neon tetra reproducing!

[WOGGIES]

Hello everyone! I got 9 neon tetras when i started my tank about 2 months ago. 2 of them died relatively quickly, however, i found a baby tetra in my tank also. (haven't seen that one again though). But today, i turned off my light so the syno cats would come and eat all the food on the bottom and when i turned it back on i saw 2 baby tetras (i believe they are called fry). I am not sure exactly how many of them there are as they are very small and fast.

My question is: is this normal? And will any of them actually reach adult hood or will they simply be eaten or die?

I have 1 rainbow shark, 3 syno cats, 2 red wagtail platy, and 3 balloon belly mollys, along with the tetra in the 40 gallon tank. thank you!

[Drumachine09]

Hello everyone! I got 9 neon tetras when i started my tank about 2 months ago. 2 of them died relatively quickly, however, i found a baby tetra in my tank also. (haven't seen that one again though). But today, i turned off my light so the syno cats would come and eat all the food on the bottom and when i turned it back on i saw 2 baby tetras (i believe they are called fry). I am not sure exactly how many of them there are as they are very small and fast.

My question is: is this normal? And will any of them actually reach adult hood or will they simply be eaten or die?

I have 1 rainbow shark, 3 syno cats, 2 red wagtail platy, and 3 balloon belly mollys, along with the tetra in the 40 gallon tank. thank you!


Get them in a different tank if possible. The rainbow shark will kill them.

Congrats on the fry though!

[sergo]

only the strong survive or they get moved to another tank :)

[cocoa_pleco]

fry are easily preyed upon. separation is best.

[WOGGIES]

well the thing is.. I don't really want them to reproduce because my tank is only 40 gallons and I don't want to overcrowd the tank. The rainbow shark is only a baby though, maybe 3 inches long! Also, will a goldfish be okay in my tank? I want to get it as the last addition.

[Chrona]

well the thing is.. I don't really want them to reproduce because my tank is only 40 gallons and I don't want to overcrowd the tank. The rainbow shark is only a baby though, maybe 3 inches long! Also, will a goldfish be okay in my tank? I want to get it as the last addition.

No, goldfish and tropical fish don't mix. Different temperature requirements.

[cocoa_pleco]

goldfish are coldwater, and like 60F-70F, and tropical fish like 75F-80F


goldfish in warm temperatures dont live long and get swimbladder easily

[WOGGIES]

Aren't there warm water goldfish too? if not, what other fish do you suggest then? I just want 1 more fish, so something that will be okay by itself.

[cocoa_pleco]

some fancy goldfish can handle 75F

[Drumachine09]

Aren't there warm water goldfish too? if not, what other fish do you suggest then? I just want 1 more fish, so something that will be okay by itself.

The more ornate goldfish prefer warmer waters.

[Drumachine09]

some fancy goldfish can handle 75F


Dang. Ninja poster.

I think comets and black moors can handle them, only becuase i have seen them in tanks with heaters.

[Lady Hobbs]

No goldfish! I would get a small net for fry that hangs inside the tank for your neons. You're lucky to have them. I don't know of anyone who had neon fry before. I want them!

[WOGGIES]

No goldfish! I would get a small net for fry that hangs inside the tank for your neons. You're lucky to have them. I don't know of anyone who had neon fry before. I want them!

What would this net do? Is this very rare? It is weird because there was a fry in the tank about 2 days after i got the original 9. I thought the neons i bought were just babies becuase they are small, but i guess they are adult.!!

But, the goldfish is out of the question now! What fish do u guys suggest I should get as my final one?

[Drumachine09]

What would this net do? Is this very rare? It is weird because there was a fry in the tank about 2 days after i got the original 9. I thought the neons i bought were just babies becuase they are small, but i guess they are adult.!!

But, the goldfish is out of the question now! What fish do u guys suggest I should get as my final one?


They are known as breeding or fry nets. You can find them in walmart, petco, petsmart, superpets, or pretty much any LFS.

[WOGGIES]

what would this breeding or fry net do? But the thing is.. I don't want the fry! I'm scared theyll overpopulate my tank! But i guess i really don't have to worry about that.

Will a Red Peacock Cichlid be a good addition to my tank?

[Chrona]

what would this breeding or fry net do? But the thing is.. I don't want the fry! I'm scared theyll overpopulate my tank! But i guess i really don't have to worry about that.

Will a Red Peacock Cichlid be a good addition to my tank?

No, malawi cichlids have different requirements for water parameters (hard/high pH water), not to mention it will probably eat the neons. Try a dwarf gourami, more neons (for a bigger school) or some cories.

