Cleaning fry tank - need advice

[imagirlgeek]

I'm used to breeding fish who are taken care of by the parents. You know, the ones who actually look like fish by the time the parents release them or even allow you to get a good look.

Now I find myself with Peacock Gudgeon fry, and they are so tiny they don't even look like fish. They even slip through the holes of my smallest net! I have them in one of those Gladware food containers with an airstone and some java moss because I'm afraid they will get sucked into any sponge filter or HOB I would have on a tank. I'm feeding them Banana Worms (Thanks, Phishphreek!) so I have to clean their water about every other day. It's really a pain since they are so small and all I can think to do is prepare the new water and then just pour them over into the new container, but I always end up with trash in the new container this way. It's better than leaving them in the old container, but not as clean as I'd like.

What do you guys do? I'm seriously looking for a process that works and I know that many of you raise very small fry. Help me find a new process PLEASE!!

[geoff_tropheus]

I dont know how small these guys are, but just trying to help cause I never kept this small of fry, but try this.

Put a Brine Shrimp net over your siphone hose and clamp it down over the end with a hose clamp or something and drain like that.?

I am a idiot to these fish though..

[imagirlgeek]

I don't have a brine shrimp net, but I can buy one. I'm thinking that if the net is small enough to hold these fish, it would probably hold the trash I'm trying to clean out, but I'm willing to try anything at this point.

Here is just how small they are....

[geoff_tropheus]

oh my..

[szidlon]

A brine shrimp net will probably catch the small debris as well as the fry. I have limited success using a piece of the small rigid tubing attached to airline tubing for syphoning the bottom of the tank, you can try putting a piece of panty hose over the end of the tubing. I syphon into another container with dechlor water just in case any get sucked up into the syphon. Try to find a square container if you try this, it's really hard to catch fish in a round container with a square net , ask me how i know .

Aren't fry just adorable when they're that small .

[algarciajr]

They look like they are the same size as brichardi fry, I also use a brine shrimp net to catch them and a small hose with a vacumn to drain the water. I usually keep them in a 5 or 10 gallon tank.

[geoff_tropheus]

Coffee filter

[PhishPhreek]

Some betta breeder use a piece of airline tubing to syphon gunk off the bottom of the tank. Just syphon it into another container in case they suck up some fry. I like using a turkey baister to suck out the corners and if I also get some fry I just put them back in.

Usually, I don't worry about the old water, I just add a quart of new water every day until the 10g tank is full. I put the jar in the tank and let it warm up to the tank temp for a day and then add it to the tank, refill the jar and let it warm up again.

I use a sponge filter with minimum air flow (one bubble every 3 sec.).
FishboyT makes some very small (excellent) filters.

P.S. I recently herd that some breeders are adding shrimp to their fry tanks to eat the gunk on the bottom and scare the fry off of the bottom as fry that rest on the bottom sometimes get fin rot on their pecks.

[eklikewhoa]

You could use a dropper to either clean the water or remove the fry.

[imagirlgeek]

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Now I have lots of options to experiment with.

I think I'll be moving them to a 10 gallon today because it seems like that is the logical thing to do. I have fishboyt's sponge filters and will use that.

Thanks everyone!!

Szidlon - Yes, they are.... )

[Zulaab]

Wow they are small. I take it down the road as in a week or two you are going to upgrade to BBS fry to feed them ? They look like Betta Fry...

[Nickintex]

oh my..

Muy chiquitos! Que bonito!

[imagirlgeek]

Wow they are small. I take it down the road as in a week or two you are going to upgrade to BBS fry to feed them ? They look like Betta Fry...

I think it might take a little longer than that. I read that they are slow growers, but yeah, eventually I will move over to BBS.

[eklikewhoa]

I have used the Azoo Rotifer food and it works pretty good for little fry.

It's powder like and beefs them up a great deal!

[imagirlgeek]

I have some Hikari First Bites, but I have no idea if they are eating it or not. I was trying to feed the First Bites while waiting for the Banana Worms. Where would I get the Rotifer food?