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Swordtail is eating her fry2007-11-24 23:40:20

Please help my swordtail has eaten 2 fry out of 4. I have a one gallon tank can I put the fry in there with the tank water they are in. I know fry are very fragile but I want them to live. I have alot of plants but that does not seam to be working. Please help.

Answers:

They fry will live longer and grow faster if you move the mom (and keep the water really clean). Move some gravel with her too. Fish tank dividers are fairly cheap, and are more effective in maintaining fry health then brooder boxes/nets

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Best thing to do is separate the mom. Besides that, a 1 gallon tank is way to small for that many fish. The rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. I assume you already had at least two adult fish (how else did you get fry?), so that means you already have 2 inches of fish, then if the remaining fry survive you will eventually have way to much fish for that tank size.

Edited to Add: Oh ok! Glad to hear they're in a ten and not a 1 gallon! :) It would be easier to move the mom to the 1 gallon, and leave the Fry in the larger aquarium, as they are more delicate. Moving them can be detrimental to them. As one of the others mentioned, make sure to move some gravel from the ten gallon to the one gallon so the mother has plenty of good bacteria. You'll also need to monitor the temp in the smaller tank as too much fluctuation can kill the mother. Instead of moving the mom, you can also try adding lots more plants and decorations for the fry to hide in. It might clutter the tank temporarily, but you only need to do it until the fry are too large for the mom to eat. Good luck!

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For the future, you need to purchase from the Pet stores a plastic cage that will allow the female to have babies and they fall down below where it is safe -- she cannot get to them. Yes, I would try to catch them and put them in the other tank but keep a check the temperature and oxygen. Do you have fry food?

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You need to get a fry net that hangs on the side of the tank and put the fry in there otherwise she will continue to eat them.

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in my tropical fish expierence, all livebearers are canibilistic. most egg layers are the same with a very few exceptions i have a thirty + gallon tank with a mated pair of angels that as far as i know never eat their fry. everyone i know is surprised by this phenomina never kep adult fish in a tank of less than ten gallons

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I wouldn't put them in the one gallon due to the fact they will get cold. What i would do it go buy a fish breader, some are plastic and some are mesh. you can get them at most stores that sell fish, they will only set you back a few bucks. they float at the top of the tank so other fish won't eat them. Also pick up some baby fish food, they have powder food for them, and keep an eye on mom, she will eat them too. The are not very maternal.

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Swordtail WILL EATS ITS YOUNG. Remove the fry if you want them to live. The parent will eat them if they are hungry. Put the fries in another container and feed them with grind fish food. Wait till the young is too big for the parent's mounth before you place them back toghether again.

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move the mom to the 1 gallon, then put a divider in the bigger tank and put mom back in on the side that the fry are not on.

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yes you need to separate them hurry, move the larger fish to another place.