injured baby dwarf gourami

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redfish_blufish

AC Members
Sep 14, 2004
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Ack- I used a type of breeder cage in my 10gal FW tank when my pregnant platy had babies and came home to find that two things went wrong: my tank got too hot when the temp in my home went freakishly high, over 94 degrees F and the breeder tank squashed/trapped my baby honey dwarf gourami against the glass wall of the tank! I don't know how long the baby gourami was stuck there, as soon as I saw him I released him, he was freaking out swimming around but quickly he got stuck to the filter intake. As soon as I transferred the surviving fry (most died from the heat) into the waiting 1.5 gal fry tank I put the baby gourami into the separator tank to isolate him from the other fish: a juvenile blue dwarf gourami, some platys and corys.

After getting the temp stabilized, everyone is eating and the water tests fine, I did a 20% change out on my regular schedule and everything seems back to normal 3 days later. The baby honey dwarf gourami is eating and swimming in the separator tank, inside the 10gal tank (he is almost the size of a nickel) but seems listless and floats nose down. He CAN get to the surface but I've seen him flopping around in the current inside the breeder tank so I moved it away from the filter and even put the top on it to protect him. Perhaps I never noticed him "resting" in this position before, since he preferred to be in the leaves of a sword plant or near the heater before and now he is exposed, hanging on the side of the tank in this clear box. I made sure he has plenty of air to "breathe" in his 6" x 3" separator tank even with the lid on it. I am very concerned about the way he looks and swims though.

How long should I keep him separated? There is not much food collecting at the bottom of that container, he is getting circulated water from the rest of the tank... but I am worried about his lack of energy so I'm thinking I should keep him in there at least a week or until he perks up.

My extremely amorous male platy is happily going at it again, so I'm sure I'll be looking to separate a female soon so she can give birth. Anyone have a favorite brand of breeder tank? This one actually seemed too small for the big female platy I put in there, she was bumping against the walls for the 4 days she was in there before she had her fry. Live and learn- this is the first time I have bothered to separate the mother & fry from the community tank and I did so because I have such a gorgeous group of sunset platys that I wanted to see what the offspring looked like.

I love the look of my baby honey dwarf gourami too and really hope he (or she, not sure yet) makes it!
 

redfish_blufish

AC Members
Sep 14, 2004
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rats, there was nothing to do for the baby gourami- he died anyway. :sad

I want to separate my preg platys without smooshing anyone- will I just have to move them to another tank when they start showing???

Danged breeder tank caused me to lose my favorite baby gourami...

<sniff>
 

pisces22

AC Members
Aug 1, 2004
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Ontario,Canada eh?
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Poor liitle baby! I love honey gouramis they're so beautiful!! Im sorry I cant be of much help as I am a complete newbie. You seem experienced in the ways of livebearing births so I thought Id ask you a question-I have four platys, 2 f and 2 m, and although Ive searched the internet and library books I cant find info on how to tell if youre platys are pregnant or any behaviour changes that occur. Can you enlighten me?

Thanks

Requiem for ur little honey
 

redfish_blufish

AC Members
Sep 14, 2004
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I watch my femaly platys (they are a light orange sunset variety) to see when they get full behind their stomachs and start appearing fatter. I haven't seen a distinct gravid patch in this variety- the dark spot in front of the anal fin from the fry forming inside- but after looking at the females every day in front of a strong light source, I've gotten good at telling how far along they are by the shift of their bulge from their stomach region to their tail region. This last time I moved the female into a breeder tank 5 days before she gave birth.

Once in a while I've been surprised and thought I had plenty of time to go with livebearing fish and the next day found a skinny female and evidence of fry in the tank! Apparently certain environmental factors can speed up or slow down the amount of time they mother holds on to her young- it's not an exact science predicting when they're gonna give birth.

Anyone have a favorite brand of breeder tank? I was sad to lose the baby fish that got squashed against the plastic separator and the wall of the 10gal tank... I've heard that mother fish are suppressed from eating their young in the first few hours after giving birth but I'm afraid I won't be home in time to move the mother away from her fry since I am often away for 24 hours at a time (due to work)... I was trying out the type of plastic breeder with slots for the fry to escape below the female. I suppose my only other option is back to plants? (but then how can I scoop them up to move into another tank to grow them up)?? Suggestions?
 
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