fuzaan
2nd February 2012, 05:27 AM
Heya! So after a few years luck with Bettas, I decided to get a 100L tank for my 2nd favorite of all fish, guppies!!!!
So today, Daisy had a total of 53 fry in the baby saver! 53!!! Li Fu only had 5!!
Anyway, Li Fu's babies are bigger than mouths now and in the main tank with plants etc, so I'm not terribly concerned. The new ones today (well, yesterday... it is 3amish) are in the baby saver, and since I'm having a stress issue (see below) thats where I want to keep them until my fry tank is cycled. (I cycle fishlessly, anyone else tried finding pure unadulturated ammonia in Aus? Its all that bloody cloudy rubbish! Travelled 100's of K's!, then I swear the guy thought I was setting up a meth lab)
Problem is, my fry tank with plants etc wont be ready for about another 5 - 6 days at least (NO2 through the roof atm), and I've just last night been hit with 10 X 12 hour nightshifts at last minute notice, meaning I'm only going to be awake/home for 1 - 1.5hrs guppy daytime. Am I able to either
a: feed the fry only teeny weeny bits twice a day within 1.5 hours,
b: feed the fry once (not an overfeed, just a normal baby portion),
c: change the light cycle to fit this shorterm schedule by about 4 hours, so i can at least get 2 feedings in within normal time.
I don't really want to lose too many babies because of something as stupid as having to go to work, especially not through starvation/malnutrition. I read all about hungry hungry babies needing regular tiny feedings... maybe I've stressed myself out too much heh.
Speaking of stress....
I got all my 5 guppies at the same time. One of them, RW, was immediately scared SHITLESS of the net. I couldn't even put it in the water on the exact opposite end of the tank without her cowering in the corner for an hour, back crooked, gills pumping. Then, over the next few weeks, she's taught ALL my guppies to be scared of the net. Trying to catch Daisy yesterday morning, as she was dilated and clearly going into labour, i had to take EVERYTHING out of the tank and use 2 nets. If I get within 50cm of any of them with it, they go nuts, darting to the other end of the tank to cower elsewhere. This afternoon, I moved it from the table on the right to inside the tank stand.... one of them saw me do it... straight to the corner like a pack of pansies.
Same story with the gravel vacuum. RW was petrified of it the second it passed near the tank. Now all of them are petrified of it... and once I've scared them (gravel vacuum day eg, removing dead vegetation) they act skittish ALL day, even during feeding times.
I even tried putting the net in the corner of the tank during feeding time.... all I achieved was 3 very fat corys, and 5 very stressed skittish guppies.
The next day after a scare, they are back to rubbing against my finger (feeding time), begging for food in the way only guppies can :) until I dare move the net anywhere near the tank.
Anyone knows ANY way to stop these fish being retarded (short of going into an oscar tank), I would be very very much appreciative. Thanks in advance.
So today, Daisy had a total of 53 fry in the baby saver! 53!!! Li Fu only had 5!!
Anyway, Li Fu's babies are bigger than mouths now and in the main tank with plants etc, so I'm not terribly concerned. The new ones today (well, yesterday... it is 3amish) are in the baby saver, and since I'm having a stress issue (see below) thats where I want to keep them until my fry tank is cycled. (I cycle fishlessly, anyone else tried finding pure unadulturated ammonia in Aus? Its all that bloody cloudy rubbish! Travelled 100's of K's!, then I swear the guy thought I was setting up a meth lab)
Problem is, my fry tank with plants etc wont be ready for about another 5 - 6 days at least (NO2 through the roof atm), and I've just last night been hit with 10 X 12 hour nightshifts at last minute notice, meaning I'm only going to be awake/home for 1 - 1.5hrs guppy daytime. Am I able to either
a: feed the fry only teeny weeny bits twice a day within 1.5 hours,
b: feed the fry once (not an overfeed, just a normal baby portion),
c: change the light cycle to fit this shorterm schedule by about 4 hours, so i can at least get 2 feedings in within normal time.
I don't really want to lose too many babies because of something as stupid as having to go to work, especially not through starvation/malnutrition. I read all about hungry hungry babies needing regular tiny feedings... maybe I've stressed myself out too much heh.
Speaking of stress....
I got all my 5 guppies at the same time. One of them, RW, was immediately scared SHITLESS of the net. I couldn't even put it in the water on the exact opposite end of the tank without her cowering in the corner for an hour, back crooked, gills pumping. Then, over the next few weeks, she's taught ALL my guppies to be scared of the net. Trying to catch Daisy yesterday morning, as she was dilated and clearly going into labour, i had to take EVERYTHING out of the tank and use 2 nets. If I get within 50cm of any of them with it, they go nuts, darting to the other end of the tank to cower elsewhere. This afternoon, I moved it from the table on the right to inside the tank stand.... one of them saw me do it... straight to the corner like a pack of pansies.
Same story with the gravel vacuum. RW was petrified of it the second it passed near the tank. Now all of them are petrified of it... and once I've scared them (gravel vacuum day eg, removing dead vegetation) they act skittish ALL day, even during feeding times.
I even tried putting the net in the corner of the tank during feeding time.... all I achieved was 3 very fat corys, and 5 very stressed skittish guppies.
The next day after a scare, they are back to rubbing against my finger (feeding time), begging for food in the way only guppies can :) until I dare move the net anywhere near the tank.
Anyone knows ANY way to stop these fish being retarded (short of going into an oscar tank), I would be very very much appreciative. Thanks in advance.