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Can anyone tell me how long the tetra babies should stay in the nursery that hangs over the side of the tank? I have a ten gallon that has 3 lemon tetras and 2 otos. I am still really new to fish keeping and had no intention of breeding. The fish had other ideas. I now have at least two different sizes and have no idea when all the activity took place. I went on vacation for several weeks and my daughter took care of feeding once a day. When I returned and did my water change, much to my surprise, I had babies. Some of them, I was able to get into a nursery net; the others are hiding in the plants. I am afraid of damaging the fragile little bodies.
Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Bev

I'm not an expert, so you may want to wait til someone more knowledgable posts. However, when I had an unexpected batch of black neon fry in my qt tank, the parents were in there during their quarantine after being purchased. The parents had already been moved to my community tank and my qt I thought was empty. I waited until the fry were too big to fit into anyone's mouth in my community tank before they were moved in there.

They've been in there several months now and I didn't lose any of them (4).

Last edited by SJinNJ at 21-Jun-2005 19:22

ur one lucky guy to have these fry in ur tank..it only means ur doing a great job...congrats!!!

You can move them out into the comm. tank as long as they are large enough to avoid being eaten. If there are plenty of plants in the tank, then they will hide whenever they feel the need to. The larger lemons won't be too interested in bothering the fry, and the ottos couldn't care less.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Congratulations for breeding Lemon's. They're one of my favourite Tetra's & hopefully i will try & breed them soon.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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Sorry it has taken so long to get back to the forum. I am in the process of getting a house ready to sell and it takes so much time. I did as you all suggested and took the little ones out of the nursery and they are hiding under the plants. I have java moss and wisteria. It has been an unbelievable experience! I love watching them and trying to get them to eat. It is much more entertaining than TV. I spend lots of time sitting and watching. They are all eager to grab a bite and it hasn't taken long for them to recognize me in front of the tank for feeding time! Just to think I was wondering if this same tank would ever cycle.
Thanks to all your wonderful replies and encouragement.
Bev

hey if you are interested in getting some of the rest of the fry use a turkey baster....it works a lot...

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

What size are the fry now?

Generally, if your Lemon fry are 10 mm or greater in length, they're well past the point of being eaten, and already on their way to becoming miniature versions of the adults. The adult Lemons might chase them, but they're unlikely to be able to eat them unless your adults are abnormally large!

As for the Otocinclus, they'll just continue grazing on algae and munching Hikari wafers as they always do. They pose absolutely zero threat to any free swimming fry.

Oh, and congratulations on having your Lemons spawn and produce fry

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

congratulations 4 breeding tetra's in your tank

I just wanted to post an update on the progress of my fry.
I have counted them many, many times trying to get an accurate count and the closest I can get is about 15 (plus the three adults). They are growing at an amazing rate and are an absolute joy to watch. Needless to say I am looking into getting a larger tank - 29 gal. My daughter is upgrading to a 55 and passing down the 29 to me. I have certainly had fun watching the babies grow, but if they continue to spawn, who knows what I will do.
One other question: what is the best solution for a power outage? We had the threat of Huricaine Dennis over the weekend and I was sick to think I could lose my fish. I do have a battery-operated air pump and also planned to change the water out as often as needed. Any suggestions or solutions are welcome.

Power outage? Get a small portable generator.

Here in the UK I can pick up a 1.4 KW generator for about £90 (call it $160 US at current exchange rates now the pound has slipped against the dollar). 1.4 KW will be more than ample to keep your aquarium running. It'll run off two-stroke fuel mixture similar to some motorcycles, and a tankful should last about 6-8 hours depending upon electrical loading.

Make sure you get fuel supplies just in case the outage lasts longer though! About 3 gallons of fuel should see you through 24 hours if need be.

Oh, and make sure it's parked in an outdoor location or you'll be inhaling two-stroke exhaust fumes ... not pleasant!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I'm really happy that the fry are doing well & getting bigger all the time. Keep up the good work you're doing.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

The power outage I am concerned about is when a hurricane hits, it can be out anywhere from several days to several weeks.(I live on the Gulf Coast.) Last year before I acquired the present tank, the power was out for a full week. My daughter bought some used equipment including a battery powered air pump. Now I just need to make sure I have a good supply of batteries. She got a used 55 gal to replace her 29 gal which she is giving to me. My tetra fry are growing so fast they are going to need a new home soon! They sure do love to eat!!! And I haven't lost any of them yet. If I can get some good pictures, I might try to post one.
Thanks again.
Bev