Problems with floating nursery

Last night, I had 10 fry, all about 5 days old, they in a floating nursery tank, a 3 in 1 type that you can get from most pet shops.

This morning I came downstairs to find that one of my swordtails had aparently jumped into the nursery, and eaten 6 of them, and was still in there quite happily taking a rest after his meal.

I have now fashioned a lid for the nursery, but think that perhaps the manufacturers should have thought of this.

Has anybody else had any similar problems, and does anybody gnow of any solutions to the problem which don't include buying a complete tank set up for the fry?

Cheers, Trev

 

Just found that the lid I made dosen't work, it makes the tank too top heavy and causes it to tip over, this is getting silly now.

 

I have a breeder net that hangs on the inside of the tank. With the top of the breeder net just above the water line, its hard for a fish to be able to jump into it. But with fry floating around, I'm sure the temptation was too great for your swordfish and it found a way to get in.
I keep the water line down a bit so that there is some space at the top of the breeder net. I do this when I have to keep a weak fish in there since I never have any fry to worry about. And by doing this I make sure that the weak fish cannot jump out of the breeder net.

 

My breeder box did come with a cover and it also hangs over the side of the tank I think I paid 10 bucks for it

 

The box I have has a lid on it... I remember once though I left the lid off, and I accidentily put it low enough so my biggest danio could get in! I was so scared that he was going to eat on of my fry! Luckily he didn't before I got him out...

 

What make are the ones with lids? I've seen the nets, but they too don't have lids.

 

mines a pen-plax 12345 it has multiple options

 

mines a pen-plax 12345 it has multiple options

Is that one available in the uk?

 

I'm not sure but here is the link



theres a bunch of different ones...the one in the link sits on the side of your tank with a lid goodluck!

 

I've had good luck with the breeder nets that get hung on the side of the tank.

 

Trevor listen up I am in The UK and can tell you this ditch the three in one, fry maturation tank its has a huge flaw it has small holes in the base, I lost all my fry when it failed and the water level cascaded over. Your better going for the breeder net which is bigger and allows a flow of water through from your filter, the other plastic sealed tank gets manky real quick. Also I have found adding a small snail in there helps, but the main problem I am now having is finding a suitable food, I am using liquifry but its very concentrated and fouls the net very easily. Seriously though there only 3.99 and there not perfect but without getting a new tank and equipment and having to break in a new filter its the best option

 

Can you get Omega One brand food there? It would make an excellent fry food if ground to powder and doesn't cloud the water like many foods.

 

I think you can, but I have read that very finely ground flake food almost like dust will also be ok! To be honest though my fry are now a week old, there still very small but there has been some growth almost certainly. Dontget me wrong Ithink liuifry is fine, but I am adding one drop into a breeder net so I am having a slight issue with cloudy water, but only within the breeder net the remainder of the tank is fine. Like trevor I still can't quite stretch to a new tank and set up at least for another 2 weeks so I am having to make do. But I think maybe soon I need to incorporate some additional food to vary the diet of the fry just not sure what.

 

Just been pricing up a new nursery tank, probably can afford it next week.

If I use water from my big tank in there, will I be able to put the fry straight in without cycling?

I'm going to wash everything thoroughly befor I set it up, and it's all new kit, it will just be a 18" glass clearseal, heater, small clearseal inboard filter, gravel, air stone and pump and some plants.

Also, I use ground up flakes, the fry is about 9 days old now, and already about half an inch long, but I also substitute with a few freeze dried blood worm every other day for 1 meal, they seem to play with it a little to break it up before eating it, but they seem to enjoy the challenge.

 

I would get a sponge filter now and start running it in the main tank right away ...then when you get your new tank and set it up using water from the main tank ( or a mix of tank and fresh declored water) and put the sponge filter in...it should have enough bacteria to cycle the tank right away and the fry will be used to the water that they are being kept in now so there should be no issues with new water. ( does that make sense??...lol)

 

I think you can, but I have read that very finely ground flake food almost like dust will also be ok! To be honest though my fry are now a week old, there still very small but there has been some growth almost certainly. Dontget me wrong Ithink liuifry is fine, but I am adding one drop into a breeder net so I am having a slight issue with cloudy water, but only within the breeder net the remainder of the tank is fine. Like trevor I still can't quite stretch to a new tank and set up at least for another 2 weeks so I am having to make do. But I think maybe soon I need to incorporate some additional food to vary the diet of the fry just not sure what.

