Setting Up A Fry Tank

[flix_cw]

I've ordered a little 3g tank and a basic sponge filter for my zebra danio fry.

Just wondering, if i pop the sponge into my mature tank, how long before it'll have a large enough colony to sustain the fry tank? I currently have about 30 fry in an ice cream container!

Also, what else should i put in the tank. Is it advisable to put in live plants or would it be wiser to chuck in a plastic plant? The icecream container currently has a marimo moss ball in there, along with a bunch of riccia and some duckweed. (as well as an airstone). They've been doing ok without a heater and with daily water changes, shall i pop a spare heater into the new tank when it comes or do you think they'll be fine as they are? it's ~19 degrees C without a heater.

Thanks!

 

[england]

what type of filter do you have already, i would take out sponges from filter, squeeze all the gunk out into a container then place the new sponge directly in the gunk leaving to soak for a good hour or two,

just placing it a mature tank would take ages to get abit of bacteria on, what i do with all my filters is add filter floss to each filter, so incase of needing to set up other tanks there extra media at the ready,matured and ready to roll,

 

[countrygirl61658]

I posted the same question a few weeks ago.I am setting up a 5 gallon for guppy fry. I was told at least a monthy.I placed the sponge filter in my existing tank two weeks ago.I have a whisper filter so can't really get media out of it.Any other input from people would be great on this subject.

 

[countrygirl61658]

Question would it help to take the foam sponge off and squeeze it into the whisper filter or would that restrict my flo to much.Would the bacreria get on it from touching the other media?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi flix_cw

I'm going to move your thread over to the Cyprinids, Characins and Atherinids section where you should be able to get help from members who raise zebra danio fry. Before I do that I'll urge you to think about the needs of bacteria to process the waste from them.

Depending on their size, you will need a very small amount of bacteria to take care of what they produce. Leaving a filter in your tank longer will cause more bacteria to transfer to it but they will die off once they are moved to the fry tank if there is not enough food to support them. Even if there are only a small number of beneficial bacteria growing in the new filter, it will increase as the fry grow.

If you do frequent water changes it will also keep the tank fresh and the fry healthy while the bacteria get established in the filter media.

 

[flix_cw]

Thanks for the replies.

Unfortunately i have an undergravel filter, so no sponges to squeeze i'm afraid.

Maybe put some mature gravel into the fry tank?