Can I Make My Fry Feel Safer In The Breeding Trap?

[deerlybeloved]

Hello! My tank has been fairly productive with breeding (from what I can tell I've had maybe two or three births?), but up until today I didn't know about breeding traps, so I haven't had any make it very long. The fry I have right now (Who I've aptly nicknamed Trooper) has been alive longer than any of the others, and he's very bold, and I bought a breeding trap today to keep him in to make sure he lives as long as he can.

I have a lot of plants and decor in my tank, and I think floating in a clear plastic cube is scaring the poor little guy quite a bit. Is there anyway to make him feel a little safer, or is it just one of those things that we both have to deal with?

I know it sounds a little ridiculous to be so concerned, but I'm hyper-empathetic and have really latched onto my fish, so I feel pretty bad for them all!

 

[kallililly1973]

What type of fry are they? If they are live bearers from guppies swords platys mollys then you could float some live plants ( guppy grass, water sprite, anacharis for example ) and they will find cover and you can definitely expect a lot more where those came from.

 

[deerlybeloved]

What type of fry are they? If they are live bearers from guppies swords platys mollys then you could float some live plants ( guppy grass, water sprite, anacharis for example ) and they will find cover and you can definitely expect a lot more where those came from.

It's just the one guy that's survived so far. I'm not sure if my tank is set up for live plants right now, but I could definitely try and transition towards that soon.

(Sorry, it's definitely a live bearer, I'm not sure if it's a guppy or molly though!)

 

[kallililly1973]

(Sorry, it's definitely a live bearer, I'm not sure if it's a guppy or molly though!)

A pic may be able to determine what it is possibly. Even if you float a couple fake silk plants they should be able to find cover in those as well. The reason I say silk is plastic could possibly injure them if they get spooked and darts towards them.

 

[deerlybeloved]

A pic may be able to determine what it is possibly. Even if you float a couple fake silk plants they should be able to find cover in those as well. The reason I say silk is plastic could possibly injure them if they get spooked and darts towards them.

I can't get a clear photo, but I'm thinking it's a molly
I'll definitely put a little clipping from one of the plants in there with them, then! Thanks!

 

[TankGirl86]

It's just the one guy that's survived so far. I'm not sure if my tank is set up for live plants right now, but I could definitely try and transition towards that soon.

I wasn't so sure on jumping into plants because I wanted to focus on getting my tank cycled and then my fish acclimated but my lfs owner gave me some bunches of Water Sprite and it just floats around on the top and is super low maintenance. I've had a couple batches of fry and they LOVE the water sprite.
Side note-lol(I am having issues w my plant right now I think but am waiting on response if I should even be concerned or not so don't let that discourage you.) Congrats on the babies!!! They're so fun!

 

[deerlybeloved]

I wasn't so sure on jumping into plants because I wanted to focus on getting my tank cycled and then my fish acclimated but my lfs owner gave me some bunches of Water Sprite and it just floats around on the top and is super low maintenance. I've had a couple batches of fry and they LOVE the water sprite.
Side note-lol(I am having issues w my plant right now I think but am waiting on response if I should even be concerned or not so don't let that discourage you.) Congrats on the babies!!! They're so fun!

My mom has a tank with live plants, sand, all that fun stuff, but mine's all gravel and plastic I'll probably look into live plants, I've wanted to go live for a while now anyway.
Thanks! I wish I had known about the breeding trap before hand, so many babies lost due to ignorance But now that I know, hopefully my very pregnant mollies and guppies can have some survivors. I'll probably need a whole other tank, lol.

 

[kallililly1973]

My mom has a tank with live plants, sand, all that fun stuff, but mine's all gravel and plastic I'll probably look into live plants, I've wanted to go live for a while now anyway.
Thanks! I wish I had known about the breeding trap before hand, so many babies lost due to ignorance But now that I know, hopefully my very pregnant mollies and guppies can have some survivors. I'll probably need a whole other tank, lol.

Don't be intimidated by live plants. Start with java moss water sprite anubis java fern guppy grass. You and your inhabitants will be very glad you did. Some may die or turn brown but keep with them and find the ones that work and stick with those.
Edit: I started with live plants and gravel and aside from a couple bumps in the road at the beginning I was able to grow a lot of easy to grow plants and then eventually switched to pool filter sand and they have been doing very well with a little Nilog Thrive weekly and WC's every 5-7 days for the past 2.5 years.

 

[Gone]

I've tried breeding traps a few times in the past, but never had any luck with them. They seem to stress out the fish. I stuff my breeder tanks with octopus plants. Different plants grow in different environments. See what kind of plants thrive in your aquarium and grow lots of them. I've also kept fry in a breeding box, but they barely grow.

Here's a video that talks about how to make a much larger fry trap out of plastic mesh you can get at the craft store.

 

[jdhef]

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