Would Really Appreciate Advice From Experienced Breeders

[LauraFrog]

Hi guys...

Got a few issues and I'd really appreciate some help.
In a week, my mother and I are going on holiday (sorta holiday sorta other stuff but ya, wateva.) We will be away for 5 days, leaving my father to care for my fish. His knowledge about fish keeping extends to this:
- They live in water. If the water goes green, brown or smelly, they die.
- Bored people put pretty ones in glass boxes.
- You put smelly pellets and wriggly things in the box and poo comes out of the fish.
- If you get the wrong kind (like my daughter did) baby fish come out as well. (livebearers have a habit of doing that!)
(No offence Dad!)

I'm going to practically sterilise all my tanks before I go away so they can last the five days without having to be cleaned and set them up with feeding blocks so dad doesn't have to mess around with eyedroppers and bottles of smelly crushed flakes. (I'm asking him to feed my tadpoles and my cat and turn the tank lights on and off. He will also have to cook his own food and (I hope) keep the house in some semblance of order - don't want to push it.)

I have two platies due to have fry while I'm away. If I can get him to set up the power supply to my outside fish-raising area before I go away, I will have a way of isolating them so I can save the fry. This is STRIKER I'm talking about. If her fry die, I WILL. Magnet is due as well and I want her fry too. If we get power, I can set up smallish (7 gal) brooding tanks outside with airstones running. If not I might have to evict the hardyheads from the other tank but it is absolutely miniscule, well under 3 gals. I don't like the idea of confining a platy to a tank that tiny for almost a week. It's filtered and aerated, but too small. I have no other tanks available.
I am kind of concerned about newborn fry trying to eat from a feeder block also. I can't stand to lose them. This is my best fish.

Also, it took her _ages_ to get pregnant, despite constant attention from the male. If this means she's 'small' underneath, if you know what I mean, I'm worried she might have a difficult delivery. If that was the case I would have wanted to be there. I can't let her die in pain and my father wouldn't have a clue how to help her if fry got stuck - the only thing I could do over the phone would be to direct him to the clove oil and ask him to put her down. This is my best fish and it will be her first batch of fry. I'm terrified.

Somebody help me. PLEASE!

*goes off to panic somewhere*

 

[Tolak]

Adult fish can go for a couple of weeks without eating, feeding blocks are good for fouling the water something horrible. Adult fish do not get fed while I am away. For fry, who do need daily feeding, I freeze some small bbs cubes ahead of time, and my son tosses one in each marked tank once daily. I plan ahead for vacations, and don't have anything too young growing at the time. If something incredible spawns, tough, I have more to life than fish.

In the event of an emergency, I have a few buddies who are breeders, we have an agreement about this. Life happens, sometimes you have to go out of town on short notice, or, God forbid, end up in the hospital. This is another reason to join a local fish club.

I've seem breeding programs set back several months by having non-aquarists try to run a full swing breeding setup, you do have to plan ahead, scale back, then pick up when you return.

Any time you are running a breeding program, you have to be able to set up tanks on short notice. Never run every tank you have.

 

[LauraFrog]

Thanks for the help. Brine shrimp cubes... that's a good idea. wish I could get some.

I'm not running every tank, I'm running four out of about eight I have, but they are all very small. Most of them are plastic containers... lol.
I have to use feeding blocks because I can't GET baby brine shrimp. I would absolutely love to be part of a network of breeders or a fish club, but there isn't one. Living in a small Australian country town is very nice, and the scenery is beautiful but it has its downsides.

Fortunately it's not really a full-scale breeding setup yet. I've only recently expanded to a second tank (I had three, but only one had adult livebearers, the others were a fry tank and hardyheads which have never been spawned in captivity to my knowledge). Most of my fry are in buckets, and they are growing at a phenomenal rate considering they get no live food at all and there is no filtration or aeration set up on any of the buckets - I just change the water all the time and keep the stocking low, only six to eight fry in a large bucket.

Most of my best fish are recent acquisitions - Striker was about five weeks ago (she took at least 3 to show any noticeable sign of pregnancy, and is now getting quite big) Magnet and Bandit were about two weeks, Check Twice, Stunner and Tartan three days. Stunner and Tartan haven't had time to get pregnant (virgin platies at a country town petshop! *dies*). No other holidays planned, but this one was kinda short-notice. I hope they're all OK.

Going to the nearest city tomorrow (2 hours driving) and there is a specialist aquarium shop there (luxury to end all luxuries). I hope he carries live food - want brine shrimp eggs and microworms because I'm planning on trying to spawn bristlenoses and I heard the fry do well on microworm.

Thanks again!