baby zebra danios

Question
Yesterday I was cleaning out my 1 gallon tank with  my three zebra danios I had for 3 or 4months  I saw some baby zebra danios.I went to the pet store and the breeder nets were too big for my tank.The baby fish are about a couple of  mm long.How long will it take untill they are old enough to swim freely without being eatean?What is the chances of the baby fish living at this size,a couple of mm? Is there anything I can do to help them and,is this kind of rare to happen?  

Answer
Hi Brittany;

Congratulations! They must be cute!

Danios really aren't hard to breed. It's just unusual to see any babies survive in such a small tank. They are usually eaten because they can't get away from the adults. You could put the babies in a jar or something until they get bigger, but you will have to change water daily in order to keep the water clean. Just like most other animal babies, they need to be fed several times a day and that can make a colossal mess. Crumble up some fish food for them really tiny, but remove any leftovers by the end of the day.

What you really need to do is get a bigger tank. One gallon is not enough for these fish to continue to thrive. For 3 danios, you should have at least a 5 gallon. You could upgrade to an even better system so you have room for babies and get a 10 gallon with a good filter on it. Then you could use the breeder net when you see babies. Or, just keep lots of plants in there for them to hide in.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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