I took the goldfish out of the 40-gallon about a week ago, and didn't have a chance to clean it -- and I was also thinking that a nicely cycled tank would be good if I found a new fish at the fish show this weekend. Mean time, in the tank I found fry! Maybe 2-3 of them only. Now what do I do! What do I feed them? I have some frozen baby brine shrimp, but will they even find it in such a large tank? It has a lot of algae on one side, but it doesn't seem that they eat that - they need protein, yes?

To complicate matters, there are two little tadpoles in there. I think the fry are too big and fast for the tadpoles to eat - so far... And they like their soupy algae tank, too. What a situation! The tadpoles eat the algae, so I'm thinking if anybody gets moved, it's the fry - if I can find and catch them. Thoughts? I am now understanding the panic I've been reading about, when somebody gets eggs and fry unexpectedly!

My husband is enchanted by them. I've said he's now a fish-dad, just in time for Father's Day!

Congratulations!!! That is a wonderful Fathers day surprise. First of I suggest you DO NOT move them!! Raising fry is difficult at the best of times but sooooooo much easier in a cycled and algaed (excellent first food) tank with no other fish in!! You have all the right starting ingredients there. Feed the babybrine shrimp yes. That's what I always start with. They smell it and chasing and finding it is important for good neuro development. Do not worry they will find it!!! The bigger the tank the better, fry grow faster and better in large spaces.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We were very worried about what to do, but we're also excited.
The bigger fishes in the pond are also doing some bumping about...

I thought water gardening was going to be a calming experience. Maybe I need to rethink that.

Lantern, be very careful to cover your filter intake. Depending on the type of filter you could use stocking hose and attach securely with elastic bands or you could cover the whole pipe with sponge.
Fry are like small pieces of food and get sucked up easily by filters! Usually a sponge filter is recommended for the first few months.
Remember also when you do water changes, no syphon, use a cup or jug and avoid any suction or whirl of water that bends fragile spines on fry. Keep us posted on their growth, it is so much fun to watch them grow and hear about them.

Four, there are definitely four of them that I can find. One is smaller than the others, so I wonder if he's new and just ventured out from the plants? They seem to like to go to the places in the tank that have the most light - I have a light at one end, and it also gets some window light through the algae.

Here are a few pictures:

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I put some frozen baby brine shrimp in, but nobody showed much interest in it. I hope they're finding other good things to eat.

I also covered the filter intakes with nylon hose and a rubber band. So now they should be safe.

One of the two tadpoles went bumbling into their area, and the fish shot away like lightning, so I'm thinking I don't have to worry about that at least yet. Here's a tadpole:

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I am reading that at this stage they eat algae and detritus from the bottom, so it's like having a bottom feeder. He doesn't have a big frog-mouth yet, just a little mouth. The two of them mostly stay at the bottom, or cling to the sides. Maybe they will clean up the brine shrimp that the fish don't find.

It was funny when I put the fish into the pond, I would go into the "fish room" and see the empty tank, and it was like there was something missing. Well, no more, now there is a whole menagerie!

ooh four! These are the survivors then - the strongest. I know how excited you must feel to see life in the tank! Every morning its a joy to wake up and check on them, isn't it? Glad you covered the filter, although your fry in those pics look to be about 10 days old? they can still be sucked in. I would be anxious about the little froglets. I know you are reading up on them but I have heard if they get hungry they will turn on each other (and neighbouring fry?) as a food source...here's a link I found that was a fun read on tadpoles. Is that pond water? Is that how the fry and tadpoles got in the tanK?

That is too cute!
I have no experience with fry but I know you'll get great advice, they are adorable.

After the big fish went out into the pond, I thought I had an empty tank, so I bought 3 tadpoles, and one died overnight. The others have been doing well for several days now, and seem active and healthy. They are still pretty small and don't have legs yet. I do worry about them with the fish, too, but they seem so happy in there I hate to change anything.

As for food, I am hoping that there's plenty in there for them. I always used a feeding dish for the fish, so I used it for the tadpoles too, and on several occasions I found one in the dish, where I had put some some goldfish food. Next thing you know, it was gone. They also have some previously frozen lettuce. And now, leftover brine shrimp. And the tank, though I did a 75% water change for the tadpoles, still has plenty of algae on the back and sides, and isn't squeaky clean. There are plants, lots of hornwort for everybody to hide in, and their ornament. Overall, it looks kind of "pond like" rather than a nice pristine fish tank. But the water is good. So I am hoping for the best for both fish and frogs. Mean time, I put water in a 10-gallon tank, filter, bubbler, a plant, and some ammonia, and I'll see if I can get some algae growing there.

The father of the fry has to be my 5-year-old rescue fish, who was the only one who had breeding stars. The fry seem bigger than they were yesterday.