Suprise spawning, tank full of fry (Blue Gouramis) HELP!

[LindaJanie]

In my 40 gallon Asian tank (two blue gouramis & five 4YO middle-sized clown loaches) the gouramis surprised me w/a whole bunch of fry on Saturday. Today is Monday, and to my shock, many are alive & swimming around the upper water column. The tank is very heavily planted w/driftwood and lots of green algae (my theory was that the lush algae would keep the tank healthy & I'm thinkin' I was right). Mom is under the school of fry, appears to be guarding them because if she sees a loach, she chases it (never did this before). Dad is guarding a corner of the tank & doesn't seem interested in the fry. The only fish I ever tried to breed were African cichlids (easy - the fry are big) but I haven't a clue what to feed these little guys. I did turn off the main filter but the tank is too full of driftwood and plants to remove anybody w/out tearing it all up. HAS ANYONE GOT EXPERIENCE OF FISH PRODUCING FRY IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS? My guess is that w/all the plants, algae & driftwood, many of the fry have found microscopic meals, but what now???

 

[vanalisa]

No experience with this, but...
Hikari First Bites
Frozen Daphnia
???

 

[Retired Viking]

You could take flake foods and grind it into a dust and try that. It seemed to work with tetra fry, I also did it years ago with molly and African Cichlids fry

 

[Colin_T]

You need to keep the filter running. Just turn it down.
If the filter has been off for more than 6 hours, wash it out and get it running again. Put a sponge over the intake of the filter.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

www.fishforums.net

EMERGENCY FRY FOOD

Some fry like labyrinth fry (Bettas & Gouramis) and Iriatherina werneri are very small when they first hatch and need green water or infusoria. If you can't get these you can hard boil an egg. Remove the shell and white part. Push the yellow yolk through a handkerchief into a small container of dechlorinated water. Put the lid on the container and shake it up, then use an eye dropper to suck some of the egg yolk solution out and put it in the tank with the babies. Do this 3-5 times per day for the first 2 weeks then start adding newly hatched brineshrimp.

Boil another egg each day and make a new solution each day. Keep the solution in the fridge when not using it. Take the solution out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before using it in the fry tank.

Do regular partial water changes on the fry tank or have a small air operated sponge filter in it to keep the water clean. The egg yolk can cause ammonia levels to go up and without water changes or a filter the fry will die from polluted water.​

 

[vanalisa]

You need to keep the filter running. Just turn it down.
If the filter has been off for more than 6 hours, wash it out and get it running again. Put a sponge over the intake of the filter.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

www.fishforums.net

EMERGENCY FRY FOOD
Some fry like labyrinth fry (Bettas & Gouramis) and Iriatherina werneri are very small when they first hatch and need green water or infusoria. If you can't get these you can hard boil an egg. Remove the shell and white part. Push the yellow yolk through a handkerchief into a small container of dechlorinated water. Put the lid on the container and shake it up, then use an eye dropper to suck some of the egg yolk solution out and put it in the tank with the babies. Do this 3-5 times per day for the first 2 weeks then start adding newly hatched brineshrimp.

Boil another egg each day and make a new solution each day. Keep the solution in the fridge when not using it. Take the solution out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before using it in the fry tank.

Do regular partial water changes on the fry tank or have a small air operated sponge filter in it to keep the water clean. The egg yolk can cause ammonia levels to go up and without water changes or a filter the fry will die from polluted water.

Wow!

 

[LindaJanie]

No experience with this, but...
Hikari First Bites
Frozen Daphnia
???

Wow!

Done. There are at least several dozen swimming about right near the surface as I type. From the side, they look like fish now, not alien aquatic pod creatures. There's a near-solid layer of plants & algae under them. Mom is still directly beneath them chasing the loaches away should their snouts appear. Dad is back in full breeding colors ~ he is STUNNING, his fin spots almost glow in the dark ~ & he's hard at work on a new nest. We'll see what happens, right? It's very, very exciting to watch.

