basically, what this is about, ive got a few livebearers in my tank, and they're whackin out babies faster than a pair of randy bunnies, but the babies are crowdin my tank and some are a dodgy brown colour, (yellow + blue cross) wot do i do wiv them? flush em down the old U-Bend or keep em? cant really give them to my LFS cos like i sed, they're not exactly the most colourfull platies in the world...
the loo, or not the loo?
- Thread starter SteveyB
- Start date
DOnt' jsut flush them,that is mean.
IF you want to get rid of them give them to the LFS as feeders or find someone that will take them as feeders. If you don't want babies from livebearers then get rid of the male or female and only keep one sex.
IF you want to get rid of them give them to the LFS as feeders or find someone that will take them as feeders. If you don't want babies from livebearers then get rid of the male or female and only keep one sex.
Hoosier
AC Members
My platties just had babies as well. I want to keep mine, so I have a little net breeder that hangs inside the tank. I was just wondering what I need to feed them, and how long it will take them to grow before I can take them out of the breeder net? I have a few live plants in the breeder net if that will do for food. It's 3 Anacharis plants. I put them in there just to make them feel a little bit safer and give them a little bit of a hiding space.
The good news is:
Your platties obviously approve of your tank management
I agree that flushing the little beasties is inhumane, but I propose the addition of a fish that considers them (the wee ones) a delightful hors d'ouvre as an acceptable alternative.
Any non-platty omnivore that is big enough that platty fry are no bigger than eyeball sized (to it) should thank you for being placed in a fish's notion of Heaven.
If some of your platty fry have already grown-on past the easy-eating stage, you have a bit of a dilemma:
Keep 'em says I, but not in a co-ed tank. They might turn out to be ugly ducklings, and show better colour (note UK spelling
) as they outgrow their juvenile stage.
Your platties obviously approve of your tank management
I agree that flushing the little beasties is inhumane, but I propose the addition of a fish that considers them (the wee ones) a delightful hors d'ouvre as an acceptable alternative.
Any non-platty omnivore that is big enough that platty fry are no bigger than eyeball sized (to it) should thank you for being placed in a fish's notion of Heaven.
If some of your platty fry have already grown-on past the easy-eating stage, you have a bit of a dilemma:
Keep 'em says I, but not in a co-ed tank. They might turn out to be ugly ducklings, and show better colour (note UK spelling
) as they outgrow their juvenile stage.
I don't understand why everyone thinks that flushing the fish as opposed to feeding them to another fish is "mean." Either way, the outcome is the same for the babies, regardless of which alternative makes you feel guilty.
It's a whole "cycle of nature" thing.
For the fish, of course, the end result is the same. DEATH
But who gets to/has to clean up the mess?
When we bring fish into our homes, we take a creature from basically an alien environment to keep in our living rooms. By so doing, I personally feel an ethical requirement to try to maintain some connection to the ecosystem from which they came, even if it is as slender as making sure that they get eaten rather than flushed.
For the fish, of course, the end result is the same. DEATH
But who gets to/has to clean up the mess?
When we bring fish into our homes, we take a creature from basically an alien environment to keep in our living rooms. By so doing, I personally feel an ethical requirement to try to maintain some connection to the ecosystem from which they came, even if it is as slender as making sure that they get eaten rather than flushed.
The platies you're talking about came from an environment similar to that which they will be placed into. They are no doubt tank-raised.
What if they get fed to a fish that doesn't come from Central America-ish, where platies originate? That's not necessarilly maintaining a connection to a common ecosystem.
I can see why you might think one alternative is morally sound as opposed to the other, but I just disagree. [/end]
The key word on my post was "I personally feel" that obligation.
In the grand scheme of things, whether the platty fry die of chlorine/chloramine poisoning in the domestic water supply, and their physical remains are ultimately consumed by bacteria, or whether they are chomped to death by a larger fish and their physical remains become another fish's poo makes very little difference.
I suppose it's a question of aesthetics...
The great thing about forums like this one is that we can disagree about a particular topic but still share information.
In the grand scheme of things, whether the platty fry die of chlorine/chloramine poisoning in the domestic water supply, and their physical remains are ultimately consumed by bacteria, or whether they are chomped to death by a larger fish and their physical remains become another fish's poo makes very little difference.
I suppose it's a question of aesthetics...
The great thing about forums like this one is that we can disagree about a particular topic but still share information.
IMO a death by a predator is typically a little quicker and slightly more humane than relatively slow death by Chlorine. I don't know if the fish really cares, but don't really see the need to waste the fry when there are so many better uses like feeding them to other fish.
Hmmm, a potential slow death from chlorine, ammonia, nitrites etc... in the septic system or munch and gone by predator. Hmmmm.
Of course if you want to flush them just make sure they are dead first. There are many humane ways to euthenize.
Of course if you want to flush them just make sure they are dead first. There are many humane ways to euthenize.