FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi guys im new

Any who... I think my neon tetra is pregent.. i have 6 neons and 1 platy in a 10 g tank, plants every where its like a jungle >_>. I know its not oevr feeding b/c I feed them very little. The neon has been in with thise other 5 for a looooong time, more then 3 months probably. Is it possibel she is pregent? ( assuming its a she) There are also 2 that look a little fatetr also.. but not nerely as fat as teh pregent looking one. My tank is about 80 degrees, so it all looks in order.. . The prego also seems to be keeping a lower profile... sneaking around in the back. If i do find eggs what do i do?

Welcome to FP.

If i do find eggs what do i do?

You won't, even if there are eggs in the tank. Tetra eggs are ultra-tiny and, since they're egg scatterers, are going to be mixed in with your gravel. The resulting fry are also really tiny, and most probably won't survive to adulthood, either by starving to death after the first few days of life or by being eaten.

If you really want to breed them, a species-only tank is the best idea.

Joe Potato

so i guess i have to say.. sorry babies! T-T no food for u

I add that the eggs wouldn't even touch the gravel, as they'll be eaten immediatly by the rest of the fish.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Jason is right, unless you segregate the tetra female and her chosen male (not an easy thing to determine) into a small tank with some moss or a spawning mat in the bottom the chances of the eggs surviving more than a few seconds are highly unlikely.

Most people who breed fish have to segregate them from general community for the fry to stand any chance, unless the fish show parental care and have the firepower to back it up, even then you may find yourself having to move the other fish out.

What you can do short of getting a breeding tank, presuming your existing tank is large enough, is buy a breeding net, put it together,either place a breeding couple into it, or to guarantee a spawn without unduly stressing the fish, and if you witness the spawn quickly sweep it through the water underneath the spawning fish and try to catch some eggs and maybe a little of the gravel directly below them. Then just mount it on the inside of the tank, and wait a week or two and depending on temperatures you may get some fry.

With a fish as small as a neon its possible to raise the fry entirely within the net until they are big enough for release, on the proviso that you clean the net to prevent it clogging and the free flow of water and oxygen is continued. Simply empty the fry into a jar every week, give the net a little scrubdown, and tip them back in once its clean. Sometimes a little moss in the net can give the fish early feeding help by providing edible bacteria , protozoa and other organisms.