HELP!! I'm over run with GT babies!!

[jagarundi]

Help me people!! My Green Terrors have just had a bucket full of babies!! What do I do with them? Currently, they are tucked away in one corner of the 55 gallon with the parents. They aren't letting ANY thing come near them. What do I do with the fry? What do I feed them? How should I remove them from the tank? I have a 2 gallon and a 20 gallon un-used at this point. Somebody please reply before long. I've NEVER had babies before so I'm as green as the jolly green giant! I don't won't to lose any of these fry so any help is appreciated!

 

[Karnaaj]

You'll find out quick enough that you don't want all the fry to survive. If I am reading you correctly you do not have another tank already set up and cycled that you can put the fry in. If thats true its too late to even try and set one up. You'll never get it cycled in time. What kind of fish are in the tank besides the terrors? Your best bet might be to transfer the other occupants to your unused 20g and try to raise the fry with the parents. They might be able to take going thru the cycle whereas the fry wouldn't stand a chance. Best food for the fry are baby brine shrimp. You might be able to find them frozen at your lfs, otherwise you going to have to hatch your own. If you do get some you are going to have to find a way to get the food to the fry. Just putting it in the tank isn't good enough when you have such a big tank. If you have a turkey baster or something similar you can suck up the food into it and then spray the food in the same spot the fry are being kept by the parents.

Just to prepare you for what might happen, you need to know that the first time most cichlids breed they usually end up eating the fry, which is why it is best to put them in their own tank. Particularly when there is other fish in the tank. Its almost as if their thinking its better if they eat them rather than let the other fish eat them. If this happens it will at least give you time to prepare for their next spawning, and I can virtually guarantee they will spawn again and soon. They are kind of hard to turn off once they get turned on.

 

[jagarundi]

Thanks for the quick response. Well, I have a couple of Pacu's, and a couple of Oscars. The Pacu's are just some greedy, lumbering fish and I'm sure I'll have to move them soon before they break my tank down!! I don't have anything cycled so I guess I'll just have to let the fry get eaten. Do I have any other choice?

 

[racingjason]

Thanks for the quick response. Well, I have a couple of Pacu's, and a couple of Oscars. The Pacu's are just some greedy, lumbering fish and I'm sure I'll have to move them soon before they break my tank down!! I don't have anything cycled so I guess I'll just have to let the fry get eaten. Do I have any other choice?

Yes you have another choice. I have done this DOZENS of times so nobody can say it won't work. In fact I have 2 tanks running right this very second that were done exactly like this.

Take the largest empty tank you have, rinse it really well and scoop some gravel/sand whatever you have in your tank into it. (not a lot, just enough to cover 1/3 off the bottom) Siphon (using a safe bucket, IE: no soaps/cleaners) and get enough water to fill it up at least partially. Fill the tank, stick a heater and foam bubble filter or whatever you have laying around in there and start catching fry. I am 100% sure they will almost all make it provided you get enough tank water for them, they are really tough fish.

 

[Karnaaj]

Unless you have some magic touch that will still not cycle a tank quick enough. All fry, regardless of species, are sensitive to poor water. You can try it but be prepared to be disappointed.

 

[jagarundi]

Unless you have some magic touch that will still not cycle a tank quick enough. All fry, regardless of species, are sensitive to poor water. You can try it but be prepared to be disappointed.

So, again, what should I do with the fry then?

 

[racingjason]

Unless you have some magic touch that will still not cycle a tank quick enough. All fry, regardless of species, are sensitive to poor water. You can try it but be prepared to be disappointed.

Tell it to the cichlids in my tank right this very moment.

I know what everyone says. I am telling you I have done this exact thing more times than I count and lost basically no fry. I have been breeding/selling mbuna for years and although I don't know near as much as most members I DO know exactly what it takes to breed/raise cichlids.
If he uses some gravel, decor and water from the other tank. (And filter floss if he can) this will work. Besides I also used tank water in the fry tanks every time I did a water change.

 

[racingjason]

So, again, what should I do with the fry then?

You have nothing to lose. Do what I told you to if you want. It worked for me every time.

 

[N8DOGG]

also to help along the cycle use your old filter on the new tank, or throw a sponge filter in the current tank and then you can move that along with the fry after a week or so.

 

[Samala]

I dont really want to fan any flames here.. but I've done exactly what jason is suggesting and I've done it dozens of times over the years. So long as the bacteria can be introduced to the tank via gravel/filter floss/decor, etc., you should be just fine putting the fry into one of the now-empty tanks. Bacteria populations grow very fast and you shouldn't need to cycle the tank at all. You may get a very momentary spike in ammonia or nitrites for a day or so (and that's as long as it goes in my experience) while the bacteria catches up, but that should be it. Cycling a tank takes days and weeks and sometimes months when there is no bacteria to start with either because you're new to fish and have no source for them or you've killed your colonies and have to wait for them to establish themselves.

Also considering feeding the fry microworms.. I think GT fry are big enough for it from the start. You'll need a starter culture from another hobbyist.

>Sarah