Success after exactly a YEAR !!!

[Rob_G]

Woo hoo !

I have had my tank for a year now and have watched my livebearers get pregnant with anxious anticipation every month only to come home so many times and see their swollen bellies gone and NO fry. Someone suggested on here that it was the Gold Barbs eating the fry in my main tank so this time I move a pregnant swordtail to a second 80 litre tank - and da daaa -


woke up this morning to see - 15 fry. I am so pleased after trying for a year - I thought the fry would survive in the main tank which is heavily planted but the barbs dug up the plants like mad to eat the fry i think cos the plants were floaring on the surface often at the same time as a livebearer having her swollen belly dissapear - notice the correlation ??

Anyway - a couple of the fry are swimming aroun healthy but most are sitting still on the bottom and in plants then move a little every so often.

My question is - is this normal that they are so still - maybe they are still weak and preserving energy ? Only the active 2 swimmers seemed to eat the fine crushed flake i put in. Will the others perk up ?

Thanks.

 

[Angry_Platy]

Yeah it is normal fry behaviour. My guppy fry are very still for the first 24 hours or so.

Congrats on the fry....I wish my swordies would hurry up and take the hint.....GIVE ME FRY DAMMIT!!!!!

 

[paige]

have u taken the fry out it would be a good idea to if u havent yet because they'll probably get eaten or squashed.good luck on the fry my guppy started having her babies yesterday and shes had 17 so far and i think she's finished now.no actually including the one that her sister ate 18 fry little baby

 

[Rob_G]

leaving fry in breeding tank, and have put mother back in main tank.



this is so rewarding this hobby

 

[Polardbear]

Congratulations! Your baby swordies should be just fine. I think they are born knowing that everything around them considers them a free snack. They are extremely good at hiding, either by freezing so they don't get noticed, burying themselves in the gravel to hide, swimming at incredible speed to escape, and also seem to be born with the knowledge of how to avoid being netted. Having them born in a seperate tank that you'll be rearing them in is an excellent idea. Now that you've got them be sure to feed small amounts of food several times a day and do partial water changes as often as you can. (I like daily or every other day for water changes myself).

Good luck with them!

 

[Rob_G]

Thanks. Will it still be fine to add stress coat and plant food? I suppose it will. They just look so fragile.

 

[Polardbear]

Stress coat shouldn't be a problem, I've used it in my fry tanks. I've never used plant food in any of my tanks so I can't help you there.

 

[Fiori]

Congrats on the fry - they will hide away quite happily until they reckon they are no longer someone's free lunch. They are soooo cute, are'nt they? But they just keep on coming!!

I actually have a young black molly in the tank with them and I'm adding a bit of Melafix for her at the mo - no side effects for the fry so far - they are growing like weeds.

 

[Rob_G]

Had a recount - about 30 now. They have grown already since Friday (am i imagining that ?!).

They all seem to be doing very well at the moment. I suppose I will contact a fish club and arrange for some to be given away as I will only be able to accommodate about 2 or 3 more in my main tank ?

 

[Rob_G]

Can anyone tell me how long it generally takes for Swordtail fry to reach adulthood ? My fry seem to be growing rapidly.