Platy Fry!

[b.c.f.c]

At last..........ive got fry,not many,only 3 but im happy as there my first ever.ive got them in the fry net and all seems well .i did have 4 bt the other day i noticed 2 against the glass,they had obviously escaped,i caught 1 and put him back in but the other 1 was gone and i couldnt find him/her.they seemed to have grown a bit but not a lot,at the mo im feeding them on crushed flakes prob not the best but it all i have got that they will eat.

ive got a few questions well i say a few,ive got loads but here are some of them........

What is the best food to feed fry, and at wat times in the day do i feed them?

How long will it take for them to be able to come out of the net in to my main community tank,or at what size?

In the future i would like to breed them as a little hobby,so what is best,fry nets or a seperate tank and if so a tank how big should it be (gallons)?

To be able to have as many surviving fry as possible wat breeding method should i use or wat is the most effective?eg:when do you put the mtoher in the seperate tank or breeding net to have the fry or do you not move her and catch the fry out of the main tank.

thx for any replies, and i rearly hope ur info can help me with these fry as il be gutted if they die.i want to breed them as a little hobby after x mas as then is when im getting a new tank.

 

[trace1]

hi
probally best in separate tank, i have my blck molly fry in a 13 ukgallon tank. i cycled the filter in main tank before so it was all ready & then just do regular water changes as fry are senative to water condictions.
you can get baby brine shrimp or microworms or even fry food any of these will be fine for them, even the crushed flakes will be ok

 

[Annastasia]

Congrats on the babies! Let me try to answer all your questions...I'll answer them in the order you asked, so it makes sense okay?

The best food for fry at the early age is probably fry food. Most any brand you find at your fishs store will be fine. You can even suppliment in some BBS if you want. As they get older, you can move them on to crushed flakes, and then suppliment in some small Live/Frozen/Freeze-dried foods maybe once a day. Remember to feed the fry at least 3 times a day, preferably 4-6. I feed at 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9pm, provided it is possible.

What fish are in the tank? The general rule of thumb for releasing fry is when they are too big to fit in the biggest fish's mouth. However, sometimes fry will outgrow the breeding net before then. Not really a problem with Platy fry though...

The best and probably easiest way to raise them is a seperate tank. Depending on the kind of fry you want, I'd say 10 gallons is good. Up to about 30 is fine, after that you have trouble finding them and removing any dead ones or anything. If you read some previous posts, most frequently OrkyBetta's 'Houston we have a problem' I have talked a lot about setting up one of these tanks.

Probably the best way would be to have a little birthing tank, that you can put the female in before she gives birth. You could plant it up, and give the fry some hiding places. It might be harder to find them, but if you stick Live Plants in there they can feed off them for while. Otherwise, just leave it pretty plain and you'll find the fry easily. Ideally this tank should be big enough so the mother doesn't feel stressed. If you want to breed Platies, I'd say a 5-10 gallon would work.