How to Care for Goldfish Fry
At some point in life, nearly all goldfish keepers are going to have to care for young fry. Whether you are a breeder who planned on spawning these small fish, or a simple owner who returned home one day to find your tank full of eggs, the care a goldfish fry receives before and after it is born is crucial to its wellbeing. Neglecting the eggs or placing them in improper conditions can cause the majority of them to not hatch, and potentially damage the fish that are born.
What to Do With the Eggs
The first thing you need to do with your eggs is to separate them into a different tank. This is very easy if you bred your fish in a small container intentionally, but can require a little bit more work if the spawning is a surprise.
The eggs should be placed into a small container with no more than six inches of water. The fry will be quite small when born, and the pressure of deeper water can have serious effects on them. The water should be kept around 75 degrees Fahrenheit in order to stimulate quick hatching of the eggs.
If you notice any of the eggs turning white, it is important to remove them from your egg tank if possible. These are the unfertilized eggs and can sometimes be a source of infection that can damage other, healthier eggs.
Feeding Your Goldfish Fry
During the first two days after their birth, the fry will still be developing and will not eat. After that though, once they begin swimming around, they will have a voracious appetite. Many experts recommend feeding small brine shrimp to your infant goldfish, but they will also eat other organisms such as algae.
When feeding fry, it is important to feed a sufficient amount. Because the fish are so small at this point, it is sometimes difficult for them to find food particles in a body of water so large relative to their size. Because of this, many goldfish keepers will overfeed their fry and perform daily or regular water changes to prevent the tank from become polluted due to the excess food.
If you have a large number of fry, it is important to scope out new living space for them quickly. A small tank may suffice when they are eggs or just born, but after a couple of weeks they will need a much larger space as they continue to grow.
Taking care of goldfish fry is something that pretty much all goldfish owners will face from time to time. By being educated and prepared for the process, you will find raising healthy fry much easier. Without following detailed specifications, however, it is easy for even a successful breeder to lose an entire spawning of eggs due to a proper lack of care.