 

[LindaJanie]

You need to keep the filter running. Just turn it down.
If the filter has been off for more than 6 hours, wash it out and get it running again. Put a sponge over the intake of the filter.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

www.fishforums.net

EMERGENCY FRY FOOD
Some fry like labyrinth fry (Bettas & Gouramis) and Iriatherina werneri are very small when they first hatch and need green water or infusoria. If you can't get these you can hard boil an egg. Remove the shell and white part. Push the yellow yolk through a handkerchief into a small container of dechlorinated water. Put the lid on the container and shake it up, then use an eye dropper to suck some of the egg yolk solution out and put it in the tank with the babies. Do this 3-5 times per day for the first 2 weeks then start adding newly hatched brineshrimp.

Boil another egg each day and make a new solution each day. Keep the solution in the fridge when not using it. Take the solution out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before using it in the fry tank.

Do regular partial water changes on the fry tank or have a small air operated sponge filter in it to keep the water clean. The egg yolk can cause ammonia levels to go up and without water changes or a filter the fry will die from polluted water.

Thanks! I've been testing for ammonia & nitrite; zero at this point. Can't emphasize how plant-full this tank is, either, plus I added zeolite to filters. I can't put babies in a fry tank; too many plants & a whole lot of driftwood in their tank plus, now, another nest. I did a 1 gallon change last night & 1 today. Numerous fry are still there at the top of the water column above a thick mat of plants. I took some plastic (algae coated) plants from another tank and made sort of a big circle around the fry area so the water where they are is still. Mom is still under them chasing loaches away. Dad is in full color and working on another test. They were "dancing" earlier (that's what I told my friends' children who've come to see, ha ha ha). I guess this is an experiment, right? The two filters in the tank are in-tank with greatest circulation at the bottom where the loaches are. Several dozen (maybe more) are alive and visibly larger. I'm a nervous wreck, truth to tell.

 

[Retired Viking]

I remember how excited I was when I saw my first red eyed tetra fry. I do not want to rain on your parade but have you thought about what you are going to do with all these fry if they grow up to be fish? In 3 months my 2 female and 3 male red eyed tetra had 12 fry that grew up. They were taking over my tetra tank and I ended up giving them to my bother-in-law. Less then 2 weeks later I found another one which is still in my tank.

 

[LindaJanie]

I remember how excited I was when I saw my first red eyed tetra fry. I do not want to rain on your parade but have you thought about what you are going to do with all these fry if they grow up to be fish? In 3 months my 2 female and 3 male red eyed tetra had 12 fry that grew up. They were taking over my tetra tank and I ended up giving them to my bother-in-law. Less then 2 weeks later I found another one which is still in my tank.

Thank you! It's nice to know others get excited by stuff like this. Yes, I have thought about it. First, I'm not so sure any will reach adulthood; they've been in there now (considering how long they had to be under the nest before I saw them) a week now with a dozen or more survivors. I have several empty tanks to put them in if they live to be big enough to catch & have been thinking about what to do next. I've never seen anything like this. Dad is under the new nest; he & mama were "dancing" again today; she's eating now & he's still just... well, guarding the nest. I haven't seen her eat or chase fry. So I don't know. The fry I can see are responding to the pulverized flake food; I put it in a plastic lid, crush it up as small as possible, add a bit of tank water then crush it up some more. There's no food visible landed on the plants an hour or so later; I'm guessing the cories go up to feast. The loaches never go to the top of the water column... anyhow, Daddy fish is even more spectacular today than yesterday. His colors are extraordinary, like an African cichlid or ocean fish. She's very dark, too, w/vivid blue-gray blotches where she used to be pale gray. The other tank (empty except for the world's oldest mountain minnow who's outlived his school by forever) would be a good place for minnows. It's got a million plant stems firmly rooted & there's always a few soggy leaves. I looked at the water under the mic & it's teeming with infusoria, more than the big tank. So... if the parents keep at it, I guess I'm breeding gouramis now? I'll have to see about whether I should separate them & how often to let them do this. By allowing my tank to go "feral" w/ green algae & too many plants, I think I accidentally created a good breeding environment...?

