Platy fry

[malangbaba]

Hey,

My Platy just had a small clutch of fry ( 6-8 )...

I dont have a seperate tank....so i moved the fry to a jar...

I was wondering, what is better, leave them in the jar or back to main tank (where they are at risk of being eaten)?

 

[Def]

How big are they? If they are still "tiny black dot with a tail" size, then they're at risk of being eaten. If they look like minature fish, they should be fairly safe. Platy fry are pretty smart and can usually avoid being eaten.

 

[yhbae]

Probably the best thing to do is to get a breeder net, put it back into the main tank, and raise the fries in the net until they become old enough to join the adults. 1/2 inch is sufficient to join back.

 

[malangbaba]

so you think a jar is a bad idea?

also, what else can i feed them besides flakes....what vegetables?

thanks.

 

[willywonka099]

Run out and get a ten gallon and a sponge filter thats all you need go too wall mart ... The jar is a bad idea ..... I have a ten gallon that had 14 TINY fry in it and I was doing daily water changes in that !!! not they are at about 1/3-1/2 inch. long and I still do Bi-daily water changes

 

[yhbae]

Yes, the best for them is another tank as mentioned, but if you cannot afford to do this, at least buy the breeder net. You want to keep these fries in the water that is filtered (especially bio).

Over a year ago, before I setup a separate platy tank, I used to keep much of the fries alive by using breeder net until 1/2 inch. In fact, one advantage of having them in a breeder net earlier on is the ease of feeding... I used to feed them hatched brine shrimps and since they are all inside the breeder net, it was easy for them to find food. I just put some java moss inside the net and fries seemed fine...

 

[Def]

I just put some java moss inside the net and fries seemed fine.

Yeah, thats really important. If you stick a breeding net in the main tank, put a very lightweight small plastic plant in there. The fry like to hide if they're scared or want to rest, and if the breeding net is in the main tank the adults will often come and nip at the net. The fry seem happier with somewhere to rest on.