Crazy Fry Survival Story

I cleaned out a 29 about a week ago and am in the process of recycling it to be restocked. It had a colony of wild type feeder guppies in it. I took all the plants out, the driftwood out and drained most of the water out to make it easier to catch the fish. I piled all the gravel up to one side of the tank to leave a bare bottom area for fish catching. Transferred all the fish to another tank. Filled it back up and started dosing with ammonia.

I was looking at it today and I saw something move. It was an extra tiny fry. Had been subjected to ammonia over 2 ppm, a little nitrite and no food for a week. Amazing that it lived. Now will get the VIP fry treatment.

At the moment in a Tupperware container with some Hornwort. Just fed it some frozen baby brine shrimp. I will leave it there for a bit then transfer to one of the three guppy tanks.

1. Main Colony Tank (40 Breeder)
2. Main Colony Tank in a breeder box
3. 10 Gallon with five juvies, six shrimp and guppy grass
Where should he go?

 

I cleaned out a 29 about a week ago and am in the process of recycling it to be restocked. It had a colony of wild type feeder guppies in it. I took all the plants out, the driftwood out and drained most of the water out to make it easier to catch the fish. I piled all the gravel up to one side of the tank to leave a bare bottom area for fish catching. Transferred all the fish to another tank. Filled it back up and started dosing with ammonia.

I was looking at it today and I saw something move. It was an extra tiny fry. Had been subjected to ammonia over 2 ppm, a little nitrite and no food for a week. Amazing that it lived. Now will get the VIP fry treatment.

At the moment in a Tupperware container with some Hornwort. Just fed it some frozen baby brine shrimp. I will leave it there for a bit then transfer to one of the three guppy tanks.

1. Main Colony Tank (40 Breeder)
2. Main Colony Tank in a breeder box
3. 10 Gallon with five juvies, six shrimp and guppy grass
Where should he go?

Impressive, i voted main colony tank but do whatever you think is best. I wouldnt go with the breeder box though for one fry. Can we have a picture of this warrior?

 

 

When I used to breed a line of platinum albinos, I had like 6 tanks going at any time that usually had the fry lol. If you aren't that serious about the strain, the main colony tank will be fine provided it's very heavily planted. The old wisdom was that the issue with this is that the fry more similar to wild-types would be more likely to survive.. I disagree with that simply because all fry look about the same, and it instead ends up being about which ones are lucky or smart enough to survive long enough to get too big to eat, lol.

In any case, a net should be fine, too, if you don't have a spare tank or the main "colony" tank isn't heavily planted.

edit to add: I have to clean my filter out weekly because I more often than not will find endler/guppy fry in there, haha.

 

I have to clean my filter out weekly because I more often than not will find endler/guppy fry in there, haha.

The filter on the main colony tank is a canister. I have never found any in there when I have cleaned it. I have a sponge pre-filter on the intake to minimize that risk.

My tank is moderately planted. I started with 20. Have given some away and have about 100 now. I started thinking I would attempt some selecting, but that turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.

I am in the process of consolidating down to just the colony tank. I am considering giving them all away. Maybe I will keep a select few. If I clear out the colony tank, I am considering a major rescape and re stock.

If I keep the colony going, my current thought is to continuously cull the adults and see how the population evolves. No selection, just observation.

 

I heard a story about a guppy fry that got stuck in tge silicone of a tank and the tank was emptied and rescaped conpletely and a betta was added. The guppy and betta grew up to be best friends

 

Yah, mine's a canister as well usually I have enough plant stuff covering it up to prevent them, but some of them are, I guess, just very curious. It's not a common occurrence, but it does happen haha.

And yah, I'm kind of considering removing some of my endlers as well. Otoh, GBRs are pretty good at eating endler fry (just keep in mind you have to keep the endlers warmer than they'd typically prefer)

 

I heard a story about a guppy fry that got stuck in tge silicone of a tank and the tank was emptied and rescaped conpletely and a betta was added. The guppy and betta grew up to be best friends

Haha why do I love this story so much? I heard that this person had peppered corys and they spawned. Well, they spawned on the plants, and so the owner took out the plants and placed them outside in a pond filled with plants, it was filled with cold tap water. The water was 40 degrees at night, yet a few weeks later this person sees some fry swimming around, the fry were raised successfully in cold water.

 

We have name our fry Steve. Steve lives in a specimen box at the moment. I upgraded him from the Tupperware bowel. He even has substrate and rocks. I want to give him a chance to grow a bit before I put him in a bigger tank. He is getting a little baby brine shrimp and some powdered flake food.

Daily partial water changes. Room temperature is about 74 F.

Any tips on giving Steve the best chance to grow?

 

We have name our fry Steve. Steve lives in a specimen box at the moment. I upgraded him from the Tupperware bowel. He even has substrate and rocks. I want to give him a chance to grow a bit before I put him in a bigger tank. He is getting a little baby brine shrimp and some powdered flake food.

Daily partial water changes. Room temperature is about 74 F.

Any tips on giving Steve the best chance to grow?

If the parameters are good, what you are doing right now sounds good. Clean water, good food and the temperature is at a good spot. Higher temps will make him grow a bit faster but lower temps(long term) will make him live a bit longer.

 

Not cold water in my story but hot water . Firebuckets at the back doorstep ( old tanks) filled with old change water I have fry hatch occasionally in spring no big deal . But to my surprise in mid summer an adult cherry shrimp in 42 degrees/ 108f.

 

Steve on his rock

 

Hehehe, steve is the best looked after guppy fry ever, even has his own rock, ×3!!!!!!

 

*dials phone*
Hello, god and other powerful beings.

Yes, I would like to be Steve now.

 

not to be dramatic or anything but I would die for steve.

 

Now I want to do a Nano tank for Steve. I added a fourth choice to poll.

 

Now I want to do a Nano tank for Steve. I added a fourth choice to poll.

Voted Nano, Steve the Wet Pet
My only Guppy is a survivor, I "fed" him as a fry to my Danio eating Hill Trout in a 68f setup. A month or so later I see a lovely little blue Guppy.

 

Nano for sure! Go Steve! Keep us updated!