HALP!

[Durrg]

So this past saturday I set-up a 14G tank for my Zebra Danios that i had been keeping in a 5G Hex tank from Petco. I got the 14G tank all set up and moved the fish over and emptied out all the water from the 5G tank, but left in the gravel and forgot about the tank until a few days later.

The other day i saw my dried out discarded tank and realized it would make a great little shrimp habitat. So I added some treated water and just let the pump run with the old filter media in place to begin cycling it.

Well, last night I took a look at the 5G tank and noticed 7 or 8 little baby fish! I assume that the Danio's had left some eggs in the substrate, but i was surprised that the eggs had survived a dry tank for so long! Well anyways, i've slid a just opened kitchen sponge (no deodorants or soaps added during manufacturing) over the intake for the pump and am hoping for the best, is there anything i can do to help these little guys survive?

The tank has only gravel in it with nothing else but the HOB filter, but there is a large amount of algae beginning to form on the walls. Is there an algae eater i could get that wont hurt these little guys? Should i get a plant to suck up nutrients, if so what kind? I was thinking Anachris. Also, what should i feed them, i've heard infusoria.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, i just got into the hobby a few months ago and i want these guys to survive!

Thanks Everyone!

 

[knifegill]

The fry need the algae. Add as much micro-life as you can and you'll barely need to feed them. But tiny bits of egg yolk mashed through a fine mesh work, but need cleaning a lot.

The kitchen sponge will rapidly decompose. Try wrapping a nylon mesh bag around a plastic cup that has some holes in it (or build a box frame out of K'nex, anything that makes an open frame). Then wrap the nylon bag around the frame, then rubberband it shut around the uptake tube to close it. Make sure there is space between the bag and the actual intake and it will take a long time to clog.

How big are they? They might take crushed flake by now.

 

[Durrg]

Thanks so much Knifegill, that all sounds good. I'll try to get some nylon and wrap it around the inlet.

The fry are barely visible, but are obviously fish looking maybe 3/16". I tried to snap a picture, but with only a phone camera its pretty hard.

Any idea on water changing? I dont want to accidently lose one of these guys in a water change, but i've been hearing that a daily 10% change is good.

 

[knifegill]

I'll try to get some nylon and wrap it around the inlet.

Make sure to use some sort of box to keep the nylon open. Wrapping it directly around the intake will result in almost immediate clogging. I should add that a cycled sponge filter or other air-driven filter is far better than an electric filter when raising fry.

For water changes, some people try to net all the fry in a large net and leave it hanging in the tank so they can siphon the bottom.

Others are content with putting mesh over the open end of the siphon and getting whatever muck gets through. I tried that and the siphon simply quit moving. So I used a net that was deep and wide as a temporary holding area while I caught the fry (with a smaller net) and carefully but quickly put them into it. Then I was able to vacuum the floor of the tank easily.

Best to raise fry in a bare-bottom tank for cleanliness. If the food starts rotting in the gravel (it will!) the fry are at a higher risk. Also, with the barebottom it's really easy to net the fry during cleaning.

Add as many plants as you can, leave the light on 12 hours a day. Add infusoria (green water) every few hours. Are these your first fry ever or your first danio fry?

 

[Durrg]

These are the first fry i've ever taken care of, they totally took me by surprise! I've never really taken care of fish, i just started a few months ago with the parents of these fry.

Thanks for the tips, i'll get something to keep the nylon away from the intake or just get one of those recommended pumps. I'm a little wary of taking out the gravel, think that'll harm the fry?

Thank you so much for your replies, they've been really helpful!

 

[knifegill]

Happy to help as much as I can.

Yeah, you can remove the gravel. Just remove it in small handfulls and put it into a container filled with tank water (dechlorinated tap is alright, but for the fry to not be shocked, it's best to have the same water in both places) so you can watch for fry. Before you scoop, wave your hand at the gravel lightly to disturb any fry and gently swoosh them out of the way. It might take a few minutes, but it's worth it to keep the tank clean.

You'll have to keep a close eye on the water parameters. I would add a little live culture from another tank after removing the gravel to be on the safe side.

 

[Durrg]

OK awesome, now i just have to hurry home from work before the fish store closes! Thanks again!