Fry Tank

[Chris206]

Hi

I have just brought a sponge filter for my fry tank. I forgot to ask if the tank needed to be matured before adding fry.

The instructions say only to soak in aquarium water for 5 mins, then add to tank.

Thoughts please

 

[jmkgreen]

Do the instructions say that the filter is now ready to accept fish? If so, they must have a magic ingredient the rest of the world doesn't know about.

Otherwise, yes you will need to mature the filter prior to adding fry. Check beginners section please.

 

[Tolak]

If you have a mature tank with substrate pile some of the substrate on top of the sponge filter after adding it to the tank. You want substrate from the surface, as this is more oxygenated, and will have some nitrifying bacteria. Fry don't produce much waste, but it takes very little ammonia or nitrite to cause problems.

The mature substrate will provide enough bio filtration for the fry, provided you don't have many. It should work out for a dozen or two.

 

[Chris206]

Ok thanks guys

 

[OldMan47]

Soaking it thoroughly for 5 minutes will make it sink nicely but won't do anything to mature the sponge. If you don't have the fry yet, wash out your filter in the new tank and then treat that new filter to a fishless cycle. I find I can get a very robust clone that way in less than a week. Once the new filter has cycled, the tank will need a good vacuuming to get rid of all the mung that will be there from cleaning a filter in the water but you can do that with your big water change before stocking.