We Have Babies!

[jesse's mommy]

Since we have a bigger house now we are able to set my 55 gallon tank back up. So we cleaned it, filled it with water, heated it, filtered the water out and got fish last Thursday. Well, we woke up today and we have two baby fishies. I got my little baby net out and put them in it! I'm so excited babies! No matter what breed, babies are always so cute! They are so tiny. :love:

But I do have a question, do I feed them baby fish food or can I just crush the flakes up really small? I had babies once before and didn't have the net. Basically I woke up one morning and saw the babies, went to work picked up the baby net, but by the time I got home the babies were eaten by the other fish. I felt so horrible. But because of that I learned to always be prepared, but never actually had babies to take care of so I'm not really sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated!

[Prin]

Congrats on your fishy grandkids! I don't know anything about fish other than how to kill them by accident so I'll leave that to the pros.

[jesse's mommy]

Aren't there any fishy people on tonight to help with the babies???

[Sneaky]

Hi Jesses,
congratulations on the babies!
Way to go!
What kind of fish are they? I assume livebearers
of some kind.
If so, then crushed up fine flakes will be perfect.
That is what I have always fed baby platies and guppies
and mollies. You could put the babies in a floating net/breeder
trap/or tupperware container till they grow
large enough to not be eaten.
One concern I have though is that you just set up the
tank and added fish right away.
Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle?
Please, read this article, so you dont end up
with a tank full of dead fish.
What kind of fish did you get and how many?
What kind of filtration is on the tank?
Do you have a master test kit, or tests for ammonia,
nitrItes, and nitrAtes?
Did you add water conditioner prior to adding fish?
If so, what kind?
Thanks! Good Luck!

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

[jesse's mommy]

Sneakypete, thanks for the info with the babies. We have mollies, swags, algae eaters, neons, stuff like that (easy stuff ). In total about 15 fish. As for the tank. We didn't just fill it up and put the fish in it. It was about a two week process before we put the fish in it. I went through all the testing with a master kit, the conditioner, and as for filters I actually have two 30 gallon filters on the tank (one on each side). I've had this fish tank for about 10 years (six years straight and three moves) and just set it up again after a 4 year break. Once we find our digital camera (still looking after this move) I'll take some pictures and post them up!!!

[Sneaky]

A 2 week process?
Did you do a fishless cycle?
What are "swags" ?
what kind of "algae eaters"?

[jesse's mommy]

How long would you have waited before you put fish in? I wanted to makes sure all the water was filtered through and the tests came out at the appropriate levels. I'm sorry about typing swags, it was early. They are actually red wags. As for the algae eater, I can't find a picture to tell you the exact name, but it's black with white/silver spots on it. No stripes, just little spots. I'll keep looking to see if I can find it. Basically I like to keep the neat, easy, inexpensive fishies you can get at Petsmart. Occassionally, I'll spring and get a couple of expensive fishies, but we more so like the tranquility and sereneness a fish tank can bring. Jim has never had a fish tank and he is enamored with it. It's so neat to watch him! I'll try to get pictures soon. We just haven't come across that box yet. It's either in the garage or the "junk" room (at least that's what I refer to it as, it's actually Jim's office!).

[Sneaky]

Hi Jesses,
it occured to me after i had responded that swags must be
wag platys! LOL

I dont know about really a time limit - I would go by test results.
A cycle is complete when Ammonia has spiked to around 5-6 ppm
and then receded to zero, then NitrItes spike around 10+ ppm and
then recede to zero, at which point NitrAtes start to rise,
and regular water changes commence to keep nitrAtes
at around 20ppm or less.
Really depends on the tank. A fishless cycle is quicker of course
than a fish cycle.
A regular cycle takes on average 21-60 days for this to occur,
with bi-weekly water changes of 35%.
Usually zebra danios are recommended for cycling with fish,
as they are tough little buggers.
Many other fish like tetras, cichlids, loaches, etc wont
survive a cycle for sure.

Your fish sounds like a common pleco - is this it, something
like one of these?






Or maybe it could be a Bristlenose Pleco




Or Maybe An Otto?




Or is a Chinese Algae Eater?

[jesse's mommy]

Hi Sneaky!

The top pleco is the one we have. Where did you find those pictures? I looked at so many websites and couldn't find it!! I forgot to mention we have two of the fish with the mickey mouse head in their tail. I forget their name, but then it is 5:00 am! I may remember in a few hours!

When I tested the water, everything was fine so I went ahead and got some fishies. They seem to be doing well so I'm not too concerned right now. If I should happen to wake up one morning with a tank full of dead fish, then I'll be concerned...

[Sneaky]

Hi Jessies,
sounds like "mickey mouse platys" to me.
That fish is a Common Pleco. It may be species Gibbiceps
or species Hypostomus. Both are monsters.
Common Plecos grow to 18-24 Inches, and are poop
machines, not to mention they are constantly
rearranging tank decor with their massive tails.
Perhaps consider a smaller algae eater?
Once this guy grows he will use up most of your stocking
levels in the tank.

Did you do a fishless cycle by using pure ammonia?
You seem very vague in relation to that.
What are your test readings now?

Remember - a pleco of 3 inches produces more waste
than 30 inches of neon tetras. I personally wouldnt
go with a common pleco in a 55g tank - I would leave
them alone for the big tanks - 125g +.
There are many smaller varieties that would not pollute
your tank and would be much more suited to your
tank size.

Oh, and Congrats on havin fishies again!
Wtg!

[Sneaky]

No answers to the questions Jesses?
Must not have been on yet.

[Lucky Rescue]

Personally, for baby guppies or platies, some will survive in a well planted tank. If you try to save them all, you'll soon have a tank packed to the brim with fish!