Hi all,

Haven't been around for a while but everything is going well with my tanks. Was just giving my huge tank a clean, and pumping water out the sump and found three fry! Complete mystery as to what they are. I've attached a couple of photos of them. There are three possible candidates for the parents.
1) barbs, either green or tiger or both
2) Rasboras, either harlequin or another species that i can't recall at the moment (looks like a harlequin, but different colours).
3) Silver (or Bala) sharks.

Now to me i am thinking Silver Shark. My reasons for this are that they are very long thin fish (the big one is over 1cm), not square like a barb, or harlequin shape. My sharks are also always making mating moves (especially after dinner), entwining around each other in 2s, 3s or 4s. I'd also expect a harlequin or barb to be colouring up by now, as they are up to 1cm, and look more like their parents.
But i welcome better advice, otherwise i will just have to watch and wait for a few weeks.

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Another piccy.

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COngrats!!
It's best to get them a seperate tank and feed them alot! Fry eat alot :P

To be honest I'll be very surprised if they turn out to be Bala Shark fry as there are no reports of successful breeding in aquariums. However, I take your point about their shape relative to size, which although a typical shape for most fry is as you say unusual at that size when the species shape/colour ought to be more apparent if they are Barbs or Harlequins.

How many Balas do you have and how big are they?

I shall watch with great interest as the mystery unfolds and if they are indeed baby Balas you're a very lucky fishkeeper - pretty much unheard of

I have four Balas. No idea of sex of them, and they are all about 10-12cm, I got them as one lot. Like I say they always seem to display mating behaviour, especially after dinner. I have read that it can just be play, but am ever hopeful. They are egg scatterers apparently, so I could see some eggs being swept down the sump overflow and hatching down in the sump. Although the barbs do seem to favour a big patch of Java Fern next to the overflow, so if their eggs and/or fry were in there they would also get swept down.

FX for Balas.......even though it's unlikely it would be VERY exciting if that's what you have

Pretty amazing finding them. Looking forward to see what they become.

We have an answer!!!

For those playing along at home the three possibilities for the mystery fry where:
1) Rasboras
2)Barbs
3) Bala sharks

And the answer is...... 4) None of the above. Turns out these little fish are Endler's Livebearer. I have a tank of these running as an offshoot of my main tank. A wee pump fills it from the sump and it overflows into the main tank, which overflows into the sump. So these fry managed to get past the pre-filter in their tank, swim along a tube into the main tank, avoid being eaten in there and then get swept into the sump. I am completely amazed they managed it to be honest. They must have swum along the tube when i had the pre-filter off for cleaning i guess. Still, they got rescued and are now back in with their friends in the Endler colony, so all's well that ends well.