Marbles = great hiding place for fry

HI everyone. I'd read somewhere that putting marbles in your tank would make a good hiding place for fry, and would look really cool. Well, they weren't wrong. Although my (molly) fry are in a fry-only nursery tank, it's their favorite spot.

 

cool picture- -and I agree they make great hiding places for fry-- I have them in my tank-- they are like those big germ infested ball playpens for children!!! only for fry!!! ;D Lila

 

Those are some kewl marbles there! ;D You have answered a question for me as well. I have a bag of vintage marbles and thought they would be pretty nice in the tank, and wasn't sure if they were ok to go in. Now I know... and yep.. looks like a great hiding place for the fry. Is that one that I see peeking out from behind a marble btw?
;D

 

Those are some kewl marbles there!  ;D You have answered a question for me as well. I have a bag of vintage marbles and thought they would be pretty nice in the tank, and wasn't sure if they were ok to go in. Now I know... and yep.. looks like a great hiding place for the fry. Is that one that I see peeking out from behind a marble btw?
   ;D

Thanks!

Yeah, I was a little worried about putting marbles in the tank too: wondering if they were toxic, etc. But they'd been in my big tank for about 2 weeks and no problem.

Yep, that is a little fry peeking out. Very difficult to get a clear picture.

 

Then I guess I can boil up the marbles and use them in the tank soon! thanks.. ;D

 

  Then I guess I can boil up the marbles and use them in the tank soon!  thanks..  ;D

I was actually bad and didn't even boil them. I just cleaned them in clear tap water. I didn't know if they'd resist boiling temperatures.

 

  Then I guess I can boil up the marbles and use them in the tank soon!  thanks..  ;D

I was actually bad and didn't even boil them. I just cleaned them in clear tap water. I didn't know if they'd resist boiling temperatures.

hmmmm.. that's a good point there. They may just explode in the boiling water. Well, maybe just alittle hot water then..

 

Marbles are frequently used for breeding Danios because they are such notorious egg eaters. The only problem I saw was they were hard to vacuum as they wanted to go up into the gravel vac
As for them exploding, When I was a kid (in the dark ages ) there was a fad going around where you boiled the marbles to crack them and if you were successful they were really cool looking. The only problem was if you got them too hot they did explode and were dangerous. So I guess what I'm saying is PLEASE BE CAREFUL. Since they haven't been outside like rocks or wood a good rinsing in warm water should be enough.
One of my daughters has the flat glass rocks about the size of a squished marble in her tank and it is gorgeous.
Carol

 

My marbles would be too big/heavy to be sucked in by syphoning. But they are a pain to clean.

 

we got the flat marbles in the crafts area of the dollar store and walmart when our Daisy started having fry in february <surprise! > to let the fry slip down into and hide. it looked so nice that we got them for all the tanks. they do look nice when the tank is lit up and they are nice for betta fins or for corys and otos, but they do give me more work cleaning the tanks.

 

we got the flat marbles in the crafts area of the dollar store and walmart when our Daisy started having fry in february <surprise!  > to let the fry slip down into and hide.  it looked so nice that we got them for all the tanks.  they do look nice when the tank is lit up and they are nice for betta fins or for corys and otos, but they do give me more work cleaning the tanks.

I had the flat marbles in Precious's tank as well. They looked great, but realized that when the food fell to the bottom of the tank, it would just slide between the marbles. She would just watch the food disappear looking sadly that there was no way she was going to get her nose in there to get it. And yes, it sure is a mess to clean those marbles. I went and bought some small blue gravel for her tank instead. I agree its a great idea for fry hiding places tho! ;D

 

we got the flat marbles in the crafts area of the dollar store and walmart when our Daisy started having fry in february <surprise! > to let the fry slip down into and hide. it looked so nice that we got them for all the tanks. they do look nice when the tank is lit up and they are nice for betta fins or for corys and otos, but they do give me more work cleaning the tanks.

I had the flat marbles in Precious's tank as well. They looked great, but realized that when the food fell to the bottom of the tank, it would just slide between the marbles. She would just watch the food disappear looking sadly that there was no way she was going to get her nose in there to get it. And yes, it sure is a mess to clean those marbles. I went and bought some small blue gravel for her tank instead. I agree its a great idea for fry hiding places tho! ;D

Yea, I'd love to find glass marbles the size of gravel. We just got so tired of gravel dust, even after cleaning the gravel over & over & over...

 

Well I have a question. I had a 1 gallon tank for babies. It has one of those tubes in the center where you put the air bubbler, and the little bottom thing that gravel goes on top of. I guess the air pushes the up through the grate and gravel as a sorta filter. Anyways, you know what I mean? Well, I had all kinds of babies die from beign stuck under there, and squished between marbles and gravels. I took everything out so now its a bare bottom. Is that ok? Are you supposed to give them gravels and marbles to hide in, but how about them getting stuck in there?

Angie

 

As long as they have plenty of hiding places (they love to hide in plants), then they should be OK without the marbles.

I would add some kind of a substrate (much smaller gravel?) but am not even sure if that's necessary. It just contributes to giving your tank a more natural look which I am sure your fish feel most relaxed in.

With no substrate at all, won't they get stuck in the gravel filter anyway? (no idea, never saw one).

 

I think the fry might get sucked into an undergravel filter, regardless of substrata and like armadillo pointed out - no substrata would probably make it that much faster for them to get sucked in.. if you can do it, the best place for the fry is in a tank with a bare bottom surface, plants and caves, heater and a sponge filter.

 

mine are in there with nothing, I just stuck the little arI bubbler to the air hose and stuck it in there. They are all that's in there. So, do you think its ok? I did a water change yesterday, about 50% and I had 3 fish laying at the bottom afterwards. Since 2 have died. I just don't want to make more mistakes.

Angie

Thanks for answering my question on marbles. They do look really pretty in there!
Angie

 

I'd definitely addhiding places (ornament with lots of small holes would do).

 

a sponge filter is good for a fry tank, or one of these with netting wrapped tight around the filter intake & held in place with a clean rubber band:

 

I've got a sponge filter and I must say, I never had any trouble with the fry getting caught in it.

I also have reasonably large gravel (about 5mm across), and they came from a tank with even larger gravel (7mm across) and never had a problem with them getting trapped. They actually liked it as they used it to hide. But I did read about other people's fry having mishaps with large gravel, so don't really know. As that's all I've experienced, I would say gravel is no problem. Couldn't imagine their tank wihtout it.