 

[Retired Viking]

Thank you! It's nice to know others get excited by stuff like this. Yes, I have thought about it. First, I'm not so sure any will reach adulthood; they've been in there now (considering how long they had to be under the nest before I saw them) a week now with a dozen or more survivors. I have several empty tanks to put them in if they live to be big enough to catch & have been thinking about what to do next. I've never seen anything like this. Dad is under the new nest; he & mama were "dancing" again today; she's eating now & he's still just... well, guarding the nest. I haven't seen her eat or chase fry. So I don't know. The fry I can see are responding to the pulverized flake food; I put it in a plastic lid, crush it up as small as possible, add a bit of tank water then crush it up some more. There's no food visible landed on the plants an hour or so later; I'm guessing the cories go up to feast. The loaches never go to the top of the water column... anyhow, Daddy fish is even more spectacular today than yesterday. His colors are extraordinary, like an African cichlid or ocean fish. She's very dark, too, w/vivid blue-gray blotches where she used to be pale gray. The other tank (empty except for the world's oldest mountain minnow who's outlived his school by forever) would be a good place for minnows. It's got a million plant stems firmly rooted & there's always a few soggy leaves. I looked at the water under the mic & it's teeming with infusoria, more than the big tank. So... if the parents keep at it, I guess I'm breeding gouramis now? I'll have to see about whether I should separate them & how often to let them do this. By allowing my tank to go "feral" w/ green algae & too many plants, I think I accidentally created a good breeding environment...?

It sounds like it, that is what I did with my tetra tank, still hope to have some ember or neon tetra fry but they are not so easy. When I had African Chiclids I started with 8 rescues and within a year I had over 50 in my 55 gallon tank. Had to take out everything to discourage breeding. My black mollies over ran my 20 gallon tank in no time. I had also tried and set up the best environment for them. That was many years ago. Now I have guppies doing it in my 30 gallon shrimp and guppy tank. I still like to see fry but know the problems that can come with too many of them

 

[LindaJanie]

You could take flake foods and grind it into a dust and try that. It seemed to work with tetra fry, I also did it years ago with molly and African Cichlids fry
[/QUOTE
Sorry for the delay in replying; figuring out how to use this forum. Anyhow, the fry must be a week old by now, since I saw them as free swimmers last Saturday. I looked at tank water under microscope; yes, the water is full of infusoria. See, as my BFF would describe it, I let the tank go "feral" due to having been ill for over a year & up to no more than weekly water changes & rinsing filter material. Plants like a jungle, algae on all the glass plus lots of driftwood that looks like it's covered w/green velveteen. It's not pretty, but the fish love it (obviously) & it can sustain a handful of tiny fry. I am now feeding the finely ground flakes you suggested & can see them showing interest. Making plans for the next bunch whom are either already in the nest or soon to be; the parents are in full breeding colors and "dancing" quite a lot. I don't need to separate them; the tank is big & so densely planted, they can't even see each other from across the tank. She is as interested in "dancing" as he is. Also, all sources say Daddy fish won't eat during breeding; both of mine are eating, although he only about once or twice a day (mostly tubifex). Thanks again for your answer. Linda

 

[LindaJanie]

It sounds like it, that is what I did with my tetra tank, still hope to have some ember or neon tetra fry but they are not so easy. When I had African Chiclids I started with 8 rescues and within a year I had over 50 in my 55 gallon tank. Had to take out everything to discourage breeding. My black mollies over ran my 20 gallon tank in no time. I had also tried and set up the best environment for them. That was many years ago. Now I have guppies doing it in my 30 gallon shrimp and guppy tank. I still like to see fry but know the problems that can come with too many of them

I understand; I'm suddenly mad with the urge to become a gourami magnate. Sad to report, it's not looking like too many fry will be an issue here. Of the first batch, noticed a week ago, only a few remain. The good news is, I'm doing something right or they'd have starved by now. Big Daddy Gourami hasn't stopped guarding his nest area since this began (contrary to what all the experts say, he has eaten several times). Last night, huge nest. This morning? Nest dispersed & loaches iridescent with breeding colors; those rascals have clearly mastered the art of feeding from the top. (If we want to breed loaches, just feed them the eggs of other fish, right?) Anyhow, Big Daddy was swimming around like a deranged father. I thought he & Big Mama were eating eggs. Nope. Three hours ago, I saw that a whole bunch of egg bubbles were under the floating plant leaves. Two & a half hours ago, I checked again & guess what? More babies, wiggling right under the nest. IF I wanted to be a gourami magnate, I'd remove the loaches (and two likewise iridescent w/breeding colors) & let the Gourami family be fruitful & multiply. Ha ha ha! Linda PS: I had the same problem w/ cichlid fry ~ also from a rescue pair! I saw them in a tank at Walmart (hideous) & bought them w/no clue what they were except some sort of African. They grew up, a beautiful baby blue with navy stripes, not terribly big, and bam! Next thing I knew, the mama opened her mouth & a squad of babies swam out. I put the fry in another "feral" tank ~ one so full of plant stems it looked like a jungle ~ I do that for water quality in new tanks ~ put pothos stems in the tank which root & produce a delightful natural look, like a jungle pool, and there's a jungle above, too, after they take hold ~ which was going to be a turtle habitat ~ they all grew up & off we went.

