# Raising Danio Fry



## Rockylou

My danios spawned in their 75G tank, and there are dozens (hundreds?) of tiny fry clinging to the glass and free swimming.

I removed the adults, wrapped the filter's input strainer with filter floss and cheese cloth, and purchased some Hikari First Bites. 

The food seems to be too large for them, so I'm grinding it up with a mortar and pestle. Also offered finely ground frozen brine shrimp. Couldn't find "liqui-fry" at the stores, here.

The fry are soooooo tiny!

Anyone have any suggestions on caring for the babies? It's hard to tell if they're eating. Do I need a different food?

I really don't want to lose these guys.

Many thanks.


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## Sunstar

I managed to raise zebra danio myself. I did not get hundreds like you, but I had a lot. Many will not survive. BUT what I did was take flake food and grind it down to a fine powder. I got some in a buccket behing me that hatched in the water change. 

I think if they are stuck to the glass, tehy are still feeding off their yolk sacks. within a day or two they'll be free swimming. if you have plants, there is plenty of stuff for them to be eating in that. if there are no adults, then you might actually get babies.

Mine spawn in the main tank all the time. they just don't survive because other fish eat them. 

I often just dipped the tip of my finger into the dry food then swilled it in the water. that worked when teh fish were free swimming. (they'll swim near the surface)

hope that helps


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## Rockylou

Sunstar,

You're right about the finely ground flakes. The fry do seem to be pecking at it a bit once I stirred the water around. They weren't thrilled about taking it off the surface of the water. Maybe that's the survival instinct telling them not to break the surface of the water, or maybe they're just not strong enough.

I really can't see a yolk sak on any of them, but they're very small and hard to see. Some have a little more color than others that are still transparent.

Geeeeez! There must be a least a hundred. Hope I manage to save a few.

Thanks for your help.


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## Sunstar

I managed to get a few out the first time around, maybe 15 and 8 survived, I gave away most and kept one bright lively youngster for myself.

glad to hear they're eating!


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## edwardn

Use yolk from hard boiled egg when the fry are free swimming. To do that, take a little bit of yolk and mash it in a few drops of water and sparingly, with eye dropper, feed them drop at a time. The mix should appear as a cloudy water without any particles at first.
Good luck!


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## Sunstar

That works too. I did that with goldfish fry.


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## Rockylou

Thanks for the egg yolk tip. I tried it, and they seemed to like it.

Got up during the night to check on the fry and could only find a few. I though, "Oh no! The little things starved to death."

Happily, I was wrong. When I turned on the light this morning, they were there - all in a group just below the water's surface. Some were inspecting a lettuce leaf that I floated with some plants.

The eggs must have hatched over a couple of days as some fry are larger (>2mm) than others (<2mm).

This is a fairly new tank setup, and I'd like to do a water change, but don't want to disturb the fry too much. So may hold off for a few more days.

They're fun to watch, and so many! Hummmmmmmmm, might be a good excuse for another tank .


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## Rockylou

The danio fry are 10 days old and going strong. 

The largest ones are about 5mm and can eat newly hatched brine shrimp.


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## Sunstar

glad they are growing well


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## Rockylou

Thanks, Sunstar.

I have fine mesh over the intake strainers to prevent the fry from being sucked into the filters.

The water isn't filtering properly, so I've been doing daily partial water changes. Still, the water is a bit cloudy, so tomorrow I'll try a larger water change and see if things clear up.


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## Sunstar

I've just been running air in mine. Water changes too.


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## Rockylou

Sunstar,

Air only is a good idea. What size is your tank? 

I was cycling a new set up when the spawning occurred. Didn't want to interrupt the cycling process, so I left the fry in the tank.

The fry are large enough to net, so maybe it's time to put them in another tank that can be kept cleaner.


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## Sunstar

I keep m ine in a 5 gallon bucket, currently in the bathroom as I lack a spare water heater to warm them. the bathroom is realllllly warm


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## Rockylou

The fry are 3 weeks old and growing quickly. Most are about 1" long.

I'm still feeding them live brine shrimp, but they're large enough to also eat ground flakes and frozen food.

They've learned when it's feeding time and swarm toward the glass when I approach the tank.

