Upside down babies

[frank]

Well I have bought a really good filter, the tank has finally cycled, the eggs have hatched (24) I have separated them out into little isolation tanks according to size and (I hope) am doing every thing right (including finally registering properly for the forum!) but....
I've noticed some of my fry lie on their backs or sides fairly often. Is that normal????? They look like they are dead but when I squirt water in their direction, they wriggle away.....
Also one little boy sneaked into my class and upset all the isolation tanks into the big tank, fun and games getting them all out again, and now I see one of them has a kink in the end of its tail, and one had a tail that appears to be missing a bit, could the missing bit be because of cannibalism??? Maybe I don't have them separated enough? Or could it have come of in the filter or something like that when it was in the big tank?

 

[jennifer]

It is normal for new hatchlings to lie on their side on the bottom of the tank. The kinked tail could be a deformity. I'm not sure about the missing piece, but it seems too early for cannibalism.

 

[frank]

When does cannibalism start up?
Although after having a good look, the one with a missing bit of tail seems to be one of the bigger ones in the tank, could I be doing something that is hurting them, some one suggested it might have got caught in the net when I rescued them from the big tank...

 

[kim]

That may be possible, or maybe he/she got caught in the fliter. There are many reasons for it, dont worry about him/her.

Just keep an eye on water qualtiy etc and make sure it dont happen again.

Good luck!