# New "unexpected" baby



## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

I was checking everyone out in the 29 to make sure all were well and healthy. Lo and behold, a baby pristella tetra!!! It's about 1/2 inch long and cute as a bug. I never dreamed they would breed. Makes for a nice day. 

Does anyone know how long Prisella's live? 5 out of 6 look like they are getting smaller. Still very active and eat like pigs. Poop looks good. Color is faded some, but they are over a year old. Any one ever raise them?


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## parkiller (Feb 4, 2014)

Congratulations  I wish my tetra would breed! I have orange von rio and I hear they live 3-5 years


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. I was so happy to see the baby. My first egg laying baby.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

That's great getting a baby tetra.Not the easiest fish to breed and [email protected] 1/2" it is probly over 1-2 months old?
I've read they can live 4-5 years on average.
Possibly the changing size is due to them laying eggs?I believe they "scatter" them on the substrate.Most mature egglayers are capable of laying hundreds of eggs.
Baby fish are so cool!


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Wonder how often they lay eggs? Think there are two females. One is really getting big. I spend way to much time watching to see if they will spawn again. I have two larges bunches of Java Moss in this tank. It's been there for some time, so it must have plenty of the infusia they need to eat. Better put a sponge cover over the intake of the HOB. Better move the female Betta too. I wondered why she was so fat.  Oh, I checked out the way they lay eggs. It said they love things like Java Moss. 

Now, if I can just find a male albino bristle nose pleco. I really would like to breed them once or twice. I have two very lovely females. Fat as ticks.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

aww so cute.and i think i speak for everybody when i say pics?


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## parkiller (Feb 4, 2014)

I have heard java helping survival rate. I have also read if you put lots of marbles or small stones in your tank the eggs will fall in between the marbles and more will hatch


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Thanks for the marble hint. If they weren't in a really nice 29g, I might be tempted to try and raise them, but I don't really have the time and no outlet for them either


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

That's a nice surprise. I had one Blue Kerri Tetra fry appear a few months ago which I never thought I'd see, given the adults in the tank along with some black neons.

He stayed mostly in and around a java fern on one side of the tank opposite from where the adults like to hang out. Now that he's grown a lot, he's joined the others.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

I was surprised to see it feeding with the adults last night. Haven't looked real good though this morning. Now I will be watching this tank all the time for new babies. This could get habit forming.  Need a new spot for the betta. Only tank open is the quarenteen tank. I was just ready to put those fish in the other 29 when the lone surviving swordtail developed a lump on his "neck" and had clamped fins. I went ahead and put him down. Now, I have another month of waiting before the qt is open again. Drat. 

Thanks everyone for your responses. I will try to post pictures just as soon as I find the cord for my camera to connect it to the computer.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

You can put in a bush Java moss, and this every week exchange in a small basin (10 G). It can store random juveniles develop and find forage in the moss first.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

yay finally pics.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Arthur, that is a very good idea. It would be exciting to watch the babies grow. But I will have to wait until I get an empty tank.


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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

I have had them live seven years. Properly fed they will breed three or four times a season. Season starts with snow runoff in the Andes and runs through midsummer in southern hemisphere. You can use lighting regulation and water temperature to incite breeding. Female lays hundreds of eggs so tiny you can hardly see them. Hatchlings look like a submicroscopic set of eyeballs with a short pencil line running from them. They are generally three weeks to a month and a half old before they are noticed in your tanks. They are finally large enough to come out of hiding and eat with the adults.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

Congratulations! I would like nothing better than for mine to breed, but no extra tanks to raise the fry. <label for="rb_iconid_9">







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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

not to be rude but,this thread is over a month old just so yall know.


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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

Breeding setup is a shallow tank with a marble substrate and a school of fish in it. Twenty to thirty fish in the school as evenly split as you can get it. Condition the school with live foods for two weeks before putting them into the brooding tank. Air stone to circulate water in one corner and leave the fish be for twenty-four hours. Depth two to three inches above substrate. Check the water with a eye dropper after brooding. Suck water from the bottom and hold up to the light, eggs will appear as small crystal spheres smaller than a grain of salt.


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