# Fish had babies...how to raise



## mattbirk (Aug 3, 2011)

So last night I was looking at my tank and noticed a fish had babies, and I was able to get 6 of them separated before they were all eaten. There are three other pouches of eggs on the top of the tank...

I have the 6 in a little fish nursery hanging on the inside of the tank, so they don't get eaten. 

My questions:

1. What do I need to do specially for the baby fish? Food, or anything?

2. What do I do with the other three pouches on the top border of the tank? I don't want to move and destroy them...but they may hatch when I'm out, and get eaten.

Recommendations? I've had the tank for about 8-10 months, it's a 55 gallon freshwater, this is the first time I have seen eggs/baby's in my tank.

Thanks!


----------



## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

Congrats! What kind of fish? If you take like a cup and immerse it by the eggs they might just get pulled in and you could drop them into the breeder net.


----------



## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

If there are eggs out of the water, then they are likely snail eggs. You might or might not want to have an bunch of baby snails, some can eat plants. 

As for the babies you have now, what you feed them depends on how small they are. Some are large enough to eat ground up flake food, others need food that's more specialized towards baby fish, like baby brine shrimp and microworms


----------



## mattbirk (Aug 3, 2011)

ShrimpDiver said:


> Congrats! What kind of fish? If you take like a cup and immerse it by the eggs they might just get pulled in and you could drop them into the breeder net.


I will give that a shot tonight, thanks!

I'm not exactly sure which fish gave birth...I was trying to figure that out. 

Does it have to be a pair of the same style of fish, or would they mate with other kinds?


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

With my live bearer tank heavily planted I do basically nothing. Fry will survive on small "bugs" in the plants and hid from the big fish there as well.

I have heard them same thing is true of some egg layers. But no experience.


my .02


----------



## mattbirk (Aug 3, 2011)

Kehy said:


> If there are eggs out of the water, then they are likely snail eggs. You might or might not want to have an bunch of baby snails, some can eat plants.
> 
> As for the babies you have now, what you feed them depends on how small they are. Some are large enough to eat ground up flake food, others need food that's more specialized towards baby fish, like baby brine shrimp and microworms


Hm, I'm not sure if they are snail eggs...I am kind of confused. I just yesterday cleaned/vacuumed the tank rock, and hours later there were baby fish that I noticed. Also, on the top of where the hood opens there have been eggs there for about a week...not in water at all.


----------



## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

The eggs out of water are prob mystery snail .What fish do you have in the tank, that might help with the ID


----------



## z1200 (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm assuming they are livebearers? If so, powdered flakes will do if you have nothing else.


----------



## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

If you have platys, mollys, swordtails, or guppies, the babies are probably from them. I've got a red wag platy in my Avatar. The eggs sound like snail eggs to me.

For the babies, I use "fry powder" that I got from my LFS for the first week or two, then I grind up flake food after that.

I usually put a little in the palm of my hand, then use the back of my nail to scrape it across my palm until it turns into a fine powder.

Good luck with the babies! I currently have nine baby platys, and they are super cute.


----------



## mattbirk (Aug 3, 2011)

Ok, so I have 18 little baby fish, they are Molly's. And the eggs I saw were snail eggs. 

I have a couple questions:

1. How long to I keep the babies separate from the main tank?

2. What will eat all the baby snails in the tank? I have most of the babies in the nursery area where I am keeping the baby fish, because I put those eggs in the nursery not sure if they were fish or not.

Thanks for all the help!

Matt


----------



## z1200 (Jan 26, 2012)

Just seperate the babies until they are 2 big for parents mouth. They should do alright and are easy to raise.


----------



## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

When they are just about two months old, I usually let them out into the main tank with a cut off foot from a pair of panty hose over the filter intake. I use a rubber band to secure it. When they are just shy of three months, or when you see the males starting to develop boy parts, you might want to think about where you are going to take them.

Good luck with them! My little variatus platys have turned out really pretty. Right now they are black and white, even though their mom is black and yellow.


----------

