Baby fish

[FishKeeper-16]

i had a red swordtail that just had twelve babies and i have a problem with them dieing and i fed them liquid fry food and did a 10 percent water change and what could be the problem and i try not to overfeed them. also i have them in a 10 gallon tank in a breeder trap but there are no other fish in the tank

aaron

***(also if you can please email me w/ answers)***

[OrionGirl]

Was the 10 cycled when you put them in?

[FishKeeper-16]

yes it is cycled

[OrionGirl]

Any plants in the tank? What's the temp? How are you moving them into the other tank?

[FishKeeper-16]

i have one live plant and i keep the water at approx. 80 degrees

[OrionGirl]

Have you tested the water during the time the babies were introduced? How are they moved into this setup? Sorry for all the questions, but without lots of info, it's hard to say what might be happening.

[FishKeeper-16]

They were moved in a livebearer breeding trap and i have had the water tested and i have been feeding them liquid food and if you are not careful you can pollute your tank very easy and i found 2 of these worm like things that were about 2mm long and i dont know what they are or if they are a parasite

[FishKeeper-16]

do u have any tried and proven results i can try for breeding fish in a 29 gallon community aquarium???????????? i also trying to breed micky mouse platys

[OrionGirl]

If you can get a closer look, the worm-like things may have been hydra. Hydra can and will eat very small fry, but typically are only a problem when there are too many of them.

I'd also try moving them in water--not sure if that was the case here, because some bredder traps won't hold water if removed from the tank. Or, move the mother to the other tank before she gives birth, and then put her back in the main tank afterwards.

Breeding happens on it's own. What becomes tough in a community setup is fry survival. A lot will depend on what else is in the tank, but generally, provide lots of bushy plants for the fry to hide in, and some floating plants for once they become freee-swimming. This will give them infusoria to eat, as well as a good hiding place. Jave moss will work for both.

[FishKeeper-16]

if i put the fry in a seperate tank can they get sucked into the filter????
mostly the fry in the trap will first start to lose there balance and then shimmy on the bottom and then die within a few hours. but can hydra caintamenate a tank??? how do i get rid of it????????

[FishKeeper-16]

also the filter type i was mentioned is a small power filter

[OrionGirl]

Wait--the fry are dying within the breeder trap in the main tank, or are they moved into a completely different tank?

You can put a sponge on the intake of a power filter and prevent fry from being sucked in. Works very well.

Hydra can overwhelm a tank, if there are huge numbers of them. This usually means the tank is being overfed, and allowing them to reproduce easily.

The shimmying indicates it's probably something else though...This doesn't sound like a water quality problem, so much as a deficiency. How hard is your water? Do you know if the parents are closely related?

[FishKeeper-16]

well i dont think the are related but i took the bug like things to the pet store and they said it was kind of fresh water bug that usually lives and reproduces on plants but the said it probably will not pose a threat to any other fish

[FishKeeper-16]

the fry are moved to a breeder box in a seperate 10 gallon tank

[ArkyLady]

What did you do to cycle this 10 gallon tank for the fry?

I would suggest getting a couple of cheap sponge filters (the kind an air pump hooks up to). Keep one going in your main tank at all times so that it can keep some bacteria growing in it. You can also get a valve for the air line that will slow down the bubbles so it doesn't cause too much turbulence for the little fry. If your 10 gallon was empty for awhile and you find the need to use it again, take the "fresh" sponge filter from your established tank and put it in there putting the "old" one back into the established tank for next time.

Don't put any gravel in the 10 gallon tank, all you really need in there is a nice clump of java moss (or some other plants, I prefer java moss). It's also helpful to build your own little "gravel vac" out of clear hard-plastic tubing and clear flexible hose. This way you can make one that is small enough to clean the bottom of the tank and not suck out the fry so easily. The larger ones are hard to control in a 10 gallon tank with lots of small fry swimming around. Suck out the debris from the bottom of the fry tank a couple of times a day and do about 20% water changes daily.

Not really sure why the fry are having a hard time so far, but one possibility is being in that little breeder net. Many times they don't allow enough water flow and the small amount of water in that net will get polluted very quickly. If the fry have lots of places to hide, the majority of them should survive until you're able to remove the mother back to the established tank.

Just woke up and I'm rambling, hope this all makes sense. If it doesn't please ask :)

[FishKeeper-16]

it was my first tank and i upgraded to a 30gallon tank and i cycled with the fish i had in there before but i transferred them to the 30 gallion but i still use it as a multi-purpose tank and i think you are right about the breeder net cause i get a oily scum on the surface of the water. can i use a 1or2 gallion tank for breeding cause i want to stock the 10 gallon with adult fish.

ps. how do i manain the breeding tank if there are no fry in it??? do i drain it and put it away or leave it filled with the filter running?????

[ArkyLady]

You can pickup a 10 gallon tank, heater, air pump and a couple of sponge filters for around $40 or so. You either need to have a somewhat decent setup for breeding/raising fry, or just stick to adult fish. It would be hard to use a 1 or 2 gallon setup for breeding since it would become crowded easily and would be hard to keep heated, etc.

You maintain it by keeping that extra sponge filter going in your established tank. That sponge filter will be cycled and ready for your 10 gallon whenever you need it (assuming it's been running in the established tank for 2-3 weeks to get bacteria growing in it). You can leave the 10 gallon empty until you need it, just set it up and use that sponge filter and it's ready to go.

You also should find out if you can sell/trade your fry to your LFS. Once you are successful at breeding them, you will have too many to house yourself and will need to get rid of some of them. Some stores will give you store credit and some will straight out buy the babies from you, just need to ask around and see what you can work out.

[FishKeeper-16]

should i add aquarium salt and do partial water changes eveyday???