Filters And Fry

[LD_Sorel]

This morning I noticed I have atleast 3 guppy fry hiding amognst the plants...
Anyone have suggestions on how to keep them from getting sucked into the filter system?
I turned the filter down lower than usual but it makes me nervous...lol...i don't want to lose my first fry to the filter monster!!
Also I am glad to report my betta and the other guppies seem to not be interested in eating them...but we will see....Mom is still very preggo so I expect more to be on the way.

So yes, any suggestions would be great, especially about the filter-monster!



Thanks!!
Lauren

 

[SnBMeg]

I know of a couple of things you could do, although I've never tried them myself, but I've heard of them being used with success.

1.Get some filter media--the sponge kind used in canister filters to catch larger waste in the filter--and either cut a hole in it, if it's thick enough, and then slip it over the filter intake, or just tie or rubberband a strip of it around the intake.

2.Take some pantyhose and cut a piece to size to cover the intake, then tie or rubberband it in place.

You could also set up a sponge filter in the tank, but I wouldn't recommend that unless it was a fry-only tank.

Good luck, and congrats on your new babies!

 

[scorphonic]

You could also buy yourself a hatchery or livebearer container that floats on the surface of the water. You can put the fry in here and they will be away from the remaining inhabitants in the tank and from the filter. They can remain in here until they are large enough to remain intact in the big nasty world!!

I got one of these mating containers tonight...the best 7 euro ever!! They are also great to segregate a fish that is being bullied or needs to recoup after any problems. Since it is still in contact with the tank water it is by no means a disease treatment area!

 

[LD_Sorel]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Another thing, if I was to try to move the fry to another tank (I have a few empty ones) how do I catch them? Just with a net like adult fish? I figured I might have trouble with it with all the fish and plants in there getting in the way of me netting the teeny tiny guys. Also I didn't know if digging round in the tank with a net might upset the other very expectant mothers?

Can you tell I am new to this?? HAHA.

Thanks.

Lauren

 

[SnBMeg]

We're all new at some point!

I didn't even think of mentioning breeder boxes/nets. (Good catch, scorphonic! ) They're what I use for my fry, since I don't have spare tanks, and they're cheap and simple and quite effective. Of course, if you've got a whole bunch of fry that you want to keep, you'd most likely need multiple containers, which can get a bit crowded in the tank, so in that case a separate tank would be better.

I've just used a small net to catch fry, although it can be a bit tricky, especially if you've got plants. What I've found works is to "sneak up" on the fry, moving slowly and gently beneath them and then scooping. This works well for balloon molly fry, as they pretty much stay at the surface, but with different kinds of fry you may need to make some adjustments for behavior. The key is to not scare them with the net; if you can get them to think it's just a harmless plant drifting in the water, it'll be super easy to lure them in (they may even try to use it as cover!)

As long as you're not whipping the net around the tank chasing the fry, the expectant mommies should be fine. My adults have always casually avoided the net when I've got it in the tank. If you do happen to scoop an adult with the fry, don't worry about it and if you can't let the adult slip out withough releasing the fry, you can just move them both and then move the adult back. It's not the ideal happenstance--hopefully you'll just catch fry--but as long as you go nice and easy all the fish should be fine. If you catch a pregnant female with the fry, then it would probably be best to let them go and try again, rather than moving the preggo around.

 

[lilfishie]

i catch mine in a net then scoop them out the net with a small container or a bottle cap sort sized thing, or i have also caught a few using two nets, one to kinda push them into the other, let us know how many you manage to catch

 

[Rillan]

Yeh best of look. Im still waiting for my female to give birth. I have 2 females now....... damit if they give birth