# Normal for fry to stay at the top?



## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Hello,

I had an unplanned breeding (male got out of his holding cell inside my tank). My two crowntail have bred and the fry are about 4 days old now. When I saw them in the bubble nest, there must have been hundreds. First off, like I had said, it was unplanned, so I have gravel at the bottom of the tank, 5 ghost shrimp that wont be caught and a sponge filter inside the tank. I've already removed the parents. I turned on the sponge filter on day 3 after the fry became free swimming, but after that, I can only see about 20 fry left. I cant tell if there are fry at the bottom and if there are, what are the chances that they've been eaten by the shrimp? As for the surviving, they only stay at the surface of the water. I've been doing my research and trying to find information so that I can keep these babies alive. When I looked up what the free swimming fry should look like, the videos depict them all over the tank, not just at the top. I'm worried. I've assembled my hatchery for the brine shrimp and for the past 2 days have been putting them in the tank. I havn't seen the fry eat at all but the shrimp eventually clear up. I'm wondering if the fry are eating, if the BBS just fall to the bottom and get eaten by the shrimp, or if they're just being caught in the filter. Ugh... I didn't want to breed because I didn't want to deal with all of this but here I am. Now I just want to do right by the fry.

Please help me.


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

brine shrimp sometimes swim around at the top towards the light so some maybe eating those, straining and rinsing the brine shrimp is good too. it is common for fry to stay at the top just keep the air above humid since their labyrinth organ can get damaged from dry cool air.
umm... what else..... an airstone siphon for water changes and drip method for the aged conditioned water ....

watching betta fry grow is very rewarding :-D
best of luck on your babies....
clean warm water and good food make for happy healthy babies


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

What shrimp are you using because some shrimps will eat the fry.


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

5 ghost shrimp as stated


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

For the first two weeks yes fry will stay at the top then begin searching for food and swimming elsewhere.


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Thank you for the responses. They are so little. I have about 50 in a 5gal tank but they all seem to disappear so well. I just hope they survive.


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

These are the parents:


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

pretty
seeing that they are both ct the fry that are disappearing could be weak genetically
just saying ct X ct = slightly higher cases of deformities so just keep an eye on the ones that are still alive as you may need to cull some if they are deformed. 
All in all :-D beautiful fish
hope to see the babies grow


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Wow there is just so much I don't know! Thanks for the info. I wonder, if I ever wanted to breed again, I love the look of the crowntails, what would be the best mix to keep the CT look?


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

All I know is that some of the members of IBC told me that crowntails aren't for beginners to breed. That's why I stay away from crowntails (for now).


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

DoberMom said:


> Wow there is just so much I don't know! Thanks for the info. I wonder, if I ever wanted to breed again, I love the look of the crowntails, what would be the best mix to keep the CT look?


 its all about experience.
I hear its good to breed a ct to a regular female, ct x vt = a mix of both ct and vt, and yes you will still get afew deformities but not as high. my goal in the far future is this :








sorry about the poor quality, camera phone.


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

CT x CT will NOT breed deformities. 
I think you're thinking of DT x DT... 

I've bred a CT line and had few, if any, deforms in my fry. 
---
Most likely the culprits are the shrimp eating the fry. They're scavengers, but they'll try to eat anything that they can fit into their mouths. 
It also might be the set-up not being ideal.


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

then i will not state my opinion or anything else 


All the best to you and your fry :-D


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks and wow I think I'll need to remove the shrimp. Why didn't anyone tell me??? J/k, its not like I was prepared for this.


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

BettaHeart said:


> then i will not state my opinion or anything else


Facts and opinions are complete opposite. Before giving out information, it's best to have the correct info to tell. This is how the misleading care about bettas came to be.  
---

DoberMom- It's ok.  We all have our moments, lol. I thought someone would have mentioned the shrimp to you by now... ah well. I haven't been on this forum in months! 
Is the temp. set alright? 
Another factor might be that when doing water changes... if you add the new water in too quickly, I found out that a lot of my fry died. They can't acclimate to the water quick enough.


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Oh wow, didn't think water changed could kill them. I've finally netted my shrimp and tonight they will be off to their new temporary home in my bf's 10 gal. I'm kinda mad at them, haha. Anyway, I've actually started checking out some of the logs that are being posted and learning about how to do water changes. I haven't touched their water yet for fear of sucking them up and killing them. I really want them to survive. I think I will be using the airstone method. Seems to make the most sense.


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## DoberMom (Feb 3, 2012)

Oh, and I've got the temp at about 80*F


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

Sounds good! 82*F is ideal but 80* is also good. 
Yeah it takes a lot of time to do water changes! haha. Usually took me an hour to two hours a day (I'd remove a good 80% of their water each day). Lack of water changes will stunt or slow down growth, so the more frequently you do them, the bigger and healthier they'll grow to be! ^__^


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

youlovegnats said:


> Facts and opinions are complete opposite. Before giving out information, it's best to have the correct info to tell. This is how the misleading care about bettas came to be.
> ---


IF I didnt believe the information I had received from the experienced breeders was wrong then I would have never said anything. and if i didnt .....oh whats the use..... Have a nice day.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Breeders aren't going to agree on everything. I wonder if there are any breeders that have ever had 100% perfect spawns with absolutely no deformities at all.


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## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

Just how does the airstone siphon for water changes get the debris off the bottom of the tank?


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I'd like to know that, too. But, more fundamental, what is an airstone siphon, and how does it work?


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

It doesn't. It only works as a sponge filter. You'd have to siphon out by a gravel vac or manually sucking on the end. >< Lemme tell you, fish water in your mouth isn't tasty. xD


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