platy fry

[fantasy fish]

I only have 3 platy fry but i want to keep them in my 5 gallon tank. In that tank i have a pleco and am wondering if it would try to eat the fry. also i have a filter in the tank and the fry have trouble swimming because of the current should i only leave it on for certain periods of time throught out the day so they can swim?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Turn it off and get a sponge filter.

Is it a common plec? Regardless, it should be moved since 5 gallons is too small for any plec.

If it is common, you should give it away since you won't be able ot house it when it is over a foot in length.

That should solve the problem...

 

[fantasy fish]

OK Thankz. I will move pleco to my 25 gal. Should i get a fish to clean the bottom of the 5 gal? Or just have the fry in and nothing else?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Just fry.

It would be simpler and you wouldn't have to pollute the tank with bottom feeder food, since they are likely to not finish all of hteir food. There's also the off-chance that your fry might get eaten.

As for moving your plec to a 25, if it's common, I hold to my warning about it's length. That's 15" and it should be in a much bigger tank.

 

[skye4jc]

Just fry.
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As for moving your plec to a 25, if it's common, I hold to my warning about it's length. That's 15" and it should be in a much bigger tank.

agreed... also, move the gravel out (if you have it in there). they tend to hide in it and get stuck - rather daft sometimes! lol. plus, if you have a waterfall filter, attach some type of screening or netting to the intake tube so they dont get sucked in! hehe (fry=not the brightest crayons in the box... )

in regards to the pleco... MINIMUM 30 US gal tank! (please) they grow 18 - 20 inches long, and need to be able to breathe and move often and spaciously. this is the advise i give my customers all the time, and i have never had any complaints when they took the advise.

 

[vidiots]

The problem with the screen over the intake on a power filter is that they will also tend to get stuck to the net or screen or whatever you use and be injured or killed by the suction. (I've been there, tried that). I agree with not using gravel. In my fry tank I use an undergravel filter with a sheet of filter foam attached to it instead of gravel. if you do this just make sure that you have the foam fit tightly to the sides of the tank or the fry will wedge themselves in the crack just like they do in the gravel.