Mystery Fish Stowaway

[Widgets]

I picked up some red RCS from my LFS to start my shrimp tamk. I had a few freebies in the bag. Besides the few extras, there was green RCS (that I put in my main display tank) and a small guppy fry that they grow out in their shrimp tank.

this morning I noticed about 15 tiny fry in the tank. Since I netted the shrimp and guppy from the acclimation tub, these had to have come as eggs on the plants. They are way too small for me to identify. Some were clinging to the glass.

Most were free swimming like this one above the snail. 

I had planned on adding some wild caught least killifish that I just started in quarantine. I think the least killifish will be small enough to not bother the RCS shrimplets, but these new fry are too small. I will have to hold off with the least killifish until I can determine what thses new fry are.. 

[Patrick_G]

That's a cool mystery! I'd definitely want to give them the best chance possible just to find out what they are. 🙂

[Biotope Biologist]

Always very exciting getting fish fry! Keep us updated

[BrettD]

I'm so curious about the ones sticking to the glass. 

[Widgets]

I just counted 24 on the glass. They must be hatching out today.

[patricia]

so tiny you got to keep us informed this is interesting always love a good mystery

[Flumpweesel]

Jealous I never get mystery stowaways from my lfs

[Widgets]

I was about to say that all the plants came from ACO, but there was some duckweed that came with the shrimp.

I guess I can rule out ACO, since they don't ship fish.

[PineSong]

Very exciting. I hope they make it.

[Jawjagrrl]

On 3/10/2022 at 3:45 PM, Widgets said:

I was about to say that all the plants came from ACO, but there was some duckweed that came with the shrimp.

I guess I can rule out ACO, since they don't ship fish.

They do have some fish in their plant tanks though, right? I feel like I have seen some in videos in the past... so I wouldn't rule it out? Hope they survive so we can all learn this mystery!

[Odd Duck]

On 3/10/2022 at 2:38 PM, Flumpweesel said:

Jealous I never get mystery stowaways from my lfs

I got a single red cherry shrimp that had to be inside a marimo moss ball because that was the only thing I didn’t bleach dip.  I think I later accidentally gave him away since he disappeared after I donated a bunch of Amazon frogbit to people that had lost plants and fish in the Texas Snowpocalypse last February.  He did love to hang around in the roots of the frogbit.

[Torrey]

So excited to find out what you got!!!

[Widgets]

Well, there are only a few fry clinging to the glass this morning, and lots swimming around. I have mostly had live bearers breed for me. I did have a breeding pair of convicts many years ago.

 

I have been surfing the web for info. I found a few pages on zebra danio fry. They spend some time clinging to the glass before free swimming, and the size is right. I did have a new pair of zebra danios in the shrimp tank for a few days to hold the cycle since the LFS was out or RCS. I wasn't watching them all the time, but they didn't spend much time near one another except when I fed them, so it didn't occur that they could have spawned. I didn't bother to sex them, since they were going into a school in my display tank.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 7:27 AM, Widgets said:

Well, there are only a few fry clinging to the glass this morning, and lots swimming around. I have mostly had live bearers breed for me. I did have a breeding pair of convicts many years ago.

 

I have been surfing the web for info. I found a few pages on zebra danio fry. They spend some time clinging to the glass before free swimming, and the size is right. I did have a new pair of zebra danios in the shrimp tank for a few days to hold the cycle since the LFS was out or RCS. I wasn't watching them all the time, but they didn't spend much time near one another except when I fed them, so it didn't occur that they could have spawned. I didn't bother to sex them, since they were going into a school in my display tank.

If they are danio fry, they will already swim with a danio pattern.  Near constant with frequent diversions up, down, and sideways.

[Widgets]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:30 AM, Odd Duck said:

If they are danio fry, they will already swim with a danio pattern.  Near constant with frequent diversions up, down, and sideways.