[Drumachine09]

what would this breeding or fry net do? But the thing is.. I don't want the fry! I'm scared theyll overpopulate my tank! But i guess i really don't have to worry about that.

Will a Red Peacock Cichlid be a good addition to my tank?

no on the cichlid. they arent community fish


The fry net is just a net that holds the fry untill they are big enought to not get eaten

[WOGGIES]

how about a peacock eel? Or will my 40 gallon tank be too small for it? I plan on upgrading my tank to a larger one within the next year!

[Drumachine09]

how about a peacock eel? Or will my 40 gallon tank be too small for it? I plan on upgrading my tank to a larger one within the next year!

I was wondering about an eel in my 55 as well.

[cocoa_pleco]

i had a fire eel in my 33g community and had no problems. He minded his own business and dug in the substrate and hid in PVC piping

[Lady Hobbs]

You need to read up on fish! There's a compability thread in red in the Tank Set up thread.

Cichlids belong with cichlids, freshwater belong with freshwater and gold fish with goldfish. All have different needs, requirements, water conditions, etc.

[WOGGIES]

i had a fire eel in my 33g community and had no problems. He minded his own business and dug in the substrate and hid in PVC piping

won't a fire eel get really big really fast?

[Lady Hobbs]

Will they? Look it up.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=fire+eel&btnG=Google+Search

[WOGGIES]

Will they? Look it up.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=fire+eel&btnG=Google+Search


O, i did look it up, that is why i was asking, because he said the fire eel was fine in his 33 g.

[Lady Hobbs]

That's why researching for yourself is so important. Fire eels get up to 18 inches long. Obviously, your tank would be much too small for one.

The best thing to do is lots of research on the web on different fish and what is compatible, how large they get, etc.

Fish grow up so what may work today will not work in 3 months.

[cocoa_pleco]

i forgot to mention that. They get big. They need bigger tanks for when theyre old. Mine was only 5 inches. I had no intentions of cramming him in there full size. Once my ghost knife and fire eel got big, they both went to good homes

[bettaboy691]

are you sure its neon tetra fry, tetras lay eggs and would usally have more then a handful of fry.they arent any records of breeding them either. my guess its platy or molly fry. they usally come pregant from the store and drop every month or so. they can have fry from 1 to over 20. plenty of plants will help the fry to survive, if you dont want the fry, leave the tank as it is, and they will probally be eaten. if the fry belongs to your platies. you will almost certain have fry every month or so.

[Chrona]

are you sure its neon tetra fry, tetras lay eggs and would usally have more then a handful of fry.they arent any records of breeding them either. my guess its platy or molly fry. they usally come pregant from the store and drop every month or so. they can have fry from 1 to over 20. plenty of plants will help the fry to survive, if you dont want the fry, leave the tank as it is, and they will probally be eaten. if the fry belongs to your platies. you will almost certain have fry every month or so.

Actually the vast majority of neon tetras are from breeding farms, hence all the genetic issues with inbreeding. Breeding in a home aquarium take some skill though (or luck), since their eggs are very sensitive to light and fungus. It could be platy fry, but I'm sure woogie would have noticed the sudden decrease in size of one of the platies. Neons usually spawn after a big water change -> sudden decrease in nitrates. And most of the eggs/fry were probably eaten by the other fish.

[bettaboy691]

fair enough. i wasnt sure about the breeding farms and didnt want to say anything. but as for home aquariums, i think its uncommon for them to spawn.the platies would have decreased in size, but the ballon mollies might not have been such an ovbious change. i hope they are neon tetras, if so well done for you, something your doing must be right for them to breed. maybe try to save just a few to see what they are. if they tank becomes overstocked, you can always sell them, if you catch 2 fry, and they survive to adulthood, they could replace the 2 you lost.

[*Sarah*]

Another option of a more ornate fish to add to your tank is a male Betta. They can do well in community tanks (mine is!) and they're pretty to look at.

[Drumachine09]

Another option of a more ornate fish to add to your tank is a male Betta. They can do well in community tanks (mine is!) and they're pretty to look at.


Bettas are more of a "hit-or-miss" fish in a community. Their personalities differ so much from fish to fish, its hard to tell if one would be agressive towards the others.

[WOGGIES]

I ended getting a dward gourami. Its a very pretty fish, but my rainbow shark keeps chasing it around!! Will this stop?

But the fry look like neon tetra, so i'm not sure if that means they are neon tetra. The first one i got looked just like a neon tetra but without the color, it was clear. Ill try to take pictures of it if i see them again. They are really hard to find, or they all got eaten.

One of my tetra looks pregnant now, Itls belly is very large. And 2 of the tetra keep chasing each other around the tank. And they dont' really school anymore...