When To Add Gourami Fry To Adult Tank?

[123]

Hello I've got one three weeks old Honey Gourami fry. I feed it 2-3 times a day (it only eats from surface). And it still seems as too small to join the big guys. I have a tank with honey gouramis, Japanese rice fishes and diamond tetras. The thing is ... in two weeks I am leaving for a week and I am afraid if I leave it in my improvised fry box it will die because it cannot go and find some food around the tank. And I don't have anyone who could come and feed it for me. I tried to research when can I add fry to the adult gouramis but I found mostly information about dwarf gouramis or just general about fry like guppies. Is it the same for these guys? The fry looks like even my smallest fish could mistake it for frozen mosquito larvae that I feed them and eat it.

Do you think in two weeks time ('Bob' The Fry would be 5 weeks old) it would be safe to release it ? Should I feed it more? I drip in infusoria and put in crumbs from flakes and dried warms and someone here advised me also dried brine shrimps.

PS: Please don't judge the mess, it is a clean up day tomorrow and it is hard to feed one fry!

 

[Goldiemom]

Well, by the pic he certainly is not big enough yet. I have goldfish fry almost 3 wks old and they couldn't go in a community tank yet. They are much bigger than he is also. Could you take him to someone's house while you're gone?

 

[123]

Well, by the pic he certainly is not big enough yet. I have goldfish fry almost 3 wks old and they couldn't go in a community tank yet. They are much bigger than he is also. Could you take him to someone's house while you're gone?

I just had a thought about putting some gravel and maybe some plant with roots in the box for him tomorrow when Im cleaning the tank to make him feel more comfortable. Do you think this might also provide him something to snack on?

I really don't have any friends with aquariums and they are kind of annoyed by me talking about fishes since I got the tank so they wouldn't help here

 

[Goldiemom]

Gosh, I don't know. A week is a long time for a fry not to be fed. Do you have a trust LFS you could ask?

 

[123]

Gosh, I don't know. A week is a long time for a fry not to be fed. Do you have a trust LFS you could ask?

That is actually not a bad idea I just hope they wont have me for a fool to ask to babysit one fry for me I am just very excited to be able to keep my fishes and my very first fry alive I thought about the feeding tablets or something, but I read before that they dont work, just create lot of waste.

 

[mattgirl]

If you have no other choice it may be best for this little guy to be in with your other fish. If you have lots of hiding places for him he will most likely survive. (fine leafed plants would be best) I think he would have more of a chance that way than keeping him in there with no food.

 

[_IceFyre_]

You could try one of those mechanical automatic feeders. I use them on all my community tanks whenever I'm not there; I've never had any problems with them.

 

[123]

If you have no other choice it may be best for this little guy to be in with your other fish. If you have lots of hiding places for him he will most likely survive. (fine leafed plants would be best) I think he would have more of a chance that way than keeping him in there with no food.

I've got quiet many plants and coconuts, also drift wood.

You could try one of those mechanical automatic feeders. I use them on all my community tanks whenever I'm not there; I've never had any problems with them.

I think I would be bit afraid it would drop in too much food for the fry. Can one regulate the amount of food on automatic feeder? I dont have any experience with them. I am quiet sure my big fishes will survive the week, they are Fat and they snack on plants if they dont get enough. Lol

 

[mattgirl]

I have molly fry in my tank right now and they know to mostly stay hidden. I would hate to suggest letting this little guy out and something happens to him but maybe you can have a trial run. If it doesn't look like it is going to work get him back out.

Maybe go ahead and let him go while you are there to watch him. Just be sure you release him close to a hiding spot so hopefully your big guys won't get him before he gets hidden. My tiny mollies do venture out from time to time and so far they have been alright.

 

[123]

I have molly fry in my tank right now and they know to mostly stay hidden. I would hate to suggest letting this little guy out and something happens to him but maybe you can have a trial run. If it doesn't look like it is going to work get him back out.

Maybe go ahead and let him go while you are there to watch him. Just be sure you release him close to a hiding spot so hopefully your big guys won't get him before he gets hidden. My tiny mollies do venture out from time to time and so far they have been alright.

I think I will try to instal some 'floating' (hanging) coconut houses around. I used to have more thicker plants too but the male gourami destroyed them for bubble nest. Maybe I get more of them (if they should just last a week) for hiding Thank you for the reply I think I you all guys might be right.

 

[mattgirl]

Maybe you could get some hornwort and let it float. It would make a great hiding place for this little guy.

 

[123]

Maybe you could get some hornwort and let it float. It would make a great hiding place for this little guy.

Tha'ts exactly what I thought would be good one for hiding, I had it before but gourami bit off all the tiny leaves because he wanted to keep his bubblenest in place with the leafs lol. It then clogged the filter too lol. Now thinking of it.... maybe I should not risk clogging my filter with plant bits while Im not home

 

[mattgirl]

It sounds like your Gourami is a handful and keeps you on your toes I don't know much about what plants are available but maybe you could find something else that would work as well.

 

[123]

It sounds like your Gourami is a handful and keeps you on your toes I don't know much about what plants are available but maybe you could find something else that would work as well.

Thank you very much for input I think I am just overexcited about my first aquarium lol.

 

[_IceFyre_]

I think I would be bit afraid it would drop in too much food for the fry. Can one regulate the amount of food on automatic feeder? I dont have any experience with them. I am quiet sure my big fishes will survive the week, they are Fat and they snack on plants if they dont get enough. Lol

Yep! You can adjust the size of the opening that the food drops out of until it releases a pretty tiny amount each time. I've used them with my bettas too in the past and overfeeding hasn't really been an issue.
I use this feeder, it's pretty cheap and simple to set up:
https://www.amazon.ca/Nutrafin-10780-Marina-Nutramatic-Feeder/dp/B000256DFO?th=1&psc=1&source=googleshopping&locale=en-CA&tag=fishlore-20&ref=pd_sl_54im7bpkub_e