Here is a short video of one of the fry swimming a bit. Now I see smaller things swimming around too. This tank is full of life. It is hard to believe that I started it up 12 days ago. I did bring some gravel and temporarily 2 sponge filters from an established tank. I moved the sponge filters to my QT for the least killifish.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Widgets
Stupid typos

[Odd Duck]

Hmmmm, could be danio, but usually see them more zippy.  My giant danios I could tell right away they were danios.  Let me see, I think I still have some video of them swimming.  I only have poor quality videos of them feeding, but it was typical danio activity.  A little herky jerky on the motion, still for a second, them moving again.  Up, down, sideways, etc.

I guess I need to set up a YouTube channel so I can post videos. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Even if they’re bad ones.  Nobody but my friends here will ever see them.  😆 

Is your video in slow mo?  Do a regular speed so we can see the normal motion better.

[Widgets]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:28 AM, Odd Duck said:

Hmmmm, could be danio, but usually see them more zippy.  My giant danios I could tell right away they were danios.  Let me see, I think I still have some video of them swimming.  I only have poor quality videos of them feeding, but it was typical danio activity.  A little herky jerky on the motion, still for a second, them moving again.  Up, down, sideways, etc.

I guess I need to set up a YouTube channel so I can post videos. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Even if they’re bad ones.  Nobody but my friends here will ever see them.  😆 

Is your video in slow mo?  Do a regular speed so we can see the normal motion better.

It is normal speed. Look at the air bubbles in the uplift tube. I used an online gif converter, and it may have dropped some frames. Their motion is mainly short jerks with pauses. I have seen some longer continuous motion, but mostly it is drift and jerk.

[clovenpine]

Oh man, these guys are TEENSY! What are you going to feed them?

[Widgets]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:14 AM, clovenpine said:

Oh man, these guys are TEENSY! What are you going to feed them?

I am still researching. There is already a ton of life in the tank. You can see some of it in the video I have some ACO fry food on the way. I am thinking about starting a infusoria culture. I will also see what the LFS has to offer.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:00 AM, Widgets said:

It is normal speed. Look at the air bubbles in the uplift tube. I used an online gif converter, and it may have dropped some frames. Their motion is mainly short jerks with pauses. I have seen some longer continuous motion, but mostly it is drift and jerk.

I couldn’t tell for sure since I could see the bubbles kind of jump so I thought it might be slowed just a little.  Doesn’t hit me quite like danio movement but I can’t say for sure it’s not.

You can always just crush regular flake to powder.

[Widgets]

@Odd Duck I uploaded the video to YT, just ignore the background sounds.

On camera you can see some even smaller things swimming around. I also see some seed shrimp (?) and some sort of short white worm when I look around the tank with my phone camera on zoom.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Widgets
Replace link with video

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

They are so small wonder if they are rainbow fish as they have tiny eggs and when they hatch they are so so small. Really only way to keep them alive at least initially is really micro-foods like infusoria, vinegar eels, things like that. 

[Odd Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:54 AM, Widgets said:

@Odd Duck I uploaded the video to YT, just ignore the background sounds.

On camera you can see some even smaller things swimming around. I also see some seed shrimp (?) and some sort of short white worm when I look around the tank with my phone camera on zoom.

https://youtu.be/OqF0z1nmxxc

Not really swimming danio style.  I can see the tiny things swimming in the background.  Are they the same size just farther away or are they even tinier fry?  They don’t really swim “danio”, either (the background ones).

On 3/11/2022 at 11:02 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

They are so small wonder if they are rainbow fish as they have tiny eggs and when they hatch they are so so small. Really only way to keep them alive at least initially is really micro-foods like infusoria, vinegar eels, things like that. 

Making me wonder the same thing.  I haven’t seen rainbow fish fry and how they swim, but I’m not seeing “danio” in how they swim.

@Widgets I can’t wait to see them develop so we can all keep playing the “guess the fry” game.  😆 

[Widgets]

On 3/11/2022 at 12:19 PM, Odd Duck said:

 I can see the tiny things swimming in the background.  Are they the same size just farther away or are they even tinier fry?

The focus is on the UGF uplift tube at the back of the tank. They are even tinier fry, or something.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/11/2022 at 12:08 PM, Widgets said:

The focus is on the UGF uplift tube at the back of the tank. They are even tinier fry, or something.

Wow!  Can’t wait to see how this all shakes out!