Do You Always Remove The Fry?

[Em29]

Hiya - I have some platy's and fry in the past and removed the fry to a seperate tank. However, I am currently cycling a 90 litre tank - I would like to buy a larger group of platy's (20?) but as the tank is to be quite heavily planted I cannot keep emptying the tank to remove fry...However the filter may well suck up a lot of the babies.

My question is do you let nature take it's course and the strongest survive or are you regularly emptying your tank to catch the fry? Or using breeder nets all the time?

I feel bad not trying to catch the fry but in the last 3 months I have had 3 lots of fry and had to dessimate the tank trying to catch them - the females only had small batches (6 - 12 ish) it wasn't particularly obvious they were pregnant and not put into a trap.

 

[shi24137]

If you want all of the fry to survive, put a piece of stocking(panty hose) over the intake, this will slow it down and also keep any fry from being sucked up. Also I have a 60gal community of platies, guppies, and betta's, I have numerous plants for fry to hide in, I tried to remove fry twice and each time they ended up dying. So I just leave them in there. As long as they have places to hide they will be ok. Breeding nets will stress out the mother and she may miscarry or even die. Good luck!

 

[Peter C]

My filter (fluval 106) has a ball inside the intake pipe to stop unwanted items getting sucked in!

At first I kept fry desperate but now I just leave them

 

[Em29]

Ok thanks this is what I was planning on doing tbh. I have a 'tights' over my fluval edge tank with 3 small fry in and 2 platy's. I lost lots of the fry recently beacause I thought they were too large to get sicked in - in fact the voluntarily swam up there

Once I move them into the larger tank I think nature will take it's course.

One more question though....is it ok to put tights over a Fluval U2 filter? I may have to try netting or something because using tights has seriously slowed down the flow of my fluval edge filter.

 

[CherokeeAquatics]

We have 5 and 10 gallon Fry tanks with sponge filters NO gravel, there's a fish hatchery on the side of the tank with mom in it and the fry drop through the holes into the tank.

 

[Em29]

Yeah cherokee - that sounds good. I have a fry take but could not tell that my platy's were pregnant the second time as they only had less than 10 fry so wouldn't get them into a trap. I cannot keep netting them out and messing up the tank. I will leave them in I think in future and hope the strongest survive. Then when large enough i can rehome them

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I do both. If I am trying to rear fish of a certain color I will save most of the batch from the female in particular (if I can find them, as they are born in the female/baby tank). The rest of the time I leave them swimming with everyone else... a lot less survive that way in my tank... and its down to ONE female who likes a good feast.

 

[Em29]

Crikey Prairie - cut throat I love the fry - I can find them homes for the time being but digging the little blighters out of a big tank doesn't fill me with joy!

 

[twingogeekeo]

I love it when i find fry in the tank.

Little like last night. Going to bed and always have a look around the tank to make sure everyone is ok. And if a platy looks fat i check the top corners of the tank. Normally they get above the filter or above the Floaty magnet and hide out the way like last night. Found 8 of the little fighters. I have a breeding net i put them in to get them away from the other hungry sods in the tank before they get eaten. Once they are big enough they then go and my other tank and make new friends with the shrimp or other fry/babies in the smaller tank already.

 

[Em29]

Great news Twingogeeko!!! Congratulations

But did you find it hard to get them out? I get fed up of destroying the tank to get tto them. I cannot keep moving all the plants in the 90 litre I am setting up

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I do also write down the date of birth of every batch and I find after the first two batches I can usually know exactly what day the babies will arrive and be ready to net them quite effectively.

 

[twingogeekeo]

Great news Twingogeeko!!! Congratulations

But did you find it hard to get them out? I get fed up of destroying the tank to get tto them. I cannot keep moving all the plants in the 90 litre I am setting up

Lucky for me they all go up above the filter. So catching them doesnt take to much time unless they drive down behind it then i can get them till they come back up.

My tanks well planted so there maybe a few in hiding but as long as i get a few i dont mind. Like some people say the strong ones will survive on my last batch i fought i had got them all and then a week later they where still showing up. I fought i Gourami had lost its mind but guessing he was chasing them.

I find getting the fry go slow or they will shoot off.

 

[Em29]

Oh thanks for the tips