Swordtail New Fry

[zuulan]

Hi All

My Lyretail Swordtail has just had another lot of fry this morning & this time I separated her into Aquael Orb bowl so I have 10+ fry now. The first time I've had fry to look after in 15+ years. The mum is back in a main tank, much to the pleasure of her husband.

A few questions for you experts out there because I want to get it right:

1) is the filter system on the Aquael Ok for my fry or will it be too strong & suck them up?
This is what my Orb is, if you didn't know.

2) Should I start adding in Liquifry2 straight away? The packet says add 10 drops up to 4 times a day, which seems a lot. Does anyone recommend a different feeding regime?

3) Lastly how many hours light should I have for them?

Thanks!

 

[OldMan47]

The fish do not require any artificial light. They do need enough to see their food but that is about it.
Feeding can be done using products like liquifry or crushed adult flake food. A better option for most fry is things like baby brine shrimp or even a small feeding of the frozen daphnia.

 

[zuulan]

The fish do not require any artificial light. They do need enough to see their food but that is about it.
Feeding can be done using products like liquifry or crushed adult flake food. A better option for most fry is things like baby brine shrimp or even a small feeding of the frozen daphnia.

Thanks. I've been giving them a few minutes of light when I feed them in the morning & then the full evening after I've come in from work. Using Liquifry & Hikari First Bites fry food, I've been feeding them about 3 times a day but there's a big gap while at work. Is that ok?

Filter doesn't seem to be causing them a problem. They seem to be able to swim in the current.

Not sure if I'm losing any, can't seem to count as many as before but I've not seen any bodies.

 

[OldMan47]

With feeding 3 times a day, you will have good survival as long as you stay on top of the water changes. The frequent feeding that you use for fry also means lots of water changes to keep the water quality high.

 

[zuulan]

Hi All

When will my mother swordtail have her next set of fry?

She gave birth to her last set on the 16th Nov. Is it 30 days, so about the 16th of December?

Thanks

 

[hughessomefish]

Give or take a few,I depends is there a male in the tank with her? But yes your estimation on when she is going to give birth is correct give or take a few days.

Also it depends on the age I find, my older swords seem to have longer gestation periods.

 

[fish48]

Swordtails can take up to 45 days to drop fry

 

[zuulan]

OK, thanks. She's quite a size so I guess she's quite old. I put her back in with her husband after she gave birth last time. I'll keep an eye on her & probably put her in a breeding trap somewhere between the 16 & 30th Dec.

 

[hughessomefish]

Alright good luck let us know how every thing goes. thanks

 

[OldMan47]

The best estimate for a fish that dropped on 11/15 is 12/15 to 12/30 for the next drop. The drop will be not less than about 30 days after the last one and is not likely to be more than 45 days after than the last one. In between you will find the variation that each female shows on how quickly she moves toward her next drop.

 

[zuulan]

Alright good luck let us know how every thing goes. thanks

All but one of them have gone and I've not seen her in the last few hours

No idea what's happened to them, none of them looked ill and I've not seen any bodies either. Weird

 

[zuulan]

The best estimate for a fish that dropped on 11/15 is 12/15 to 12/30 for the next drop. The drop will be not less than about 30 days after the last one and is not likely to be more than 45 days after than the last one. In between you will find the variation that each female shows on how quickly she moves toward her next drop.

Well 24th Dec and still nothing. Will turning up the temperature help speed things along?

 

[OldMan47]

There are pluses and minuses to higher temperatures for your swordtail. A higher temperature means a quicker time for the new fry to mature enough to be dropped but it also means a bit less oxygen capacity in the water and a shorter life expectancy for every fish in the tank. The higher metabolism does not just affect maturing eggs into fry, it affects every aspect of the fish's life including its life expectancy. I always favor the right temperature, or even a bit on the cool side, to ensure that my fish have time to develop to their full potential without pushing them using high temperatures.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

The best estimate for a fish that dropped on 11/15 is 12/15 to 12/30 for the next drop. The drop will be not less than about 30 days after the last one and is not likely to be more than 45 days after than the last one. In between you will find the variation that each female shows on how quickly she moves toward her next drop.

Well 24th Dec and still nothing. Will turning up the temperature help speed things along?

big yet?

There are pluses and minuses to higher temperatures for your swordtail. A higher temperature means a quicker time for the new fry to mature enough to be dropped but it also means a bit less oxygen capacity in the water and a shorter life expectancy for every fish in the tank. The higher metabolism does not just affect maturing eggs into fry, it affects every aspect of the fish's life including its life expectancy. I always favor the right temperature, or even a bit on the cool side, to ensure that my fish have time to develop to their full potential without pushing them using high temperatures.

why would it shorten life expectancy though?

 

[zuulan]

big yet?

She changes daily. Sometimes she is squared off, some days not. I've noticed she isn't fat from above. Do swords get fat from above or is that just Platies?