Hwx

I got a new tank that hasn't acclimated its first cycle yet so I got 2 matched fancy guppies, and 2 neon tetras. It turns out it may take some time for the Guppies to be parents but the 1 of 2 Neons shows little silver n' white bubbles in its belly. I don't have a book on breeding yet and I'm hoping someone will give me some tips on how to treat expecting neons.
I was watching them the day they went in the tank and they were kinda dueling or sparring with each other in small circles for hours, and the next day I noticed the belly bulge on one. They are egg layers and thats all I know! I have a piece of driftwood soaking for coloration consistencies,and will add that in a day maybe. How do they nest?
And while I'm at it I'll say hello to everyone, I'm new here and so far the web site is nice and easy to get around in, so nice job everyone!

Shawnie

hello hwx!
getting that tank cycled is more important than getting ready for babies ...neons are sensitive to water conditions ...you really need a test kit that can test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates...alot of us use the API liquid kit that has everything you need for hundreds of tests....without that, you will never know when your cycle is complete and thats important

as far as the neons breeding, just have a ton of hiding spots as they will eat the eggs...if you have a pair, they recommend putting them in a 10 gal to spawn then remove the parents after spawning is done...

Hwx

The question: "how do they nest is more relevant to me," than separating them after. I looked up their breeding habits and noted , seperate them after laying but nests can be on smooth surfaces,in gravel,on driftwood, betas make bubble nests, not to be confused with tetras etc...
Black Skirt Tetras and similar shaped tetras will make a nest in gravel with their fins and hollow out the bottom down to the flat surface of the tank if the gravel layer is thin enough.
But neon tetras don't have the fin structure or size for that.
I read somewhere, thin plant leaves are suitable for neon tetras, is that true?
Not to sound disrespectful, but, its a little late for testing nitrites and nitrates etc...The important thing for me is maintaining the proper pH first, and then the hundreds of tests you refered to.

Beth1965

Just an observation from a newbie myself, the "babies" won't likely survive in an uncycled tank.

Beth

Shawnie

neons will lay eggs all over ...plants, are their favorite...they feel safer...but , and no disrespect to you either, you dont know that your neon is pregnant you only know it has a fat belly...alot of female fish that love to eat, have fat bellies...and also, if your tank isnt cycled, the mother let alone the babies, probably wont survive the ammonia and nitrites spike...its NEVER too late to cycle a tank...especially with fish...daily water changes with some prime is a must to keep them alive...ph is something that most fish will adapt too..as long as its stable, it doesnt matter much what it is..ammonia and nitrite will kill your fish not a low or high ph (unless they werent acclimated properly or it had a drastic change in up or down)..but I wish you alot of luck either way

Lucy

Hi Hwx
welcome to the forum
It's never too late for testing your water parameters. As you know, ammonia, nitrite and high nitrates are toxic to your fish.
Healthy parents will give you the best chance of healthy offspring.
IMO ph would be last on the list, after you're positive you have no trace of toxins.

Good luck

MissMTS

Honestly, as long as you don't add any buffers to your water, the pH will remain stable. I agree with Shawnie, Lucy, and Beth. It is not too late for you to be testing for Ammonia, Nitrite, and nitrate. Those readings are way more important to the health of your fish than the pH of you tank. Most fish can adapt to the pH of a tank as long as they are acclimated slowly. If your tank is not cycled, you should be doing daily 50 percent water changes in order to give your fishies a better chance of surviving. BTW, neon tetras should be in a school of 5 or more. The sparring that you were referring to could have been aggressive behavior and not breeding behavior. Here is a good link for information on Neon Tetras and breeding them:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile17.html

Hwx

My fish supplier has offered to test for nitrites,nitrates, and ammonias if I bring in a sample. For the time being the water is safe for now. I added Nitroban to it.

Beth1965

Walt, thats great news. For the future it would benefit you to purchase an API test kit so that you can test yourself and then be confident of the water perameters-seeing that you would be doing it yourself.
Beth

Hwx

Yeah I know testing is a big deal and time consuming at the least if complicated problems persist Thanks!
Thanks again, can I add you all to my friends list?