I take it you are using liquifry no.2 at the moment, after a week or so you should put them onto no.3 which is a very fine powder,feed them this 3-5 times a day until they are about 1/3 of adult size. then start them on adult food.

and about the breeder box thing, I use one called MARINA, it has a fry trap at the bottom and I have never had any probs with this, even after about 8 batches. hope it all goes well for you.

 

I take it you are using liquifry no.2 at the moment, after a week or so you should put them onto no.3 which is a very fine powder,feed them this 3-5 times a day until they are about 1/3 of adult size. then start them on adult food.

and about the breeder box thing, I use one called MARINA, it has a fry trap at the bottom and I have never had any probs with this, even after about 8 batches. hope it all goes well for you.

The one I have is a marina 3 in 1 too, but there is no lid, after the fry are born, the seperator has to be removed to give them room to grow etc, that is when the problem occured.

Because there is no lid, one of my swordtails managed to jump into the marina, and continued to eat them.

I have now tied the marina tank to the light, and fitted my temporary lid, problem is sorted for now anyway.

Cant wait to get my new tank, advice taken on board with the filter too, going to get one tomorrow and get it cycled in my main tank, then get the new tank next weekend.

 

thanks I will certainly do that, perhaps you could help me with another issue regarding the fry. I am using the breeder net which is made by hagen and is quite large, well I wondered how can I keep the actual net clean while the fry are in it, ( I have added two snails) but also how long in your opinion can they remain in there, I have heard that some people rear there fry in there and simply release them but ultimately myplan is to movethem to a separate tank in the near future but I feel that they are still too small.

 

Trevor be really cautious about moving them into a new tank too early that method of transferring water from your old aquarium won't cycle your tank, personally and I might be wrong here, your best adding some water from your old tank to get the filter kick started, but you still need to wait some time befiore addin the fish, I guess if you add the fish after all your work and they died from new tank syndrome you would be devastated. So my point is give it sevearl weeks to cycle, although and I have to stress a more experienced fishkeeper might tell you otherwise.

 

Trevor be really cautious about moving them into a new tank too early that method of transferring water from your old aquarium won't cycle your tank, personally and I might be wrong here, your best adding some water from your old tank to get the filter kick started, but you still need to wait some time befiore addin the fish, I guess if you add the fish after all your work and they died from new tank syndrome you would be devastated. So my point is give it sevearl weeks to cycle, although and I have to stress a more experienced fishkeeper might tell you otherwise.

Now I don't know what to do?

does anybody else have any ideas?

 

This would be a good way to speed up cycling a new tank:

I would get a sponge filter now and start running it in the main tank right away

After about a week or 2 in the main tank, you could move the sponge to the new tank and it will provide a HUGE boost to the cycling of that tank with all of the good bacteria in the sponge. I would take the sponge off of the sponge filter and put it in the filter box.

Now I don't know what to do?

does anybody else have any ideas?

 

This would be a good way to speed up cycling a new tank:


After about a week or 2 in the main tank, you could move the sponge to the new tank and it will provide a HUGE boost to the cycling of that tank with all of the good bacteria in the sponge. I would take the sponge off of the sponge filter and put it in the filter box.

But would it be safe to put the fish in at this stage?

 

It's better not to, but if you need to put the fish in, you can. Just use Prime for the water conditioner (which we recommend using anyway) and do daily water changes of 25-40% until the tank is cycled. Which shouldn't be too long after putting a sponge full of good bacteria in.

The Prime helps protect the fish from the water toxins and the daily water changes keep the levels lower.

But would it be safe to put the fish in at this stage?

 

Surely though, if the water was from my big well established tank, and the filter has been cycled in there and the fish have already been kept in the water, the toxins should be at a minimum?

would I be right in saying that the only things that can effect the water quality is the newness of the tank and the equipment if I use water from my other tank?

 

It's better to use clean water. With used water, you'll be introducing more waste than anything else. The good bacteria seek out surfaces to colonize and the amount found in the water is minimal and nowhere near enough to impact a new tank any.

Surely though, if the water was from my big well established tank, and the filter has been cycled in there and the fish have already been kept in the water, the toxins should be at a minimum?

would I be right in saying that the only things that can effect the water quality is the newness of the tank and the equipment if I use water from my other tank?

 

as long as you don't have any other fish in the other tank you can put them in there when you want, when mine are born I normally wait a week then put them into the other tank, they are fairly strong swimmers from birth.