I have a few swordtails and mollys, that seem to have babies every month or so, I also have an Oscar, and will probly be getting him a tank mate sooner or later, so I'm thinking I need a tank set aside just for raising fry. (mostly to feed the oscars, but keeping the best stock for our tanks as well)
The first time we saved fry, we just put them in a 10g that had a sponge filter, and an inch or so of gravel, but after reading up a bit, it seems to be better to raise them with no gravel, to make it easier to clean, and maybe start with a smaller tank, so they can find food easier.
So today I'm going to find a 2 1/2 gal tank, and set it up bare bottom with some java moss. My question is two-fold:
1 - How big of a filter will I need for a batch of fry? (mine tend to birth about 40 or 50 at once)
2 - What should I put in there to 'cycle' it a bit, I was thinking I could just toss one feeder in there for a few weeks, till the swordtails/mollies are ready to birth again, but should I try 1, 2 or 3? (feeders, most likely rosey reds)
Any other thoughts/experiences appriciated!
The first time we saved fry, we just put them in a 10g that had a sponge filter, and an inch or so of gravel, but after reading up a bit, it seems to be better to raise them with no gravel, to make it easier to clean, and maybe start with a smaller tank, so they can find food easier.
So today I'm going to find a 2 1/2 gal tank, and set it up bare bottom with some java moss. My question is two-fold:
1 - How big of a filter will I need for a batch of fry? (mine tend to birth about 40 or 50 at once)
2 - What should I put in there to 'cycle' it a bit, I was thinking I could just toss one feeder in there for a few weeks, till the swordtails/mollies are ready to birth again, but should I try 1, 2 or 3? (feeders, most likely rosey reds)
Any other thoughts/experiences appriciated!
