parents were young and inexperienced, I wouldn't expect more than 30. Very prolific pairs can have several hundred. However, fry are often canibalistic and will not all survive plus not all hatch healthy so may not make it past the first few days.

 

[Fizban]

i asked for the number of fry cuz i thort maby the male had fry from more then one of the females cuz i would guess theres arownd 100 maby a bit less or more but arownd there .........theres no way i will no the number at this stage there too small but theres a lot all over the top of the tank thanks for that info on the filter oh i seem to rember reading ether on here or some where other then here about it being good to have glass over the top of the tank to keep the air warm or some thing if u no any thing on that and if u need that please tell

 

[Fizban]

oh i just found this http/www.hagblomfoto.com/article_spongefilter.htm would this be okay to do for the the fry u may need to copy and past

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Yes it would do. I cheat and buy cheapo internals for fry though. You can pick them up for about £10 capable of doing a reasonable sized tank. Only downsize is they do need constant checking as they get blocked very easily/quickly.
I wouldn't expect all the fry to survive. I'm guessing I have about 2-3 dozen from the first spawning that have grown up well and healthy. There are some form other spawnings aswell althought the latest didn't make it due to the new hierarchy in place in the tank. One of the younger females has become alpha girl and she munches the fry if she gets them and they're too small to join the older lot in the fry tank cos they munch them too. *sigh*
Hugs,
P.
P.Sylvia, I have found with the very young fry it is very hard to avoid sucking them up during water changes so like to keep them to a minimum, hence using an already mature filter for their tank. But technically you can get away with none in any tank if you really wanted to. Just means a great deal of water changes and work!

 

[Fizban]

ummmmmmm i have a small problem i will be going away for 2 days soon im wondering if the fry could live for 2 days with out food ..............the only person i can get to come into feed the fry well i dont like just leting some one into my house when i dont no what they may be doing with out me noing i mean the persons a friend but evan friends you never no every thing about them .............sighs

 

[sylvia]

Do you have plants and snails in the breeding tank? The fry won't survive without being fed but, if you have plants in the tank, there may be enough infusoria for many of them to survive. Snails also encourage infusoria to grow in the tank so they also help provide a source of food. Basicaly, not all the fry will survive without being fed but the largest ones and any that are lucky enough to find food on their own may manage the two days.

 

[Fizban]

hmmm well i think i may still have to get some one rownd cuz i feel bad not feeding them as for the plants i have them and snails ............whats infusoria?

 

[sylvia]

Infusoria are tiny organisms that fry will eat. Most liquid foods simply feed infusoria so the infusoria can then feed the fry.

 

[Fizban]

thanks for the info sylvia...........what is the best looking typ of gouramis?oh and what colour typ is the gouramis called Queenie cuz she sounds intresting .............and why have i got some red snails some of the snails eggs hatched out in water that i did not no any thing was liveing in so the water had been there for a fair time

 

[sylvia]

If I remember correctly, Miss Dib Dabs' Queenie is a gold three-spot (like most of your females).

My favourite gourami is the pearl (trichogaster leeri). However, I would not add any more gouramies to your tank as the three-spots are unlikely to take kindly to new additions and pearls, especialy, are peaceful and won't like the aggression.

Of the three-spot color morphs, my favourites are opalines.