Decisions On What Tank To Use For Fry!

[fishRfriends]

I have sooo many decisions that I could make to take care of my soon-to-be molly and swordtail fry and I just dont know which one to do!

I have a 75gal, a 12 gal, and a 2.5 gal set up. I was going to use the 2.5 to house the babies since these are first time moms and are very small I dont believe they will have many. I was going to let them just have the run of the 2.5 (with a sponge filter) when they look ready to burst and then scoop them back and put them in the 12 when they were done.

BUT, now Im wondering if I should let the parents stay in the 75 gallon until they are ready and then put them in the 2.5 andeliminate the 12 gal all together.

OR I could keep the parents in the 75 and put them in the in the 12 when they are ready, but I don't have a sponge filter for the 12 so I would run the risk of sucking up the babies.

Then I also heard the option of floating the mom in the 75 gal, letting her have the babies, and then scooping her out and leaving the babies in the net, elminating all other tanks except the 75.

So, you see my confusion lol. Ive never done this before so I keep coming up with new ideas and not sure on if they would work. I would really like to have the least amount of tanks set up as possible as I am a pretty busy student and don't have too much time on my hands. But, I also want what would be good for the fish of course.

So any input would be great, along with any suggestions or different arrangements you can come up with.

Thanks in advance

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

when my guppies had babies i just watched for them being born then scooped them out in a yogurt pot (hard to catch ill have you know!! ) then put them in their new home this was made a harder task by my sisters ute, can i see, ohh ahh soo cute)

 

[diademhill]

Why not use the 12g which is big enough to grow on the babies & forget the 2.5g. You can put a popsock over the intake of the 12g's filter to save the babies.

 

[fishRfriends]

I was going to do that in the beginning and I had someone tell me that if I started the fry in the 12g that it would take too much energy for them to try to swim around in such a big tank and search for food. They said starting in a small tank is ideal so the food is easier to catch

So you think it best to just keep mom and dad in the 75 and use the 12 as a fry tank? I could do that too lol. I just wasnt sure how safe cover the filter was because I would still be scared that they would get stack to whatever is covering the filter. Im such a worried fishy mom lol.

Thanks for your input

 

[fishRfriends]

Oh yeah, it just dawned on me, should I use reguar gravel like I have in regular tanks for the babies or is it better to use like a sand or fine rock?

 

[Weaver]

I wouldnt put any gravel or sand in the fry tank.Most of the food will not get eaten and the fact that the tank is bare bottomed means that you can clean it far more easily.Uneaten food lying in sand/gravel will quickly lead to ammonia etc
Ikeep all my fry in a 10g and they have no problem whatsoever swimming or getting food.You could provide a little floating plant cover.The fry can use it for cover and nibble at the organisms which live on it.A bit of something like hornwort is excellent
Good luck

 

[fishRfriends]

Thank you! That helped alot. I guess I will clear out all my gravel then, I dont want anything building up and I was skeptical anyway because I was afraid of them getting squished in the rocks. Thank you. My molly looks like she is gonna pop any day now!! Im so excited!

 

[Weaver]

Yes ,its really exciting watching the fry grow and start to get colours.They grow at an amazing rate and you will definitely need all of the 12g.Its also amazing how much poop and uneaten food there is so bare bottomed is the way to go as you will be doing a lot of water changes
You should read the pinned articles at the top of the section.I found them to be a great help.
Cheers

 

[fishRfriends]

Ohhhhh!! I had just had a really good idea that elimates 99% of my problems. What if I deivide my 12 gallon in half with parents on one side and babies on another. So there will be 6 gallons for the two small moms and 6 gallons for the babies. This way, it will be less stressful for both sides because they will have the same pH and temperature. The babies wont have to worry about being sucked up because they will be on the half without the filter head. Also, if the mom accidentilly has the babies on one side before I could transfer her it would be easier to shoo them to the other side.

Whatcha think?

 

[Darkerwhite2]

What using about a floating breeder? I have one in my 15gal tank right now working great. its only temperary though util my nursery is done cycling... but it prob depends on how many fry she has... i caught the little guys a bit too late so there where only 6 left.. but my molly looks like she about to pop again.

Isn't it exciting?

~DarkerWhite~

 

[Annastasia]

I'm just going to chime in here...

I totally agree with what Weaver said. Except the not using sand part, as that is pretty easy to clean, since all the waste lies on top. You have to stir it every once in a while though, to prevent toxic gas bubbles. Larger tanks are not a problem with fry, I'm not sure where the person who told you that got that from! Floating plants are good, as mentioned, because they can rest on those should they get tired and they provide food. But the larger the tank, the more room for fry, which is more room to grow.

Dividing it sounds like an OK idea. You could get a divider with small holes in it, then the fry could swim through to the safe side. If the holes aren't big enough, you could probably punch your own. It also eliminates the need for breeder traps/nets, which is good as they can greatly stress the mother out.

I say keep the 2.5 up though, hospital tanks are always a good idea. Run the filter for it in another tank, to keep the bacteria alive. If there are no fish in the 2.5, nothing will keep the bacteria alive, and sick fish don't need a cycling tank!