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Do you want to keep the babies if so put them in a breeder tank that hooks onto the tank, they eat 3 small meals aday, they are looking for food in the gravel.

they could also be hiding

Congratulations on your new additions and welcome to FishProfiles

By "digging in the gravel", the fry could be looking for food but they could also just be trying to hide. As kitty163 said, if you want to keep the babies, you will need to separate them from the grown ups or provide plenty of hiding places otherwise they will become a snack.

There is specialized food for fry called "First Bites" or "Fry Food" or you can crush up flakes yourselves but just make sure you crush it into a powder so it can fit in their tiny mouths. I also feed my babies frozen baby brine shrimp (or you could hatch your own) and I feed them 3 times a day. They do better with daily water changes. It also somehow stimulates their growth. I also think they prefer the water to be slightly warmer. My "nursury" is an unheated 2 gallon but with the warmer weather I'm finding they are growing faster.

Good luck and have lots of fun !! Keep us posted on your/their progress.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-30 16:23][/span]

A good way to crush up the flake if you want to feed your babies that is to put some flakes in a small ziploc bag, move the flakes to a corner of the bag, and crush them between your fingers until they're powder. Then, when ready to feed your babies, take a toothpick and wet the end, then dip it into the flake powder. Put the toothpick in your tank and wa-la, fry food!

If you get a breeders tank, don't keep the babies in there for more than 3 or 4 weeks because it will possibly stunt the babies' growth.

Good luck with your babies!

If you're really wanting to raise the fry, my suggestion would be to buy another tank - at least a 10 gal.... which would then prevent the risk of having your other fish eat the fry. However, if this is not a possibility, provide food that has already been suggested and be alert when doing any water changes and/or vacs.... Even in our 55 gal tank - stocked with platys, guppies, mollies, angelfish, etc. we have still had 3-4 babies make it to adulthood.... They are great hiders - usually in the gravel - and pretty much stay hidden most of the time until they reach the "non-edible" size....
Good Luck with your new aquarium! Fish keeping is really a pleasure!

To thine own self be true...