My First Two Fry...

[Scales9]

Buy some tights cut off the foot and place it over the filter intake, alternatively use a sponge ( the ones you put in the filter) over the filter intake, this will stop the fry being sucked into it. I personally use netting, but I am fortunate enough to have a little girl who has grown out of some of her dress up princess dresses with the big netted skirts...

 

[BlueDragon]

Acutally I was looking at my filter I have in the little tank and I'm not sure if it would still need tights over it? I'm not sure if it works in the same way to my main fitler?

http/www.toppetshop.co.uk/acatalog/Cold_Water_Filters.html

I have the second one down, the little airtech one. Would it still need tights over it... and how would I go about doing it properly with that tube in the way at the bottom?

I found another tiny little orange fry yesterday. I was getting paranoid that I was sure I could see movement somewhere but couldn't work out what it was. But it was the tiniest little fry and he was hiding under the bogwood! No wonder I couldn't see him. So I'm back up to seven now : )

I could get some tights tomorrow. The only netting I have probably still has holes too big. Although I may still have some voil trim I could use? And I have old t-shirts, are they no good?

 

[Scales9]

A t shirt may be too thick, for the filter in your link I would use a sponge, just cut a slit in it and wiggle it over the tube, with tights I use one of those clear hair elastics, the really tiny ones.

 

[BlueDragon]

I'm still not sure what I need to do. How far up does the sponge/tights need to be? The tube comes down the side of the filter and fits at the bottom. Do I just use a block of sponge and push it over the bottom half?

Sorry to be a bit thick : /

 

[Scales9]

You need to cover the part where the water flows in, in my case the tube that gos into the water has a strainer at the end ( the part with the slits in it ) that's the part that needs to be covered.

 

[Scales9]

You need to cover the part where the water flows in, in my case the tube that gos into the water has a strainer at the end ( the part with the slits in it ) that's the part that needs to be covered.

 

[OldMan47]

If you want to protect fry from the filter inlet, try this one. I use a filter sponge that is made for use in a commercial filter. What I do is cut a slit in one end and push it up over the inlet tube. I use a sponge designed for use in an aquarium because other sponge types are made with "closed cells". A filter sponge is made with "open cells".
This is the thing on my desk top.

This is the same sponge in place about a month later.

Besides providing protection for fry, the sponge ends up being an extra biological filter, what a nice bonus feature. It even lets me move the sponge to another tank to get it started on a cycle.

 

[BlueDragon]

Hmm... that's not how my little filter works. There's a tube that runs from the little outside motor to the bottom of the filter inside the tank. The tube fits into the bottom of the filter and there's no tube 'loose' in the water.

...This would be so much easier to work out of it was my main filter!

I think, looking at it again yesterday, in my case the water gets taken up through the filter via an opening underneath it. But if that's the case I'm not actually sure what the tube is for unless it's just to create the air flow. Bubbles come out of the top of the filter via another opening. It's a bit hard to describe really and I'd get a photo but I can't get at the right angles to show you.

Anyway, I think I've worked it out. If I can get away with only using one sucker to hold the filter onto the tank (which I see no reason why I couldn't) then I can slide the tights I got yesterday over the bottom of the filter covering the opening (and over the lower sucker). I'd need to cut a hole for the tube to fit through but I can easily make a draw-string type hole so I can then pull it tight again so there's no gap. And as far as I can tell that should work.

I don't need to cover the top of the filter, just the bottom where it sucks the water up? I don't need to keep the babies away from the bubbles? Although I can't see that's they'd be strong enough to get too close to them anyway.

 

[BlueDragon]

I took the filter out just before and it has a tiny slit at the back of the bottom of it where the water gets sucked through. No wonder I was a bit confused, it's tiny.

Anyway, I have just sewn a little filter sock to go over the bottom half out of the end of the tights and now all eleven fry are happyily swimming around in their new tank : )

I'm happier now too.

 

[Scales9]

So glad you managed to sort something out and now you can relax and enjoy your fry...

 

[BlueDragon]

Thanks Scales : )

I found another one as I was testing the water yesterday uping them to twelve, and then just before lights out I spotted a very lucky number thirteen. The poor thing was trapped under the gravel at the front of the tank. Couldn't move. I can only think that I've trapped it while cleaning the tank and gravel with the syphon that morning. I actually thought he was dead untill he paniced and tryed to free himself. I had to carfully take the top gravel away for him, but he's fine now : )

Yeah, I feel better knowing they're in a proper home now. And they all seen happier too, zooming around in there like it's a race X )

 

[Scales9]

Glad they are happy in their new home, Congratulations an fry no 13. Now for the best part watching them grow up.

 

[BlueDragon]

I have fourteen, found another one ; )

Oh, they're defo growing! Some are starting to get little bits of colour on them other than the orange. Some have dark spots on their tail fins, one has a stripey looking tail and one has a lovely little pencil line just before her tail fin starts. Some of the bigger ones are starting to go more a orange-tinged pearl colour and some are getting some lovely bright orange irridecent patches behind their eyes and on their bellies. I'm quick being able to tell a lot of them apart now. It's so interesting watching them change all the time : )

 

[BlueDragon]

I lost one : (

I don't know why, she just wasn't swimming, hanging face down and then stopped breathing. Poor little mite. And she was so pretty, had a stripey tail.

Must have just been a one of those things : (

 

[OldMan47]

Do you have a picture so that we can understand your filter? It sounds like something I have never seen before.