Fish Fry question(s)

pretzelsz

So I have seen people with nurserys and treatment tanks and i was wondering since i have live bearing swordtails and might get another type of fish(i dont want to breed really but inevitable) and i want to save some fry and i was wondering...How big should a nursery tank be for fry? Also how should it be set up? I have 3-4 pregnant swordtails and i want to save a few of the fry. I have 2 more swordtails that survived in Java Moss and are now grown up but i have taken bulk of it out and it would be up to me to save the fry. I wold get this set up in probably a few months(Birthday or something)

Fusion MK

Well, if you want to only keep a few of the fry, then just leave them in the main tank. This will encourage the frys to swim actively to avoid being eaten, and this should reduce deformations.

eileen

I have raised fry in a tank as little as a 2.5 gal. any smaller they do not carry heaters for that size. You can get a cheap 2.5 gal. at walmart really cheap and the heater for that size tank up to 5 gal. is about $7 at Walmart. Once they get big enough not to fit in the biggest fishes mouth then you can add them back into the main tank.

I let the females have the babies in the main tank.Fish the babies out so that you have some that don't get eaten. I have plants for cover and stuff but like to watch them grow and not have to worry about some getting eaten. But you know the old saying you can't save then all.

Feed them crushed flake food crushed to a fine power. Put this is a small bag or pill container with a toothpick and dip the toothpick in the water then in the powder then in the water again. Feed only twice a day as over feeding will make the water to the tiny tank bad. 25% water change once a week should be ok. Also make sure the tank that you are using for the babies is a cycled tank. If not the babies will die.

You can alway buy one of those breeder nets and float that in your main tank with some floating plastic or real plants to raise the babies out of harms way which will be cheaper then buying a tank just for the babies. I always have a hospital tank set up for sick fish or new fish I get just in case the ones from the fish store get sick so my main tanks fish don't all get it . I keep them in that tank for 2-3 weeks to make sure they are healthy enough to go in my main tank.

pretzelsz

What tank is the medical one? What size? I am worried I might need one at any given point. Now the tank and heater from walmart is all $7 or just the heater?

eileen

The heater will be about $7 at Walmart. You can buy a hospital tank of 2.5 gal. for under $20. You can also try checking craigslist in your area for a small size tank for a hospital tank between 2-5 gal. I like the 5 gal. as I have angelfish and they would not fit in a tiny 2.5 gal once they grow bigger and get sick. I have a 2.5 gal hospital tank also for smaller sick fish. I always keep a couple small fish in the tank just to keep it cycled. dwarf shrimps are ok or a a catfish. You will have to remove them if you add medication in these tanks as it would not be good for the shrimps although Pirmafix & Melafix is safe for shrimps or snails and baby fish. I keep both of these medications on hand with some Ich cure and aquarium salt on hand for any sick fish.

pretzelsz

ok thanks for the advice i might go get somehting if i have need to be more worried about sickness and birth soon