Rockylou


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## Tex Gal

Rockylou, so glad your fry are doing well. I've raised danio fry several times. I'm sure with all the trouble you've gone to yours will do excellently. 

I have always let mine eat the insuforia that naturally occurs around the tank and plants. As they have gotten larger I've fed frozen baby brine shrimp and the "first bites" fish food. I have always had several survive. They are so cute when they are so little. 

For blocking the filter I have used the sponges people use in shrimp tanks or a little bag made from the filter media bags you can buy. Both seem to work well. Water changes are not as easy unless you take the water from the filter. No matter how careful I was with an air tub I always found babies in my bucket. They are just so tiny and hard to see. One good thing is that they flock to light so you could put a flashing at one end of the tank and siphon at the other end. The babies seem to stay at the light end. (Of course there is always the suicidal ones that still end up in the bucket).

Good luck! Let's sees some pxs.


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## Sunstar

yours are doing better than mine. I just put them in a new bucket and they're on the counter in the bathroom. Needless to say my husband is not too pleaed with that. But he's no longer trippig on it on the floor.


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## Rockylou

Hi Sunstar & Tex Gal,

Leaving them in the 75g tank has been a lot of work, but I believe it helped the survival rate. Lots of fry food in there for them to peck at while they were just little specks, and no stress from moving to a new tank.

Unfortunately, some _were_ lost, but there are still too many to count.

LOL, I put a piece of fish net over the siphon tube so I don't suck 'em up during water changes.

They _are_ cute little buggers. I'll try to get some pictures.

Everyone looks healthy, but I'm wondering just in case: What is the best treatment for ich, these days?

It's been so many years since I bought any aquarium medication that I don't remember what I used for danios and cardinal tetras.

Many thanks.


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## Tex Gal

Rockylou said:


> Hi Sunstar & Tex Gal,
> Leaving them in the 75g tank has been a lot of work, but I believe it helped the survival rate. Lots of fry food in there for them to peck at while they were just little specks, and no stress from moving to a new tank.
> Unfortunately, some _were_ lost, but there are still too many to count.
> LOL, I put a piece of fish net over the siphon tube so I don't suck 'em up during water changes.
> They _are_ cute little buggers. I'll try to get some pictures.
> Everyone looks healthy, but I'm wondering just in case: What is the best treatment for ich, these days?
> It's been so many years since I bought any aquarium medication that I don't remember what I used for danios and cardinal tetras.
> Many thanks.


If your babies are 1" long aren't they are almost full grown? What kind of danios are they?

I always used the ick medicine in the pet stores - Malachite Green. I think for baby fish you have to use less. Some people use salt and turn up the temp, but your plants won't like that.


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## Sunstar

I don't get any if I leave them in my tank. When I do my water change I let that tank's water sit for 3 days. Usually by then I find babies then transfer them to a bucket.


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## Rockylou

Somewhere, I read that danio breeders sell them when they're 8 weeks old. Don't believe I'll sell any, though. Plan to put some into the 20g tanks, and put the parent fish back into the 75g. That's when I want to be prepared, just in case there's an ich attach.

The parent fish could have been either zebra, long finned zebra, or long finned blue danios. The babies look like zebra danios, except a few have black stripes on a blueish background. LOL, so they may be mutt fish .

Thank for the ich info. Seems like I once used a med in a planted tank that didn't appear to harm the plants. Have to be careful since both cardinals and danios are considered to be sensitive species, I believe.


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## Sunstar

oooh mutt fish might be rather nice. I want to see pics when they're big enough to see.. IF you can get them. I n ormally get blurry streaks of my danios.


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## Rockylou

Sunstar,

LOL, I get lots of blurry pictures of all types. Can't seem to hold the darn camera still.

What does your DH say when he runs into the baby bucket?


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## Sunstar

Typically? F-ing fish everywhere. Little does he know, I bought a male and female celestial pearl Danio today. I have intent to breed them AND I got my microworms and vinegar eels.


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## Rockylou

Good luck on breeding your celestial pearls. 

I took some photos of the "babies" (they're all grown up, now), but it's all a blurr.


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## Sunstar

LOL isn't that the normal way with danios? I rarely get a photo that doesn't look like a set of lines going left or right. I have a fantastic baby danio in my brackish tank. Not sure how it got in there in the first place, but thus far, it is gorgeous.


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