I had my 1st fry outbreak! a question at the end

lucid_boy

cancer
May 19, 2007
127
0
0
45
Salt Lake City, UT
I was trying to find all of the fish today because ever since my platy died I want to be sure the others are ok. I did a water test everyday and also I have done PWC's everyday also of about 15-20% of the water. anyway I have a cave decoration and moved it so I could see inside better (to find the last fish) I didn't see the last platy but I did notice something else dart out of cave...platy babies!... I counted 3 but could not stay long to look for others, they immediately went to the grass and plants near the top of the calm section of tank. anyway, I still need to do PWC's and I need to vacuum the gravel especially good tonight.
does anyone know a good way to not suck up the platiy fry, and if you do suck them up, what is the best way to get them back in tank?
 
usually when i see babies i wait a couple days to do water changes..


so in other words, i have no answer to your question.
 
well, its something...
 
you can always keep them in a breeder net that hangs on the tank to keep them from getting eaten and from getting sucked up by the gravel vac.


thats what i do , but make sure you dont take the water level down too far so the fry are left dangling in the net . i am speaking from experience , LOL .
 
use both hands during your gravel vac - one to control the vac, and one to shoo away any fry that get too close. also, siphon into a clean aquarium-safe bucket, so IF you do get any, you can net them out of the bucket and back into the tank (as opposed to using a python and sending them right down the drain or into the yard).
 
I just steer clear of the plants and decorations and get into the open areas of the gravel really good. I also try to shoo the fish away with my left hand while my right hand vacs. I check my bucket before dumping and watch the hose real good too to make sure I don't get any. So far the only thing I did suck up that I didn't want to was a very brave Danio who managed to survive the ordeal.
 
poor danio, well that all makes good sense, thanks I will get a breeder net asap...
 
Just caught an Amano Shrimp trying to chase the food up the gravel-vac a couple of days ago, quick little sods LOL, I had the GF holding the hose end over the bucket and shouted stop so she put her finger over the end of the hose and I just shook the Shrimp free.

A 2nd person is often invaluable IMHO
 
so, I went and got the penn-plax breeder net, it was only $7 (kinda steep in IMO), it has 3 plants built into it and you can adjust them. anyway, I started hunting the little fry and at 1st I only thought I had 3 of them, cause that is all I could ever see at one time. well I have 9 so far in the breeder net, and 1 is still out there, (he is very shifty) the last time I had him cornered he burrowed a hole right in the gravel and popped up somewhere else. he is rather large in comparison with the others so I want to try and keep him. the only thing is I don't know much about them, how long untill they are full grown?
 
AquariaCentral.com