Setting up a Fry Tank

Georgia Peach · 04-20-2006, 08:19 AM

Ive got a small tank and some sponge filters so I was gonna set that up this afternoon for these yellow lab fry I have. What do I need to do? Are fry tanks supposed to be cycled ?? Should I transfer some of the bacteria from my big tank to the fry tank??

meyerhaus · 04-20-2006, 08:35 AM

I would season the foam filter in a cycled tank for a couple days and then put them in the fry tank. You could also take some surface water from the cycled tank (without as much poo as scrum covered gravel water) and use that as part of the fill water. I always keep 1 seasoned in my 30 and 1 in my 38 for this very reason.

Georgia Peach · 04-20-2006, 08:41 AM

I need this tank now.. I have the fry in a holder but they real small and are getting out through the holes that it has for water circulation. I had 22 of'em last night, Im down to 5 now..

meyerhaus · 04-20-2006, 08:57 AM

Then I would definately get some of the water from their present tank, add it to some clean water in the holding tank and use that sponge filter. You may have to do more frequent changes for awhile, but you know that. Make sure that the sponge filter is not bubbling too hard. If you have a control valve, use it to adjust the flow.

How do those little labs look?

**Cichlid Man** · 04-20-2006, 09:06 AM

Oh No! Sorry to hear about your losses GP.
If the new tanks much smaller than your big tank, you can fill it up 100% with water from the other tank and then use a sponge filter, don't add any substrate unless it's fine sand. With a small syphon you can hoover all the waste up. Good Luck!

Georgia Peach · 04-20-2006, 09:24 AM

they look great! Im guessing they are about 3/16 of an inch in size..

thanks for your help!

CM - yes, its a small 2 gallon tank.

this is my first ever fry from any kinda fish so its definately a trial and error thing! Ill be ready for the next batch though!

**Osiris** · 04-20-2006, 09:31 AM

Yup just take water from old tank into new tank is best way

I have a 50g tank sits 6ft in the air, i fill new fry tanks up with it so their ready to go on the dime, just a simple siphon into the new tanks...

New spawn should be in 5 weeks or so.

meyerhaus · 04-20-2006, 11:47 AM

Let us know how those little fishies turn out, Georgia! I am going to be spawning some bettas mid-May, so that will be my first non-livebearer spawn. I can't wait. The male, Samurai, is my avatar.

garfieldnfish · 04-20-2006, 03:13 PM

I used a brand new 10 gal with a new sponge filter, an extra air stone and added half parents tank water and half new water, bare bottom as it is easier to keep clean. That was for BN fry. I now have over 100 fry in this 10 gal tank. I rinse out the filter daily and do daily 95% water changes as the tank is horribly overloaded. But this has been going on for 1 1/2 months and I have not yet lost a fry (except for 3 on the first day, one did not hatch, one died right after and one I squashed while setting up the tank). I might have gotten very lucky with this set up, but it has worked wonderfully so far. The only cycled "matter" I added were 3 small pieces of driftwood from an established tank.

04-20-2006, 08:19 AM	#1
Georgia Peach Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gray, Georgia Age: 42 Posts: 1,706	I need help With setting up a fry tank Ive got a small tank and some sponge filters so I was gonna set that up this afternoon for these yellow lab fry I have. What do I need to do? Are fry tanks supposed to be cycled ?? Should I transfer some of the bacteria from my big tank to the fry tank?? __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Cichlids have more personality than most people I know !* Last edited by Georgia Peach; 04-20-2006 at 08:32 AM.

04-20-2006, 08:35 AM	#2
meyerhaus I flare at the mirror... Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Age: 29 Posts: 181	I would season the foam filter in a cycled tank for a couple days and then put them in the fry tank. You could also take some surface water from the cycled tank (without as much poo as scrum covered gravel water) and use that as part of the fill water. I always keep 1 seasoned in my 30 and 1 in my 38 for this very reason. __________________ Jon ~~~ *55~38~30~lots-o-10s~lots-o-Bettas!*

04-20-2006, 08:41 AM	#3
Georgia Peach Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gray, Georgia Age: 42 Posts: 1,706	I need this tank now.. I have the fry in a holder but they real small and are getting out through the holes that it has for water circulation. I had 22 of'em last night, Im down to 5 now.. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Cichlids have more personality than most people I know !*

04-20-2006, 08:57 AM	#4
meyerhaus I flare at the mirror... Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Age: 29 Posts: 181	Then I would definately get some of the water from their present tank, add it to some clean water in the holding tank and use that sponge filter. You may have to do more frequent changes for awhile, but you know that. Make sure that the sponge filter is not bubbling too hard. If you have a control valve, use it to adjust the flow. How do those little labs look? __________________ Jon ~~~ *55~38~30~lots-o-10s~lots-o-Bettas!*

04-20-2006, 09:06 AM	#5
Cichlid Man Super moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,093	Oh No! Sorry to hear about your losses GP. If the new tanks much smaller than your big tank, you can fill it up 100% with water from the other tank and then use a sponge filter, don't add any substrate unless it's fine sand. With a small syphon you can hoover all the waste up. Good Luck! __________________ If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded: Serrasalmus Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the exception). I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families: Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.

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04-20-2006, 09:24 AM	#6
Georgia Peach Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gray, Georgia Age: 42 Posts: 1,706	they look great! Im guessing they are about 3/16 of an inch in size.. thanks for your help! CM - yes, its a small 2 gallon tank. this is my first ever fry from any kinda fish so its definately a trial and error thing! Ill be ready for the next batch though! __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Cichlids have more personality than most people I know !* Last edited by Georgia Peach; 04-20-2006 at 09:27 AM.

04-20-2006, 09:31 AM	#7
Osiris Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Wisconsin Age: 25 Posts: 3,817	Yup just take water from old tank into new tank is best way I have a 50g tank sits 6ft in the air, i fill new fry tanks up with it so their ready to go on the dime, just a simple siphon into the new tanks... New spawn should be in 5 weeks or so. __________________ Reality is for people who can't handle Science-Fiction

04-20-2006, 11:47 AM	#8
meyerhaus I flare at the mirror... Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Age: 29 Posts: 181	Let us know how those little fishies turn out, Georgia! I am going to be spawning some bettas mid-May, so that will be my first non-livebearer spawn. I can't wait. The male, Samurai, is my avatar. __________________ Jon ~~~ *55~38~30~lots-o-10s~lots-o-Bettas!*

04-20-2006, 03:13 PM	#9
garfieldnfish Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 660	I used a brand new 10 gal with a new sponge filter, an extra air stone and added half parents tank water and half new water, bare bottom as it is easier to keep clean. That was for BN fry. I now have over 100 fry in this 10 gal tank. I rinse out the filter daily and do daily 95% water changes as the tank is horribly overloaded. But this has been going on for 1 1/2 months and I have not yet lost a fry (except for 3 on the first day, one did not hatch, one died right after and one I squashed while setting up the tank). I might have gotten very lucky with this set up, but it has worked wonderfully so far. The only cycled "matter" I added were 3 small pieces of driftwood from an established tank.

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