[bstatham]

So,

I have a 55 gallon with 5 labs and 2 syno. eupterus. I have had the tank set up for a while now, still trying to decide what else to add to it. They labs are now about 3 inches and a few weeks ago i noticed one of the females was holding. I let her carry for a good few weeks and watching her carefully. After 2 1/2- 3 weeks she was looking very weak and becoming pretty small in comparison to the other labs because the lack of food. This was definitley her first time holding and so after awhile i decided to strip her so she she could regain her strength and become healthy again.

My question comes in here. I striped the mother and kept the fry in a 2 gallon filled with tank water and some fake plants to allow the fry places to hide. I only got 5-6 fry out of her which i thought was a bit odd but figured it was because it was her first time and she is only about 3 inches.

I immediatley replaced the mother in the tank due to my lack of tanks available and she has recovered just fine.

The fry however, only lasted about 24 hours, maybe less. I had a filter and heater. I did a water test after the fry died and the water seems to have no problems either.

Does anyone know what might have happened? I'm not sure if something got in the water (highly doubt it) or if this is just the circle of life. I thought it was unusual that they lasted for such a short period.

Any help or ideas would be great!

 

[Frigid Blue]

Did you include an airstone in your 2 gallon tank? From my experience, fry tend to be a bit more sensitive to lack of oxygen or water circulation. However, if the current is too strong they are also stressed out by it and end up getting blown around :?

On a side note, were the fry visibly thin when you stripped them? Did they still have their yolk sacs?

 

[bstatham]

Hey thanks for the reply,

No I did not have an airstone. That might have been the problem. The current was pretty calm i do believe so im pretty sure that was not the problem.

The fry themselves on the other hand, were a pretty decent size, I dont think it was their size or striping them to early.

 

[bmweiler09]

Just to be sure, you used a seeded filter right? The organic waste in the tank water would convert to ammonia pretty quickly in a 2 gal tank.

 

[bstatham]

Ammonia, good call, knew it. Just didnt know it would set in so quickly. The filter I used was a brand new small tank filter. That must have been the problem. I do have a 5 gallon with 3 Platys in it that are getting near to the end of their road so i think once they kick the bucket I will keep that tank set up for future fry.

 

[bmweiler09]

Don't sweat it, the newborn fry are especially sensitive to ammonia. The 5 gal should work nicely if its already been established :thumb:

 

[bstatham]

Awesome. Thanks for the help. I didn't really expect to have alot of success my first time having fry anyways. I guess it's a learn as you go and learn from your mistakes type process.

 

[limpert]

This is one of those cases where a breeder net is ideal...

 

[Riceburner]

I run a container in the main tank as well. Once in a while, still loose a few when very young at WC time.