Update

[achase]

Hello All,

I thought I would do a random update on my tanks....nothing overly cool has happened with them but oh well!
Anyways I bought two zebra danios today and my LFS owner gave me some free baby shrimp (ghost and cherry - I think). To basically practice with since shrimp always die on me!
He also gave me by accident a fish fry...dunno what type of fish but super cute and tiny!! I have the fry, named Kevin, in a temporary "breeders" net until more suitable accommodations can be made. Any recommendations/tips for fish fry in general are appreciated!!

I finally replaced my heater.....my old heater kept making weird noises (a popping sound very so often - never a good sign) which I ignored until I couldn't stand it anymore.
I bought a 100 watt thinking that was what my old heater was but it was actually a 200 watt. Do you think it matters? The heater has been running for a couple of hours and the temperature is maintaining.

Other than trying to finish stocking my 36 gallon and adding a couple of new plants I have not done much with my tanks.
So my (current) stocking plan.......
3 x Neon tetra
3 x Glowlight tetra
4 x Rummynose tetra
3 x Black Widow tetra
4 x danio's (assorted types)
1 x GBR
1 x Bristlenose Pleco
4 x Kuhli Loaches
1 x Honey Gourami
4 x Panda Cory (Maybe - Too much?)
1 x Kevin (fish fry - if he survives)

 

[lauraf]

Hey achase, sounds like things are going well. If you can, you might want to pop some fine-leaved plant stems in the breeder's box for the fry: they will make Kevin feel more secure, and provide infusoria for him to snack on. Something like a bit of hornwort or java moss would work well . . . .

 

[achase]

I have some Java Moss in there currently.....I'm more worried about feeding him?

 

[OrangeCones]

Just make sure there is something in the 'breeder's net' that the fry can rest on. They are often killed in the nets by the fish in the aquarium pecking at them from the bottom when the fry rest on the bottom of the net. Depending on its size, you should likely be able to feed it finely crushed flake food. Just be sure to clean the net out as its easy to have debris gather in there and foul the limited water movement.

 

[achase]

This may seem like a dumb question but how to you clean the bottom.....I'm considered about killing him (using a gravel siphon - opps!). He seems to be eating flakes and the baby shrimp that are in there seem to like them as well. I'm not going to lie for all the stress this fry has caused me in the last two days....I really like the idea of raising a fish!! Also I upgraded the breeders net, it went from Picture A (being a large net) to Picture B (an actual breeders net - cheap version).

Picture A:

Picture B: Do I need to add something extra for him to sleep on? Picking was an issue in my 36 gallon so that is why I moved it over to the 16 gallon. The puffers are curious but leave it alone.

P.S.
Any thoughts on my stocking plan??

 

[Fishman1995]

If you want to breed, why not get a second GBR and a seperate little fry tank, im sure your LFS would accept them after they get some age on them, a 10 gallon would work IMO its only temporary.

As far as feeding your Fry, usually mine never ate off the top EXCEPT when i did put my guppy fry in a 1 gallon Betta bowl. My tank was full of little goodies they could eat that the catfish had left behind. I cant wait to see what kevin turns out to be, some livebearer would be my guess

 

[Thyra]

Before starting and breeding program, have a plan for what to do with the results. Not all LFS will take fish under any circumstance. Some of the smaller ones do, but they also have a high rate of failure. A while back I went to a business seminar and pet stores were on the top of the list of enterprises that failed. An LFS that says they will take your fish, may not be in business by the time the fry are grown. I know of two of them that failed in my area in the past year. Most of them that succeed are selling things other than fish and aquarium supplies. There is more money and less overhead in selling feed and supplies to the horse, dog and cat people.

 

[achase]

I don't want to breed my fish (tried that before - failure! Lol!).....I just want to raise Kevin. I don't have the money, room or the time to set-up a breeding system. I'm going to guess that Kevin is some sort of livebearer too. I just hope he turns out to be a community type of fish. I will definitely post some pictures when he is bigger.

Thoughts on my stocking plan??

 

[Fishman1995]

I love it i bet the Zebra's make you dizzy at how much they move hahaha I demand pictures of the whole tank and of your GBR

 

[achase]

Demand, Eh? Lol! I will take some pictures tonight!
I really like the zebra danios and I would really like some leopard danios, just as a contrast. Although the other day I saw some glowlight danios which were pretty cool.