Platy Fry Help!

[fishboy2]

Hey!
ummmm, how do i change the water in my mini breeder tank(wich is completely seperate from the other tank) without sucking up all my platy fry, i have 21 by the way and i don't want to loose any

and, my blue platy gave birth to 6 of the little ones and i saw her eat 1, so when will she have her next bunch (she's still fairly fat wiv a gravid spot)

 

[celaeno]

you can use a little piece of net and attach it to the end of the syphon/air tubing. that obviously won't remove the waste particles though.

 

[fishboy2]

Thanx
but could i just scoop out old water with a cup and replace it? it's only a really small tank wiv and air filter, pluz how often do i need to change the water

 

[scooterchick]

Ah now I know how you revived that old thread in the emergency section

Anyway, yes, removing some water with a cup will be fine, your fry won't produce a lot of waste, I changed water in my fry tank (before it cracked) about once a fortnight and all my fry are healthy (have about 30 between 1 - 6 months). Just be careful not to overfeed them, a tiny amount of finely crushed flakes about 6 times a day is suffice.

Good luck!

P.S Remember to dechlorinate new water x

 

[fishboy2]

would that be alright, they are only a couple of days old, and really really tiny (and cute). But theres also alot of waste at the bottom and i can't remove it without killing any fry or clouding the water- now wat do i do.
thanx loadz

 

[scooterchick]

Is it food waste?

 

[fishboy2]

well, its a bit of everything, poo, possibly some food, just built up waste too small for my fine net(the waste is like a green powder), so i don't want polluting v water and killing my babies

 

[scooterchick]

It'll be ok, just cup the water out for the next couple of weeks til the fry are a bit bigger then try a fine gravel vac. The check the bucket carefully before tossing the water!

 

[fishboy2]

thanx!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SouthernCross]

It is important to get the poo/waste out, it will effect your water quality and fry need super clean water to thrive. They take a long time to grow as is, you can't leave the bottom that dirty for that long.

Use a bit of thin airline tubing as a vac, I've used it before to suck poo out of a fry net. Just suck on the opposite end to get suction going, and move it around slowly so the fry have plenty of time to get out of your way. It's very effective.

I have sucked one or two up by accident before, but I just scooped them up out of the bucket and put them back in, and they were fine, perhaps just slightly disoriented. But if you're more careful than I was you'll have no problem.