Red Wag Breeding Problems

[superherofish]

I recently noticed 2 of my red wag females started having babies. 1 was in my tank for roughly a month, the other I actually picked up today and she started within an hour. This prompted me to by a Lees 3 way Breeder and a Fish Net Breeder. The 3 way breeder worked great and the red wag actually had about 15 babies. About 4-5 actually lived right away but with very little motion. They all sat on the bottom of the breeder and moved occasionally. My big problem is that as soon as the mom starts giving birth she turnes around and eats the baby within seconds. Next the few healthy babies we did get somehow escape through the slots on the bottom of the trap and the mother eats them. Most of these babies we half born some were bent in half. I transfered the existing babies into the breeder net where most remained on the bottom again but moved every once in a while. They all then stopped moving and I am pretty sure all are dead. How do I fix this problem? Should there be more movement? Is there a reason the mother eats the babies right away?

3 Red Wags, 2F 1 M
2 Black Guppies, both Male
2 Swordtails, both Male
2 Black Mollies, 1M 1F
2 Dwarf Frogs
2 Chinese Algae Eaters

10 Gallon Freshwater TOP FIN Tank
Top Fin Tank Heater
TOP FIN Filter

When Breeding:
Lees Fish Net Breeder
Lees 3- Way Breeder

 

[nobody]

It's common for platies to eat their fry, in fact other fish will do the same for the same reasons. I guess its a little treat for them, extra protein!!

I was fortunate to catch one of my females giving birth a little over a week ago and I noticed the same things you did with yours. The mother would turn around quickly and eat the baby that she just delivered, I'd get half born or still born fry, the fry would be bent slightly, or I'd get a "perfect baby." With the still borns though I noticed that if you wait a while sometimes they will show signs of life and be fine. Babies will sit around a lot during their first few days. I assume because they are just tiny and get worn out easily so they need to rest. They'll start moving around more as they get older and they won't stay bent either so don't worry too much.

With this last mother when I caught her and placed her in the breeder, like I said, I saw that she would eat the newly delivered fry very quickly. I'm not saying you have to do this, but I sat there watched her for a while and the very moment she delivered a new fry I would get her in a little net while the baby slipped in to the bottom. I wouldn't lift the mother out of the water and let her hang for a minute though. I would either move her to a net temporarily set in the tank for her or I would just let her stay in the breeder in the net while I waited for the baby to get to safety. Not to worry, I didn't stress her out, the mother's fine and I think she's expecting again.

I ended up getting 18 fry, but now I am down to 9 because some fry are just to weak to feed themselves and end up dying because of that. So don't get to worried if you loose some. Make sure you feed them regularly. I feed mine a food called First Bites by Hikari, its a great food for fry mine love it and grow well on it. Also be sure to follow the advice on the breeder trap box to help keep it clean. Have fun raising those fry.

 

[Lotus]

For the one that gave birth within an hour, I would say that was a miscarriage, due to the stress of moving, which is why you had so many die and probably why she ate them.

Your tank is very overstocked, so you should consider either returning some fish to the store or getting a larger tank. Crowded conditions will only stress the females, and this will give you problems with the fry.

Uncrowded tanks, plenty of water changes and a varied diet that includes some live or frozen foods will give the mothers the best chances of healthy fry.

 

[superherofish]

Thanks

Should the 3 way breeder allow the fry to swim back through it? Is this common?

 

[Lotus]

Well, if they can swim in, they can swim out. The theory is that they can get away from the mother, if she goes after them. I guess your fry were either too underdeveloped to know to swim away, or too sick to swim away.

 

[nyojof]

First timer...

I just recently bought my son 3 glofish and a red wag.. well all 3 glofish have died and the red wag lived so today I bought him 2 more.. I cleaned the tank and got them settled in.. i left to the store and when i came back hours later, there was a baby but just one. Im a first timer and have no clue what to do.. Ive been reading that the mothers eat the babies so maybe thats why there is only 1.. i dont know what a breeding tank is or anything like that. The baby is hard to see because every now and then it comes up but mostly hides in the pebbles.. can someone please tell me what i need to do and what a breeding tank is in order to save this baby? thank you.

 

[aakaakaak]

Get a breeder net and put the baby in it:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3788232

Feed it finely ground up flakes or Hikari First bites.

 

[IThinkTherefore]

Either that, or put live or fake plants in the tank for the baby to hide in. It and the babies that come after (and trust me, they will come!) will be able to hide from the adults safely in those.