What Breeding Trap Do You Use?

[chrisquinn12]

I recently made my own breeding net. Not really to save money but the style of my tank hood made the bought ones nearly impossible to fit. I now have 3 mollie fry which we netted a few days after they were born. We thought theyhad been eaten. Couldn't see them at all. We had to move rocks and plants to flush them out...Probably should have just left them be. But now they are happy in their custom made accommodation..

I'd thought about custom making a breeding net, simply because i know all the problems i've had with the shop bought ones, and i know how i want to avoid them in future.
If you dont mind me asking, do you have any pictures of your custom net? i'd be interested to see!

Also Thanks for the advice everyone, like i say, i've ordered tonnes of new plants, and when the arrive i'll make sure theres plenty of places for the fry to hide, and fingers crossed they wont be eaten by my sharks or sucked into the filter (that has happened before).

Sorry Gina I don't own a digital camera yet, soon I hope...

I basically made the frame from some thin stainless steel welding wire. (I got it from work). I was able to make the hooks the correct shape for my hood. For the net I used some fine mesh curtain (in the garage). I wanted a narrow but longer shape as apposed to the square ones in the shop.

When I get a camera I'll take some pics for you and anyone else who is interested.

 

[!Gina]

That would be great, i'd like to see that when you do get pictures

My two female guppys are both about to give birth hopefully within the next few hours. I've heavily planted my tank, left one female guppy to give birth in the tank and placed the other in a breeding net which ive decorated with a few pebbles and floating plants.

The netted guppy seems perfectly happy in this set up, in the past my guppy got stressed out in such a small space, but due to all the plants and pebbles i dont think she cares. This way, i can see which guppy fry survive the best, whether it be those born in the net or those born in the tank.

*fingers crossed, all will go well this time*

 

[b.c.f.c]

i just use a normal breeding net with 1 compartment,not the 3 compartments yours has.wat i do is put the guppy,platy etc in the net for 24 hours at the most, let her give birth and take her out ,making sure theres plenty of plants in there ,i even put gravel in the net so the fry can sort of look invisible if they swim on top of it.just do all i can think of to have as many remaining fry as posssible.

 

[chrisquinn12]

I just bought a new tank. 280L Made by Aqua One. So now the fry have their own tank to play with...I'm getting tempted to put the original 3 fry in the big tank soon....hurry up and grow a bit more.....

 

[shiftingsands]

I read about this idea, though haven't done it myself:

Get a small tank ( 20L?), which you fill with 50% water from mums tank and 50% fresh conditioned water and a plastic breeder tank that you have cut the bottom out of. Ideally put a couple of floating plants in, which keeps mum happy. Put mum in trap as close to birthing as possible, when she births the fry escape through the open bottom of the trap and into the tank. If mum is not too stressed keep her in there for a day or two to recover and then return her to her own tank. You can then raise the fry seperately or return them to the main tank when they are bigger and not likley to be eaten.

Beforehand. if possible run sponge filter off an airline in the mums tank for a week or two to get the bacteria going and then transfer to breeder tank when you put mum in or use an airstone and do small daily water changes. I use a Bio Algarde 45 sponge filter off an airpump which works really well, so far, so good, in my small breeder tanks.

 

[paulthegreat]

I have a simple plastic trap and do not put in the bottom divider and let the Mommy Swords birth, when she looks like she is almost done I let her out and the final few have to fend for themelves. They usually become snacks but I can save a lot of the fry. I had Yoyo loaches that would suck the fry out through the bars but fixed that by putting a clipped nylon stocking over the trap. This also stopped the Mommy from jumping out of the trap. I then move the fry to the growout tank and have them in the trap for a few weeks so the other juvies can not eat them. I also try to sell all of the larger juvies when I get a new batch so I can release the fry a bit earlier.

 

[Sarahrocksudont]

Yeah, I saw/experienced problems with that baby contraption. I currently have babies in it..but they kept on getting out. So me, my sister and my mom added suran wrap to the outside so none could get out. It's really frustrating because I was afriad they'd get out and get eaten.

 

[Somethings Fishy Here]

I generally use the plastic breeder and once the fry are born move them to a net that hangs on the side to give them more space and a little better water flow.

 

[BWBettas]

cool id like to see the custom net sound very good great innovation

 

[Somethings Fishy Here]

cool id like to see the custom net sound very good great innovation

Im not sure if you were talking about the net that I was talking about or not, but IF you were the one I use I actually got from the store its basically just the net that fits around a square shaped plastic structure that keeps the net from caving in on the babies and hooks to the edge of the aquarium.