Unexpected Fry

[cs091]

Hi All
I've been having problems with black brush algae on my java ferns and read that not changing the water helps.

Not wanting to stop water changes in my main tank (180L) I set up my little tank (40L) and put the ferns in along withe the bogwood pieces and rocks they are growing on after giving them a good rinse to try to get rid of the trumpet snails on them. That didn't work btw!

However, now, a week later, I've got stacks of fry in there. I've put a sponge filter in and got the temp at 26C and I'm feeding them No.1 fry food liquid 3 times a day. Will this be okay for them, or what should I change?

In the main tank are groups of danios, yellow dwarf gourami, trilineus and san juan corydoras, otos and harliquin rasboras. What's the most likely parents?

And how come when I try to breed, nothing happens but I seem to get fry by accident?

Thanks
Cathy

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Cathy

Fish keeping is run by Murphy's Law. You get fry when you don't want them, and struggle to get fry when you do want them

They are probably danio or harlequin eggs. Harlequins usually lay their eggs on the underside of plant leaves. The danios will scatter them through the plants. Gouramis build a bubble-nest at the surface and corys usually lay the eggs on the glass.

26C is fine.

The liquid fry food works best when you add some to a phial of tank water, shake it up, and add the cloudy liquid to the tank. Keep feeding them liquid fry for another week and start adding powdered fry food, microworms & newly hatched brineshrimp each day as well as the liquid food. When you add new foods to their diet you keep feeding them the old food for a bit as well. this allows the fish to try the new foods and still eat the old foods if they don't like the new stuff. It's usually a good idea to overlap new and old foods for a week or two.

 

[cs091]

Thanks Colin,
Either danios or harlequins would be great!
The liquid I've got sort of explodes as you let a drop fall on the surface of the water so I'll put it in a little water as you suggest. I've also got some baby fish powder feed, so I'll start using that in about a week.

Cathy

 

[cs091]

The fry are a lot bigger now and I can tell they're not danios - no stripes, not harlequins - fins much too flat, nor cories or ottos - still swimming at the top of the tank in the middle, gouramis were out because they weren't in a bubble nest.

So they must be Blue Neon Rainbowfish!! (forgot to list them in OP)

How luck am I??!!! I've no idea how difficult they are to breed, but would like to hear of other peoples' experiences.

Cathy

 

[iSnail]

Congrats on the mysterious fry Cathy

I doubt they are danio (zebra) fry since they are egg scatterers and their eggs don't stick to anything and their fry grow fast too.

I don't know anything about the other fish but it sounds cool if they are Blue Neon Rainbows fry. Well done