I may be a dad soon.

[semi]

One or more of my fish may be pregnant. I have a big algae eater and four little white clouds. Three of the white clouds are swollen, one of them very much so, while the fourth is slim. Three females and a male? I don't know. How can I tell? If they are pregnant, what should I do? I'm new to this. Should I practice being a breathing coach? Do I have to get some very tiny diapers? Do they make baby toys for fish? Can anyone offer any advice? I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

[Gwenhwyfar]

lol, Iv never raised fish...but I seem to remember hearing something about taking the adult fish out as soon as the eggs hatch because the bigs ones will eat the llittle ones?....I just dont know...coulda been frogs. But Congrats anyways, yay for baby fish!!

[Suzette]

We could throw you a shower... :smileroll Not sure where you would register though, Petco?

[Darakash]

Hmmm, well, if they do that floating egg sac nest thingy....you might want to take out your algae eater....my bro used to have betas and the algae eater destroyed their "nest" and killed all the babies, cause he was a big galoot! Other than that....I've no idea! Congratulations
Hee hee, dk

[semi]

Will you join me in the shower?



Oh, wait, you meant something else, didn't you. Damn.

[semi]

I have a goldfish bowl that I put the fish in when I clean their regular tank. Would it be a good idea to keep the pregnant fish in the goldfish bowl until they have the babies, then put them back in the regular tank? That way the babies would be left in the goldfish bowl and not eaten. Sound feasible?

[Dio]

One or more of my fish may be pregnant. I have a big algae eater and four little white clouds. Three of the white clouds are swollen, one of them very much so, while the fourth is slim. Three females and a male? I don't know. How can I tell? If they are pregnant, what should I do? I'm new to this. Should I practice being a breathing coach? Do I have to get some very tiny diapers? Do they make baby toys for fish? Can anyone offer any advice? I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
Ummmm.....how did you and the fish....you know.....???

[Black RiverWolf]

i would suggest a breeding net when they have their eggs that way you can keep the little one in the beig tank but they are away from the other fish. you can get them at petco

[moonchild]

you should probably find out if your fish are live bearers or egg bearers before you get too excited....Live bearers you are going to want to separate the babies from the adults asap because momma will eat the babies right off the bat. egg bearers are easier but you should still separate them before they hatch. it would be wise to leave the eggs were they are and move the mommas so you don't disrupt the nest (kinda a no brainer but i needed to mention that!).

do some research on your fish!!!!


MC

[Kaliel]

Ummmm.....how did you and the fish....you know.....???


I agree, how did you and the fish . . . ????

[Jenne]

Whoa...no advice, but congrats! :D

[semi]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I will do some research on the fish and set things up appropriately.

As for how the fish became pregnant, I did mention that one of the fish is still slim so I think it must be the male and the other three who are swollen are probably the females. If you, Dio and Kaliel, are confused about how this occurs then we should get together sometime and I'll help you understand.

[Valkie]

One or more of my fish may be pregnant. I have a big algae eater and four little white clouds. Three of the white clouds are swollen, one of them very much so, while the fourth is slim. Three females and a male? I don't know. How can I tell? If they are pregnant, what should I do? I'm new to this. Should I practice being a breathing coach? Do I have to get some very tiny diapers? Do they make baby toys for fish? Can anyone offer any advice? I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

I am the FISH QUEEN!!! hhahahahaha...... sorry had to get that out :D

From my breeding book:
White Cloud (Tanichthys albonubes)
White Clouds are native to the swiftly flowing mountain streams of Hong Kong and Canton, China. Their generic name, Tanichehys, means "Tan's fish", for they were names after a Chinese boyscout who discovered them in 1938 in the White Cloud Mountains. They are a perfect aquarium fish and ideal for beginners since they are extremely hardy and are easy to keep and spawn. They are very active and prefer to swim in schools. Their demands on their environment are few. They come from cold, clear waters which frequently carry melted snow down into the valleys.

Keep them in a unheated aquarium at temperatures between 62 and 70 degrees F. They can withstand temperatures down to the 50's butwhe nthey rise above 80, the fish become weak and soon die. Place the tank so that it receives good lighting and supply it with numerous plants. The pH may range from 6.5 to 7.5. Their water should be kept clear, since they are rather sensitive to foul water. They have a small mouth and being omnivorous will accept all freeze-dried foods if they are not too large for them to swallow.

These fish reach a length of about 1 1/2 inches. Their body is an olive green. There is a reddish gold stripe which runs across the body and terminates in the black spot at the base of athe tail. Just beneath this runs another greenish stripe. The belly is a dusty white. The dorsal and anal finds are a pale yellow becoming deep red along the border. The tail is a beautiful bright red. The female is the larger and fuller partner. Ger colors are somewhat subdues compared to the male's.

They are eager dreeders and are probably the simplest egglaying fish to spawn. Choose a pair that is about a year old. Separae the sexes and condition them on generous feedings of live and freeze-dried foods for about a week. Prepare a medium sized aquarium by supplying a layer of coarse gravel, numerous fine leaved plants and regular tap water. Place it in a sunny spot for about a week and a half.

Spawning will take place at theperatures between 72-75 degrees. Courtship is fascinating to watch. The male does a very graceful dance with his fins widely spread. If the female seems disinterested he will budge or butt her in the abdomen with his snout. Presently she will search for a spawning site. The male will swim up along side of her and while their bodies are pressing against one another the male will gently embrace the female. The non-adhesive eggs will be scattered among the palnts where they are then fertilized. They are released singly. Mating continues at frequest intervals. There is no need to remove the breeders from the tank after spawning has been completed. The rransparent eggs are very small and few in number. They hatch in 24 hours and the fry are free-swimming in four to six days. Supply them with infusoria or fine dry foods. Be careful to keep conditions stable since they are sensitive to water changes at first. In the young the green stripe is so bright that they are frequently thought to be small Neon Tetras. The parents usually ignore the fry unless they are hungry.
They will eat their own eggs and young if you forget to feed the parents.

