When Is It Safe To Use Fertilizers With Fry?

My husband has a 20 gallon tank with java fern, Java moss, and Staurogyne repens (in a long glass pot because he didn't used to have soil. just aquarium rocks) and Salvinia and frogbit floating on the surface. He wants to add plants that go into the soil but he hasn't added any yet because we haven't been fertilizing the tank.

It used to house a betta but it passed away so we were going to get a school of fish for him instead this time. A few days before we were going to buy him fish we found a single danio fry in the tank. His egg must have been caught up in the moss coconut cave that I gave him from my main tank. Lucky fry if you ask me. They never survive in mine with all my rasboras and danios lol The fry is about 2.5 months old now and he's a fairy good size. A little over half an inch. We have danios in a quarantine waiting for him to be big enough. They've only been in quarantine for a month so we aren't planning on adding them for at least another month.

but is the danio fry big enough to handle fertilizers yet?

His anubias and floating plants are looking a little on the sad side considering there are no ferts or fish poop. The Staurogyne is potted so we put it into mine since its well fertilized with my jungle of a tank lol

 

If you follow the dosing instructions, yes you’re fine to add fertilizer. Also, why are you quarantining for that long?

 

okay first of all this post is not about my quarantining. I always quarantine 2 months because I would rather be safe than sorry especially when adding fish to a tank with a fry that can be eaten or get sick. My husband would be completely devistated if he raised that from an egg and it died from a fish disease from new fish.

Secondly, it is about a fry in a tank with fertilizers which I had read on this site that it is bad for newborn fish because of the metals in flourish fertilizers. I am trying to find out what age they are safe for them.

 

What type of fertilizer are you using?

I use the NilocG line, macros and micros, with livebearer fry all of the time.

I have also used NilocG Thrive with Cory fry.

No issues with either.

I think I was dosing with Flourish when I first started having livebearer fry.

 

No need to snap at me, I’m just asking. Sorry. It just sounds stressful on a schooling fish fry to be alone. 2.5 months is plenty old enough, it’s just trace minerals and nitrogen.

Obviously you might not want to use it on day old fry, but you’re totally fine.

 

No need to snap at me, I’m just asking. Sorry. It just sounds stressful on a schooling fish fry to be alone. 2.5 months is plenty old enough, it’s just trace minerals and nitrogen.

Obviously you might not want to use it on day old fry, but you’re totally fine.

i'm sorry if you thought I snapped. I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I just purposely put it in bold letters what my question was because poeple usually talk about stuff that's got nothing to do with my question like you did. I agree it would be stressful for a schooling fish but I also think it would be more stressful to put a tiny little fry in with a bunch of big danios that could eat him because he was so small. i've never successfully raised danios in my show tank because they all get eaten in my community tank.. I wasn't trying to raise them either because I just don't have the space for all the tanks for fry. But putting a fry in with fish that are small enough to be a tiny snack is a really bad idea. This thread is not supposed to be about quarantining but I guess I need to explain now. We usually get out fish from a very well trusted place but her sumps all broke down and we had waited as long as we could for them to get fixed and were forced to buy from a store because she would still need to order them and we'd have that waiting period as well. We knew nothing about this place so I am not going to just throw them in after a month and have them all end up with ick or parasites and kill the baby that my husband has worked so hard to rise. he is new to the hobby and very attached. i'm not about to take any chances so we wait.

 

I understand it can be frustrating when someone completely ignores the question being asked and says something else, but I didn’t ignore it, I answered it. Just wanted to know why you were waiting so long, but I totally understand that you want to be extra safe. I get it, especially when your husband is new.

Best of luck to you and your fry!

 

Your fry will be fine with ferts

 

Welcome to fishlore! I am very interested in pics of your baby Danios. I am in the process of setting up an 55 gallon which will hold 14-16 glowfish Zebra Danios, and 12-14 glowfish tetras. It sounds interesting to me. I might have the same situation soon enough. Best of luck to you.

 

In my experience, unless you put 1-2 males in with an egg laden female for 4-8 hours, then remove the adults, you won’t have fry.

Her’s was an abnormal situation where a decoration was moved with eggs or fry on it.

 

In my experience, unless you put 1-2 males in with an egg laden female for 4-8 hours, then remove the adults, you won’t have fry.

Her’s was an abnormal situation where a decoration was moved with eggs or fry on it.

Thank you!

 

Jeffsglo I can do better. I got videos lol. let me find them

Newborn at approximately 2 weeks old (June 19, 2018) -

Today at about 2 months old (August 22, 2018) -

btw when can you definitely tell if its a male or female?

oh and we put his Staurogyne repens pot back into his tank and have been adding . 85mL Florish. he seems to be doing well. thank you for all the responces and again I am sorry AquaticJ for our misunderstanding and thank you for you advice. My husband also used to add florish trace. should we hold off on that many ferts or can it be added?

 

Jeffsglo I can do better. I got videos lol. let me find them

Newborn at approximately 2 weeks old (June 19, 2018) -

Today at about 2 months old (August 22, 2018) -

btw when can you definitely tell if its a male or female?

oh and we put his Staurogyne repens pot back into his tank and have been adding . 85mL Florish. he seems to be doing well. thank you for all the responces and again I am sorry AquaticJ for our misunderstanding and thank you for you advice. My husband also used to add florish trace. should we hold off on that many ferts or can it be added?

No worries!

All of those are fine to add, most of them are super low doses anyway.