40 Gallon Tank Hiding places for my fry that only they can access

Hey, so i collected these shells from the beach over 3 months ago, i was wondering if it is a good hiding place for my fry who are soon to come, as these shells do have bacteria i will be cooking them or so to say remove the bad bacteria so its safe for the tank and fish, of course i do want to hear your guys opinion about this, whether its good or bad or in between, these shells are not big enough for the adult fish and only accessible for the fry, it is also accessible for the fry as they age, say about twice or 3x the size they are born at maybe even 4x but thats it, and yes not all of the shells are accessible as they grow but there are 2-3 they can access during their growth so don't worry. What do you think about this idea, i thought it would be perfect as i don't currently have anything that the adult fish can't access so i thought this would be good, I'll include photos when the shells are done and already in the tank! Also the fish that are in the tank are 4 platys and 5 mollies + another molly when we can get it

 

Sea shells have been a death trap from time to time. I've found OB peacock and BN pleco juveniles stuck in them. Besides, livebearer fry tend to stay near the surface.

The best hide out for little fry is floating plants, hornwort is one that is very good when you have a tangled mass of it. Floaters with root systems like salvinia and frogbit are also great fry savers. Other options are fake plants, just let them float around and the fry can hide in them.

If you really want to save the fry then it is better to remove the female just before she gives birth and then rear the fry in a separate tank. Of course keep in mind a healthy livebearer will give birth once every month or so and that means you will quickly become overrun. A crowded fry tank will not allow for healthy growth so keeping things practical is better than trying to stuff 100+ fry in a 10gal and expect them to do all that well.

 

Sea shells have been a death trap from time to time. I've found OB peacock and BN pleco juveniles stuck in them. Besides, livebearer fry tend to stay near the surface.

The best hide out for little fry is floating plants, hornwort is one that is very good when you have a tangled mass of it. Floaters with root systems like salvinia and frogbit are also great fry savers. Other options are fake plants, just let them float around and the fry can hide in them.

If you really want to save the fry then it is better to remove the female just before she gives birth and then rear the fry in a separate tank. Of course keep in mind a healthy livebearer will give birth once every month or so and that means you will quickly become overrun. A crowded fry tank will not allow for healthy growth so keeping things practical is better than trying to stuff 100+ fry in a 10gal and expect them to do all that well.

Ok, im not aloud to have more than 2-4 fry per female so i was trying to come up with something that could save them, i do have a live grass plant in the tank the others i have idk the name of, tho i do have 1 floating plant which can also be planted so i got most of them planted and left 1 floating
I do have a big piece of coral but i would have to burry it in the gravel a bit for the adult fish not to be able to get under it, also its not something that they would go into moore like something the would go under, its surface is not sharp or anything and underneath its very smooth, the only reason why i thought of this is because my first batch of fry hid underneath the gravel

 

I'm using also these spheres. They're hollow and adult fish can 't go in. These spheres will float at the surface. They come in different sizes.



And they're easy to clean.

 

I have used broken terra cotta pot pieces and the trays for fry to hide in . A tip shared with me by fellow German fish keeper years ago [ thanks Aurthur ] !
Live and fake floating and rooted plants will also help IMO.

 

Okay, thanks all for your opinions, i currently have 5-6 platy fry in another tank with other little young fry and my 2 molly fry in my breeder net

 

In my experience newborn livebearer fry tend to hang fairly close to the surface and are unlikely to seek protection in caves or shells on the bottom. Dense floating plants are your best option I think.

 

If you’re only allowed to keep a few fry, better to not have many hiding places.

 

If you’re only allowed to keep a few fry, better to not have many hiding places.

alright