Fish Fry!!

[andyt1286]

My biology teacher has ~50 tiny baby fishes that he will be giving me to take care of over the summer. They are very very small, they are a few weeks old. I'm not quite sure what kind they are, but I believe they are livebearers. He has them in a 10 gallon aquarium. How big of an aquarium should I get for these little guys? Do you think a 29 would be good? Should that be able to last them to the end of the summer? I also plan on getting a ~75 gallon aquarium which I will be able to put the fish in when they are bigger (I might use some as feeders). How long does it usually take a livebearer to reach adult size?

Andy

[ChilDawg]

Can you describe the fish for us? That would help to ascertain what they are, as blanket statements unfortunately cannot be made about the Livebearers as a group.

[andyt1286]

they are white, adults are about 1-2 inches. he said that they lay eggs every day. i'll get the exact name tomorrow.

thanks

[ChilDawg]

If they lay eggs, they are most certainly not livebearers.

[andyt1286]

my bad, thanks

[ChilDawg]

Sorry for the harsh tone, but I wanted to correct a misconception.

[thom336]

That was a harsh tone? I took it light-hearted jokingly...honestly! I imagined a small chuckle at the end...lol.

[lesley]

maybe they are Medaka? My science teacher had those when I was in highschool.

[wetmanNY]

I like lesley's guess. I was left scratching my head over 'livebearers" and "white."

When school starts in the fall, these should be adults. Plenty of weekly water changes and some live food besides the flakes.

[ChilDawg]

You might notice eggs lying on females if such is the case, but that is a very reasonable guess as they are still among the most oft-used fish in science experimentation (especially with regard to genetics).

[Dangerdoll]

I would suggest getting that 29 gallon as soon as possible so you could get the cycle up to par by the time you take those babies into your tank.....

[andyt1286]

would a 29 be good to last through the summer? I don't think I will be getting a 75 anymore so they will probably stay in the 29.

Thanks!!
Andy

[ChilDawg]

I would say it's likely, but what are they, Andy?

[andyt1286]

"Medaka" rings a bell, and a photo I just saw of one looks just like them, so I would say there is a 99% chance that's what they are.

Thanks,
Andy

[ChilDawg]

They get to be 2" a piece, so you might want a larger tank if you want to give your teacher back any fry that they may have.

[andyt1286]

They are Japanese Madeka..Nice, lesley! My bio teacher gave me small book about them today. I don't plan on letting them have any more fry over the summer, I will return the fish as adults in the fall. I think I will put them in a 10, 20, or 29 then put something bigger when they grow.

Andy

[lesley]

Woo-hoo for me! Scientific deduction... just call me the fishy Sherlock Holmes.

Did you get to look at the eggs as they were developing? That was why we had them in bio, the eggs are perfectly clear, and you can watch their entire development from fertilized egg to baby fry. We even had a two-headed one!!! Gee, I miss highschool bio...