Bullies and babies (2 questions)

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Martha

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Mar 31, 2004
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Hey all, I just set up a twenty gallon a few weeks ago and I also have a ten gallon that I've had for about 3 years. I consider myself a newbie because I am still pretty ignorant.

My questions:

I noticed when I vaccuumed the other day that I have some little babies in my tank. They are hiding under a big mushroom and there's about 5 or so of them. I vacuumed up about four dead babies as well. :-(

1) What can I do to make sure they are getting food and how can I ensure that they will live to adulthood?

Also-

I separated one of my new fish from the rest in the 20 gallon because she was being a bully and chasing a couple others away from the food. I put her in my ten gallon with my tetras and she is now behaving herself.

2)Was this mean of me? Is this just normal fish behavior and I overreacted?

Before I moved her she would often just hang out in the middle and wag back and forth for a very long time.

3) Why? What does this mean?

Okay, 3 questions. Sorry!
 

OrionGirl

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Welcome aboard!

Can't really answer without knowing what kind of fish you have...
 

Martha

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Forgot to tell y'all that she is a Molly and I think she may have been the mama to the babies since they are yellow and so is she (the only yellow in the tank).
 

OrionGirl

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:)

Molly fry will be able to take a variety of small foods. Grind up some flake food, and they will be able to snack on that. Mollies will occassionally eat their young, and many other fish (most of them, infact) will snack on the fry. Moving them into a tank of their own (cycled, of course) will be the best way to ensure survival. Once they are up to an inch or so, they can go back in the main tank and be pretty safe.

The shimmying may be the sign of malnutrition--these fish do best in hard water, and seem to need something found in the hard water tanks to maintain best health. Search on 'shimmies' and you'll come up with more info,

Separation is sometimes the only way to deal with aggression. Of course, she may turn her attention to the tetras, eventually, so monitor her in the new tank as well.
 

Martha

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Posted at the same time...

In the twenty gallon I have

4 Platties (sp?)

2 cory catfish

3 Mollies

2 little tetras

In the ten gallon where the Molly is now I have:

4 neon tetras

3 tetras that look like the neons but are red, not blue

2 Lemon tetras

2 red long tail and long fin tetras

(sorry I don't know their official names

and the yellow molly
 

Martha

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Thanks so much for your replies!

The shimmying has stopped now that she is in the ten gallon, so I guess that's the best place for her all around.

Of course I do have other mollies in the tank and will have to take care of them. Will search. :)

Can I get away with a little tank kit for the babies, like a one gallon? My main concern is cost and I'm thinking that since they are so tiny they'll be okay for a while?
 

OrionGirl

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I wouldn't put the babies in a small tank. Yes, space wise it will work, but smaller tanks are more prone to sudden shifts (temp, pH, spikes) than larger tanks. They will be more sensitive to these than adult fish.

There are in tank options--lots of plants give them more places to hide, and there are in-tank hang on options. I've never used them, but they are readily available at most LFS. Breeder traps is a common name for them.
 

Martha

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I got a plastic baby house that just floats around the tank. I have only fake plants, should I still just shove one of the smaller ones in there?

I put some gravel in there as well, since they were so fond of the gravel before I took them out. Interesting, but they are swimming around and hanging out at the top of the house. They seem to know they are safe, I guess.

Only two are left. I think I may have injured one by scooping him up. He was swimming around one minute, then dead the next time I checked. :(

So the food should be literally a powder?
 

OrionGirl

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Yes, the food needs to be small for their mouths. You'll gradually be able to increase the size as they grow--watch, and if you see pieces going uneaten, you'll knowit's too big for them. I'd clean this fallen debris out after each feeding.

Fry are tough to handle. I prefer gently chasing them into a container, without netting them or removing them from the water. I do this will all my fish, since so many fish have spines and gill plates that get tangled in the net and damaged.
 

johnnyxxl

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mollies, normally have good size broods too if you catch them before they give birth to catch the fry when they are born.
 
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