lots of fry

**stephenh10** · 08-26-2011, 05:07 PM

can you lot also help me please I have a 125ltr tank so what is that in gallons and i want to have lots of fry in my tank as well as adults so i can watch them grow, having another tank is not an option and a breeder trap i've been advised against, i know i need to have hiding spots for my fry to survive but what kind of hiding spots things like small spaces only fry can get in or just loads of plants or what?

please help?

**Lady Hobbs** · 08-26-2011, 05:24 PM

That's 33 gallons. Nice size tank to work with.

My first question would be does the tank now have fish in it and is it cycled? You will gets lots of babies from having guppies and platies. Problem is they all eat their young but many can survive if they can hide in plants. They don't have to be real plants but dense so the parents stay out of there. You will have many get eaten but some will make it.

You can also get a fry container that hangs on the side of your tank and put the fry into that until they can grow up some. I would probably get one that is mesh so that their water is the same as the water in the tank rather than a species box that is contained.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Something like this?

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/22482/product.web

**stephenh10** · 08-26-2011, 05:31 PM

thank you, although normally i was using a plastic trap but all fry seemed to die, so will try a mesh one,

Re: fish 1 have roughly 11 fish being platy's mollies and guppy's my tank has been set up for roughly 9 months and i had a small tank before (now gone) and used the water from that for my big tank so i had the right bacteria, so is that it defo cycled as im not sure?

**stephenh10** · 08-26-2011, 05:59 PM

Also I want to have my tank with lots of plants in it for the fry and is an air stone good for the tank as i have one now and although it looks good not sure if it's beneficial or not

**korith** · 08-26-2011, 11:20 PM

If you have a hang on back filter you don't really need an air stone, the filter provides enough aeration.

You can add plants to the tank if you like, you'll need to have at least 2 watts per gallon of lighting on the tank to keep most plants alive. Some plants will be fine with less light. Plants will definitely give more places for fry to hide out in. You can add decorations or make some small rock piles with crevices for fish to hide out in.

I avoid those breeder/fry containers that sit or hang in the tank, to me they are better named death traps. If you have a 33g long, an option might be to put a tank divider in it, basically it's a mesh screen that you split a tank with, put fry on one side and adults on the other.

Mollies and guppies tend to overtake tanks by the way, they breed and have a TON of fry. In the short term it looks fine, but in the long term your tank will get quickly overstocked with fish. Many folks tend to just leave them alone in the tank and let other fish keep the fry numbers in control. Some amount of predation can be a good thing.

**stephenh10** · 08-27-2011, 09:22 AM

ok i'll do that thanks mate

**toddnbecka** · 08-29-2011, 05:30 AM

Find some Najas, aka guppy grass, the stuff will grow well enough under just about any light. It's a floating plant, will grow pretty thickly in a fairly short time, and along with cover for the fry it will also provide an excellent environment for micro-critters that small fry will eat between feedings. Being a fast-growing plant it also helps maintain water quality by absorbing nitrates.

**dscott14450** · 08-30-2011, 04:35 PM

from my experience endlers will not eat their young and the breed about as much as guppies and i have fount them very cheap in my area. I was able to buy 9 endlers for $2 compared to guppies at $3+ each