Raising fry

[JamieB]

I need a subject matter expert to pitch in on the best way to raise fry. I’m trying to raise about 10 from a late season spawn, so I brought them in and put them in my plant aquarium. They are just a mix of comet and maybe common, just as a test to see how they turn out. At about half an inche or so long each, I’ve got them in 5ish inches of water, with the dirt and plant matter in there. I’m doing frequent partial water changes to try and keep the good going, and remove any excess gunk. The only filter I have is for a bigger aquarium, so too strong for them. They are doing good, I just want to know what to watch out for for quality of life defects that might cause them problems later in life. The survivors will go back to the pond next spring, and yes, I’ve got a larger aquarium for once they are bigger. How fast do these little things grow anyway?

 

[JamieB]

Here are some pictures of them. Best I could get using phone camera, with how they move around. From what I’ve managed to glean from the internet, culls weed out sickly fish, that wouldn’t do well otherwise, don’t conform to desired traits, and to keep numbers reasonable. Nature already weeded out the weakest, I have plenty of space, no desired traits other than healthy hearty fish. So for me, it’s about will they be able to swim well, eat normally. I’d love it if some turn solid white like one of the adults in the pond, but that’s a wish, and probably about a year out for them to show full color I’d think. I can’t find any page on the net dedicated just to comet or common goldfish that shows what to cull out. I’m crushing goldfish flakes for them to eat, they seem happy with that.

 

[Gemma]

Oh how cool!
I get baby koi in my pond, but by the time I realize they're there they are already several inches long and they need no special treatment
good luck with your babies