 

[LindaJanie]

I understand; I'm suddenly mad with the urge to become a gourami magnate. Sad to report, it's not looking like too many fry will be an issue here. Of the first batch, noticed a week ago, only a few remain. The good news is, I'm doing something right or they'd have starved by now. Big Daddy Gourami hasn't stopped guarding his nest area since this began (contrary to what all the experts say, he has eaten several times). Last night, huge nest. This morning? Nest dispersed & loaches iridescent with breeding colors; those rascals have clearly mastered the art of feeding from the top. (If we want to breed loaches, just feed them the eggs of other fish, right?) Anyhow, Big Daddy was swimming around like a deranged father. I thought he & Big Mama were eating eggs. Nope. Three hours ago, I saw that a whole bunch of egg bubbles were under the floating plant leaves. Two & a half hours ago, I checked again & guess what? More babies, wiggling right under the nest. IF I wanted to be a gourami magnate, I'd remove the loaches (and two likewise iridescent w/breeding colors) & let the Gourami family be fruitful & multiply. Ha ha ha! Linda PS: I had the same problem w/ cichlid fry ~ also from a rescue pair! I saw them in a tank at Walmart (hideous) & bought them w/no clue what they were except some sort of African. They grew up, a beautiful baby blue with navy stripes, not terribly big, and bam! Next thing I knew, the mama opened her mouth & a squad of babies swam out. I put the fry in another "feral" tank ~ one so full of plant stems it looked like a jungle ~ I do that for water quality in new tanks ~ put pothos stems in the tank which root & produce a delightful natural look, like a jungle pool, and there's a jungle above, too, after they take hold ~ which was going to be a turtle habitat ~ they all grew up & off we went.

Meant to say that the CORIES are also iridescent. Those have bred for me before but I've got no clue if the two left are a pair or not. They're ancient.

 

[Colin_T]

Your Cories are breeding because the gouramis are breeding. When any fish breed, they release breeding hormones/ pheromones into the water and this encourages other fish in the area to breed as well.

 

[LindaJanie]

Oh, that's so cool & it makes perfect sense. Also, I have seen the rascally cories ~ more than once ~ zoom up and grab some food from the nest, so they're getting live food. At least a dozen of the original fry appear to be thriving (hard to tell how many w/all the plants). Now there's a fresh hatch (last night they were still dangling like tiny, wiggly commas from the bubble nest). They're pretty much spread out. Neither of the parents is eating the fry. The bigger ones are now getting pulverized flake food. I can see them take it from the surface. The little ones get a squirt of green water from my overgrown "Walnut Creek tank" ~ which I planted super heavily with pothos stems so it looks like the bottom of the real Walnut Creek where I used to love to hike & sit and watch the various fish species (especially the Texas cichlids about the size of aquatic Chihuahuas). Obviously my gourami-loach tank is a good breeding environment, ha ha ha. It comes down to my having been sick & unable to remove the algae (I actually think it looks cool on the driftwood, which there's a lot of) and too many plants. The tank was placed too close to a sliding door ~ but again, as long as the front glass is clean, I like the wild look of the tank. To me, it's like scuba diving to sit there and watch the fishes. Thanks for the tip about the hormones; it makes perfect sense. For years, I've had a gut feeling that rooting the pothos at the backs of my tanks was good for the water quality. The Walnut Creek tank isn't actually green; the water looks polished, but the water from the filter sponge is bright green. I borrowed a microscope. Both tanks are full of tiny swimming things. The filter water is full of one-celled algae, too. I feel like I'm having a crash course in breeding & raising gouramis. What next!?! Linda