Experts help needed. :(

[Kelly0727]

So my fry finally hatched yesterday and I couldnt have been happier, in fact I had a hard time sleeping because I was so paranoid something bad was going to happen..

Well something bad happened alright.. I woke up today to find scattered dead fry in my tank! Not a single living fry in there and I dont have a clue why this happened.

The only sign I would think that showed anything wrong was after a couple hours after they hatched there were a lot on the ground doing nothing.. but I couldnt tell if they were dead or not since there were so many others around them trying to swim back up to the nest.

I cant stop crying, because I dont know what I did wrong. And I dont want to give up but unless I can figure out why this happened I cant try again..

Are there any reasons as to why I would lose all my fry so soon?

[tpocicat]

The only thing I can think of is, did you leave the male in with them? He should be with them until they are free swimming. I'm so sorry for what happened *hugs*

[Kelly0727]

Yes he was in there. It was when I was taking him out that I noticed they were dead...

[KadenJames]

Aww, don't cry. You'll have plenty of chances, this is a learning experience, and a difficult one at that.

Majority of the time, fry lying on the bottom dead indicates either water hardness issues, or a heat issue. Did you double check the temperature of the tank? Are you sure your heater is working properly? What is the pH of your tank? Did you use water dechlorinator? Do you have IAL in your tank? Live plants? How long did you let the water sit before adding the pair?

[tpocicat]

We all have times when nothing seems to work right. I once lost a whole spawn from a HM pair I really wanted fry from. It happens, but that doesn't mean you can't try another spawn again.
I was told it might have been velvet that caused me to lose the whole spawn. I've never had velvet before, so like you, I was at a loss.

[Kelly0727]

It's just hitting me harder than normal because my family, boyfriend included keeps telling me that ive been wasting money on getting things for the fry because this happens. Last time it was my friend breeding but I was helping with the supplies. Same thing happened to her fry :(

I had completely cleaned the tank the day I put the pair in. I had live plants in here, not sure what they are called though but I can take a picture if I need to. I also had 2 IAL in there. I checked the temperature every hour to make sure it was working I had it from 82-84 degrees.

I found two fry alive but one didnt make it. The last one I have in a cup with completely clean water that I floated in the tank to be the same temperature before putting him in there. He just started free swimming I think.. He stays at the top unless he starts zipping around like crazy, if he does he sinks to the bottom. So i'm keeping a close eye on him.. It would mean the world to me if he survived to adulthood..

When I shined the flashlight on the tank though I saw a lot of these small worms.. would they have been the cause? If it was velvet.. how can I prevent it from happening again? I'm going to be checking the water lvls soon.

[tpocicat]

At this age they are extremely delicate. I don't believe it was anything you've done. The tiny worms you describe are probably detritus worms. I don't know if they would hurt fry. I know adults will eat them when they spot them.

[Creat]

I have to think it might have been a pH or hardness issue too a little buffer the wrong way can kill fry easy. And tell the nay sayers to stick a lemon in it lol. Its hard enough without their negativity.

[tpocicat]

^A+++

[CandiceMM]

Don't be too hard on yourself, spawning is no easy task. It's not like you can jump in there and be hands on. Spawning in tanks can be so far from their natural habitat and to beat yourself up over this would be wrong. I will pray for your one fry and hope he makes it. My fry also hatched yesterday and the father is swimming around like a chicken with his head cut off. Poor dads go through a lot. Good luck with your last little baby :)