This is more depressing than when I went blind.

[Invader675]

Today Gloria (my best female guppy) gave birth, I had bought her a Marina Multi-Breeder birthing trap. £6.00.

http/www.arkpetcentre.co.uk/shop/product...products_id=408

Please I urge everyone, do not reccomend these to anyone. Do not buy them, if your LFS supplys them ask them to stop.
These traps are meant to allow babys to fall through to a secondary chamber and the mum to be isolated. Great, in theory.

Today when Gloria gave birth I was so happy, I missed fish so much and after going half blind due to ammonia in the eye at PH10 for 3 hours I was looking forward to this sooo much. The fry though were so small they fell through the filter holes and the gaps in the breeder trap and were instantly eaten by other fish in the tank (glass catfish....urg about the worst thing they could have met).
I managed to (after 2 hours of using a net) save 10 of the original 13 baby fry.

I took all the sections out of the breeder trap and I've wrapped tights (stockings to Americans? I don't know...) around the breeder trap and cut a hole in the top to feed them through. They can't get out now but I feel like ####. Should I just give up trying to keep fish?
Will the tights be ok to use? I washed them first with very very hot water to get rid of dyes.

 

[BettaMomma]

Don't be so hard on yourself.
The product was sold to you to be safe to use exactly as you were using it. You had no idea it would work like that.

And I'd say that given the circumstances, saving 10 out of the 13 is very remarkable!

You should not let this discourage you. Using the stockings, I would say, from a safety point should be just fine - lots of people use them over filter intake tubes so that bettas' fins don't get sucked in.

Keep your chin up - you've got babies to look after!

 

[Invader675]

Thanks BM. I still feel awful though. I hope they all survive. They all look female though, is this just how fry look? I don't remember how mine used to look I was only 10. How old do they need to be to sex?
I got Liqurifry for them, how many drops should I give them? I do hope that netting them in the tank didn't scare them too much. I don't want my babys to die, they are special, they are my first in my new tank.

 

[BettaMomma]

I'm really sorry - I can't answer any of your questions. I've never had baby fishes to look after so I don't know what to tell you. Someone should be along soon to help you with your questions.

They probably are a bit scared after being netted, but I"m sure they're less scared than they would be trying to escape from the fish in the rest of the tank.

One thing you might do to speed up the process is modify the title of your post to something like "need help with fry - quick!"
That might help to catch the eye of someone who surfs around looking for folks to help?

Good luck with your babes!
I'm sure you'll do just fine with them.

 

[Angry_Platy]

Congrats on the new fry. I love new fry.....SOOO cute

Livebearer fry will all appear female until they get a little bit older/bigger whih is when their anal fin folds up to form the male gonopodium and the males start looking more colourful. I have been told that the ratio of males to females depends on the pH of your tank water though I am not sure which way this goes.

Good luck raising them I love guppy fry. Their colours are so unpredictable!!!

 

[Invader675]

They are very cute. I hope they are ok, I've turned off the light and left them alone but it's sooo tempting to get my lil Mag-Lite and look into the tank to see them. The tights/stockings make it hard to see them though! I do hope they are ok.
I think on wednsday I'll buy a 10gal tank and make it fry only, I don't want this heartbreak again. I have a heater downstairs and an undergravel filter wouldn't pull them inside.

 

[Invader675]

I just saw another baby in the tank, I can't do anything to save this one, my fish really need rest and turning on the light now will scare them. If I can tomorrow I'll rescue it but it's reassuring to know that I may only have lost 2. My tank is very well planted, a fry could survive (I hope ).
I think one of the fry has died already from the stress, it might just be asleep though. I didn't desturb it. I hope the mother will be ok, she is resting but I am worried. I don't want Gloria to die .

 

[BettaMomma]

You're doing just fine
Gloria is probably just very exhausted - she just had 13 babies! lol
Those little fry are so teeny tiny they could probably hide for days - this one has already hidden from you for hours.

Just wake up extra early and go searching.
If it's meant to be, you'll find it.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

to make you not feel as bad, just think of the fry that got eaten as the ones that wouldve have survived anyways

 

[Invader675]

None died!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just found the last 3 babys!!!! They are hiding in my plants that I bought as a contingency for if I didn't get the mother into the breeder trap in time. It's a very big and bushy plant, it's next to a grass type plant (Sorry, I don't know names).
I put some fry food in over the plant and I can't really do alot more, it'd be unfair on the other fish to chase them around with a net. I have the other 10 safe inside the (modified) breeder trap and they are all doing well.
How long will it take for me to know if they have fancy tails? I hope my lyre-tail is the dad!

 

[samseal]

I have had baby Guppies before. They are a very hardy fry and things should go ok for you, as you have seen they survive against the odds.

Another tank for fry is a good idea, also makes it easier to watch them. An air pump driving a sponge filter is very good for a fry tank. I have used them very successfuly in the past.

Good luck


Tom (Sam's tank maintenance engineer)

 

[tlcbonanza]

Congratulations on your fry. We have a 5 gallon dedicated to fry and it helps immensely. After they get big enough that we can sex them, they go into their big boy and girl tanks. We had so many fry that we separated the boys and girls into their own planted tanks. The best part is to see how they color up. I think you are doing fine. As my older son tells me, just relax and everything will be ok. Good luck.

 

[clairemolly]

Mollie fry are soo cute
I love B.L.T (little black thing) he is so small and CUTE!!!

claire

 

[sunflower]

Congratualtions on the fry

As everyone has said "Mum" is going to be pretty much worn out right now but she should be fine. I take it you have released her back into the main tank?

Babies are pretty resilient after a few seconds in the water. I found a single fry in my tank about a month ago which I reckon had been hiding in the nooks and crannys of my tank for about 2 weeks

 

[Raechal]

I have raised molly fry and it is so amazing to watch them grow up! She had her first batch of fry while I was at work at a LPS so when I got home I only saved 7 since that was how many was left. I also had a bumblebee catfish with a VERY VERY full stomach. I netted all 7 of them and put them in one of those breeding nets that are made of like net and they hang on the side of the tank. All 7 are very healthy and about an inch long now. I would say they are about 6 months old. They follow mom around everywhere.

Then the same dalmation molly had another batch of fry while I was sleeping so I only got to rescue three. A week or so later I woke up and looked in the breeding net and two of the three fry were gone and one's head was left! I am thinking one of my fish in my 120 gallon jumped into the net and had a fry buffet. I felt so bad and I cried. I didn't feed my fish that day as I was really angry at them.

Then I found 4 fry in my brother's 29 gallon. He has guppies and platies so I am not sure if the fry are guppies or platties, but I am thinking they are guppies since they were so small and they are very thin-bodied. They are all a yellow-ish color and all appear to be females as well. I bought a 1 gallon tank and set it up for them to grow a little bit bigger in. Then when they are big enough, they'll probably go in my 120 gallon. I don't know who the father is as she was pregnant when I brought her home from the LFS. She was in there with mostly lyretail males so hopefully I will get a lyretail or two.

Goodluck with your fry! I have never used that liquifry stuff so I don't know how it works. I just crush flakes up and feed them frozen brine shrimp and blood worms (cut into small pieces)