Loss of guppy fry

G ma · 04-06-2008, 09:53 AM

My moscow females have been dropping fry like there is no tomorrow

I went out and got a 5 gal tank to keep the babes in until they were old enough to sex at which time I move them into either the all-male or all-female tank.

This morning I went to feed them and went duh?!

There were no fry in that tank even though yesterday there were probably 50-75. I try to do a partial water change on them every 2-3 days as they are in a bare bottom tank so that I can see where the orts (leftovers) are.

I feed them alternatively very fine golden pearls and flakes that are crushed with mortar and pestle to accommodate their little mouths.

Any suggestions on how to avoid this in the future?

Thanks.

OrionGirl · 04-06-2008, 10:39 AM

Wait--they are all gone, or all dead?

G ma · 04-06-2008, 11:54 AM

Sheila,

It appears they are all dead.

I just started to clean their tank and there are several who were sucked up on the intake valve for the filter.

I am not a happy camper. All these little guys were born within a week of each other and were about 10 days old +/-.

DaisyTattoo · 04-06-2008, 12:32 PM

Perhaps the filter current was too strong for them? Was this a cycled tank?

G ma · 04-06-2008, 12:43 PM

Yes, the tank was cycled. I have been using Cycle as an additive and not had a bit of trouble with the tanks in which I used it.

I suppose there was a possibility the intake was too strong for them but they mainly hung out near the bottom of the tank. I could always count on seeing "eyeballs" near the bottom. The older fry would head for the top and I was "training" them to come to the top for feeding using a bamboo skewer and gently tapping on the top of the tank.

DaisyTattoo · 04-06-2008, 01:29 PM

I really don't know what else it could be if the tank was stable except for maybe a drastic change in temp or some sort of outside toxin getting into the tank. That's really a bummer.

OrionGirl · 04-06-2008, 04:12 PM

"Cycle" does NOT cycle a tank. Sorry, but it doesn't contain the bacteria required for an established tank. If it was added daily, that could be the problem, since it DOES contain nitrates, and a high enough level of nitrates can be lethal to fry. Test the water quality, see what the numbers show.

Bummer on the fry, though.

Roan · 04-06-2008, 04:54 PM

I agree with OG.

It's possible the Cycle could be your undoing. As a general rule, additives are not good in a fry tank. Use Prime or a similar product (that does not have all that stress coat garbage or anything else) to condition the water and nothing else.

Roan

04-06-2008, 09:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
G ma Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 11	Loss of guppy fry My moscow females have been dropping fry like there is no tomorrow I went out and got a 5 gal tank to keep the babes in until they were old enough to sex at which time I move them into either the all-male or all-female tank. This morning I went to feed them and went duh?! There were no fry in that tank even though yesterday there were probably 50-75. I try to do a partial water change on them every 2-3 days as they are in a bare bottom tank so that I can see where the orts (leftovers) are. I feed them alternatively very fine golden pearls and flakes that are crushed with mortar and pestle to accommodate their little mouths. Any suggestions on how to avoid this in the future? Thanks.

04-06-2008, 10:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
OrionGirl Miss you, Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Location: California coastline Posts: 6,718	Wait--they are all gone, or all dead? __________________ ~Sheila tempus edax rerum Ideas do not have to be correct in order to be good; its only necessary that, if they do fail, they do so in an interesting way. ~Robert Rosen

04-06-2008, 12:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
DaisyTattoo It's a girl Join Date: May 2006 Location: Peoria, Illinois Posts: 3,063	Perhaps the filter current was too strong for them? Was this a cycled tank? __________________ It's not easy being a mother. If it were, fathers would do it.

04-06-2008, 01:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
DaisyTattoo It's a girl Join Date: May 2006 Location: Peoria, Illinois Posts: 3,063	I really don't know what else it could be if the tank was stable except for maybe a drastic change in temp or some sort of outside toxin getting into the tank. That's really a bummer. __________________ It's not easy being a mother. If it were, fathers would do it.

04-06-2008, 04:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
OrionGirl Miss you, Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Location: California coastline Posts: 6,718	"Cycle" does NOT cycle a tank. Sorry, but it doesn't contain the bacteria required for an established tank. If it was added daily, that could be the problem, since it DOES contain nitrates, and a high enough level of nitrates can be lethal to fry. Test the water quality, see what the numbers show. Bummer on the fry, though. __________________ ~Sheila tempus edax rerum Ideas do not have to be correct in order to be good; its only necessary that, if they do fail, they do so in an interesting way. ~Robert Rosen

04-06-2008, 11:54 AM	#3 (permalink)
G ma Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 11	Sheila, It appears they are all dead. I just started to clean their tank and there are several who were sucked up on the intake valve for the filter. I am not a happy camper. All these little guys were born within a week of each other and were about 10 days old +/-.

04-06-2008, 12:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
G ma Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 11	Yes, the tank was cycled. I have been using Cycle as an additive and not had a bit of trouble with the tanks in which I used it. I suppose there was a possibility the intake was too strong for them but they mainly hung out near the bottom of the tank. I could always count on seeing "eyeballs" near the bottom. The older fry would head for the top and I was "training" them to come to the top for feeding using a bamboo skewer and gently tapping on the top of the tank.

04-06-2008, 04:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
Roan Baroness von Bowhead Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Herdon, VA Posts: 439	I agree with OG. It's possible the Cycle could be your undoing. As a general rule, additives are not good in a fry tank. Use Prime or a similar product (that does not have all that stress coat garbage or anything else) to condition the water and nothing else. Roan __________________ Rainbowfish: Know your streams and keep them clean! Got rainbowfish? We do! http://Bowheads.org/forums/ Bowheads! No bull, just bows. It's about bows by the bowheads who keep them.

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