If you're serious about breeding them, you're in for a bit of work.

The first few days after they are free swimming, get chicken eggs and a cheese clothe. Hard boil the eggs. take a small bit of the yolk and squeeze it through the cheese clothe. you'll have to feed them at least every 4-6 hours. There is more protien than the marketed dried food.

[semi]

Valkie, that was great. Thank you.

I'm not serious about breeding them. I don't want to breed them. I don't mind them enjoying each others company, but I think they should be a little more responsible and use some protection. But the deed is done. My little stud fish has spread his seed. The genders will be seperated tomorrow. They may have playdates in the future, but for now, no more fooling around.

Anyone want some fish?

[Jenne]

I don't mind them enjoying each others company, but I think they should be a little more responsible and use some protection. But the deed is done. My little stud fish has spread his seed. The genders will be seperated tomorrow. They may have playdates in the future, but for now, no more fooling around.

Anyone want some fish?
LMFAO! :bigredgri

[Gwenhwyfar]

Valkie, that was great. Thank you.

I'm not serious about breeding them. I don't want to breed them. I don't mind them enjoying each others company, but I think they should be a little more responsible and use some protection. But the deed is done. My little stud fish has spread his seed. The genders will be seperated tomorrow. They may have playdates in the future, but for now, no more fooling around.

Anyone want some fish?

LOL

[~*Ginger*~]

I've never seen White Cloud fish, sounds pretty.
So I went looking and found some. (http://www.fishpondinfo.com/wcmm.htm)

Hey Semi, how about the Algae eater?
Doesn't it need some company too? :muwaha:

[Black RiverWolf]

that is just too funny

[semi]

Well, I got the white clouds so they could be buddies for the algae eater. He is a rescued fish that I found abandoned in an apartment that I was showing for a landlord friend. His other buddies had died. So I figured I'd get him a little school of white clouds for company. I didn't realize they'd be sexing up the place. Now I bet the algae eater is even more lonely. I'll get him some company of his own kind so maybe he can have a little fun, too.

[Annyka]

I may be a dad soon. One or more of my fish may be pregnant..

hehe - at first I thought you were talking about the proverbial "plenty of fish in the sea" and wondered how many 'girlfriends' you had...

As with the fish + babies, it depends on the breed. I used to breed Discus fish, and the mumma and pappa fish actually look after their babies, and feed them until they are big enough to look after themselves (the babies cloud the parent and live of secretions from the skin). We also breed convict fish, which protected their babies from other fish (like VERY protective) and tended to them - though they did eat them if they were not fed sufficiently.

It's really cute watching fish bring up families (the ones that don't eat their young).

[Valkie]

hehe - at first I thought you were talking about the proverbial "plenty of fish in the sea" and wondered how many 'girlfriends' you had...

As with the fish + babies, it depends on the breed. I used to breed Discus fish, and the mumma and pappa fish actually look after their babies, and feed them until they are big enough to look after themselves (the babies cloud the parent and live of secretions from the skin). We also breed convict fish, which protected their babies from other fish (like VERY protective) and tended to them - though they did eat them if they were not fed sufficiently.

It's really cute watching fish bring up families (the ones that don't eat their young).
Cichlids are much more protective than tetras and barbs. Kudos with the discus though, they are hard enough to keep... forget about breeding succesfully.

[Annyka]

Cichlids are much more protective than tetras and barbs.

Yeppers - that they are

[RubyRose]

Yeah you'd probably want to separate them rather quickly. I remember having gold fish, who breed. One minute there there eggs and the next they were gone cause they got eaten (by the male I believe)

[semi]

Thank you, I will. I have no de-chlorinator right now, but I'll get some in the morning and set up a birthing tank. My little babies have grown up so fast. I better have a talk with them. I don't want them to get a bad reputation.

[Amethyst Rose]

Just wanna offer a possibility..... if it turns out your fish aren't pregnant, but still have swollen bellies (cuz I'm not sure if egg bearers get swoolen stomachs)...they may have a bacterial infection called dropsy...it causes bulging sides and stomachs.

[semi]

The girl at the pet store said that it's rare for egg layers to successfully breed in someones tank like this under normal conditions. She said I must be doing something right. Maybe it's the mood lighting and the Barry White I played for them. Anyway, she said to leave the mothers in the tank because they like those conditions for breeding and that I shouldn't change anything except maybe add another plant for them to lay the eggs on. I have to set up a second tank and make it as identical to the first one as possible, including taking water from the first one for the second one, and put the eggs or babies in the second tank if I don't want them to be eaten. That is this weeks project.

But with the info that Amethyst Rose just gave (thank you) I'll probably take the most swollen one to the pet store and have the girl look at it just to be sure. The pet store is a Petsmart and I've had varying degrees of knowledgeable employess there, but this one girl really knows fish. I trust her judgement.

[DandelionDame]

Maybe it's the mood lighting and the Barry White I played for them.
:rotfl: That's the funniest visual I've had all day!

[Cielamara]

Is anyone else thinking of that commercial...it was for a credit card or something...and the Dad was buying his kid two rabbits...and the rabbits looked at each other...and music started playing, and the kid was like, "Uh, Dad..." and the rabbits kept multiplying...? :lol: