A Babyyyy!!

[Ash]

Hey all , haven't posted on here for AGES!

You might remember me as "lynxzash'

I forgot my register details so i created another account.

All has been well.
My tank has been going well; thanks 2 you guys! :ezpi_wink1:

My tank should be cycled by now , its been bout 4 months.

I have a 110L tank.

10 neon tetra's
1 male swordtail
4 molly's
1 gourami

Gourami survived the cycle - however the back body is a bit dark in color, kinda turning black...

Anyway my issue right now , that i would love advise on is..

I have noticed a new born in my tank!
Its TINY!
And hides in all the craves on my ornaments.

I am afraid my molly's will eat him..

One of them is very mean.
It is the biggest fish in the tank, it always chases all the other molly's and my swordtail all around the tank.. all day and night.

He wont let any fish be in peace.
Any suggestions?

And any tips on how to raise this new born?
Things I should watch out for etc..

At the moment I do a 2% water change EVERY morning and clean my filter out under rushing water.
I do a 15% water change every Sunday.
Is this good practice?

Thankyou in Advance - Ash.

[Tails]

Congrats on the newborn hehe. Chances are many more were born, but were eaten. We have 4 swordtails, and one gives birth to lots of babies (we're on the 2nd "litter" now with 7 survivors, our last one had 5 survivors).

The best thing to do is to have lots of floating plants for the babies to hide in (Elodea works great) and when feeding, crush up the flakes into powder for the babies, until they're at least over 1cm - oh, and I say babies, because although you think you only have one baby, chances are pretty high that there is at least one more hiding away somewhere!)

With molly's and swordtail's its best to have a 1:3 ratio of males:females. That way the male has a choice of at least 3 females to bug and chase :P

I wouldnt bother with the 2% everyday change...this to me seems like it would make little difference to the tank and would end up being a waste of time (hope that didnt sound harsh, its not how i meant it!) Oh, I also wouldnt wash out the filter every day, because in the filter are some helpful bacteria that your tank needs, and washing it under chlorine water could be harmful in the long run.

Hmm, the only thing I can think of is you're missing an algae eater :P Either one Chinese Algae Eater or two bristlenose's (you can get male and female if you want to breed).

Which is the fish doing the chasing? Is it one of the mollys?

[kimmers318]

That's right, if you have female and male molly you will most likely get lotsa babies lotsa times! Although that first baby sighting is so cool isn't it? You can do as suggested and provide alot of hiding spots or remove the babies to a breeder net which can stay in the tank for a better chance at survival. Feed the babies baby brine shrimp until they can take some finely crushed up flake and all will be well.
As for the chasing molly, if that is a male, and if there are more males, that may be part of the aggressiveness. As stated, best ratio is 3-1....keeps the male busy that way.
Good luck with your baby(s).:19:

[Chaindriven]

I breed Dwarf Platties and always have them in isolation prior to the female releasing her fry. However, once in a while a few little ones either get out or are released after I place the female back into the community tank. Typically they are gobbled up. If one survives long enough for me to spot her I will transfer the little one into a 10 gallon nursery tank. The odds of survival are not good if left to the Mercy of the other fish. Good luck and best regards.

[Lady Hobbs]

I also had a molly that kept the whole tank upset and everything stressed. Only way I could bring contentment back to the tank was to get rid of this molly. Not always what we like to do but for the sake of all others, sometimes one has to go.

I would dispense with all those water changes to one larger water change once a week.......like 40%.

The dark coloring on the gourami may be a sigh of nitrites...which causes a term called "black blood." Do you test your water? Altho you mentioned your tank should be cycled at 4 months (I should have been cycled within 2, actually) new tanks can get set-back very easily and I'm a little concerned that you mentioned cleaning your filter out regularly under running water. Doing so, you may be killing off the bacteria factor.

I often clean my filters out good, as well, but my tank has been set up much longer. I would, for now, suggest not cleaning the filter and test your water. Those 2% water changes, IMO, have really not done anything much. To remove toxins, much larger water changes are needed.

[gm72]

Just to add another "ditto" to the fold. No 2% water changes, go bigger once weekly, and don't keep rinsing that filter every week. You are disturbing your culture unnecessarily. Congrats on the babies! They are fun to watch!

[crackatinny]

Welcome back:22:

[Ash]

Okay thanks for all the input guys!

I will stay away from the 2% water changes , and just do a 40% water change once a week.

The reason i clean my filter is because its a very small filter , it was for a small tank and i am using it for a big tank so it gets dirty very quickly. In two days the whole fibres will be dark brown.
Im not a rich man , i live by my self so i can not afford $100 for a new filter.

I will clean the filter out once a week when i do the water change.
And keep a eye on the new born.

Thanks again for the advice , il keep you posted on the progress!
thumbs2:

[gm72]

Some of the smaller Aquaclear filters may be more capable than what you have and are not relatively expensive. Note I say RELATIVELY, all depends on what you can spend I guess. Might be worth looking into though!