DIY Fry Saver

[itafx]

I wrapped 50 micron felt that I got from F&S around the intake of my Emperor 400 and it kept hundreds of fry from getting sucked up. All I do is take it out and squirt if off every few days to keep the tank from fouling. It works great!

[theotheragentm]

That's cool. The only issue with this is that you now keep larger particles from flowing into the filter intake.

When I read the title of your post, I thought this was going to be a breeding trap that you made yourself. Has anyone ever made a larger sized breeding trap themselves?

[itafx]

I made one and I drilled the holes too big. The mother squeezed through. My next try was to buy a net-based breeder. The plastic parts that held the net from collapsing were a death trap for the fry. They would go between the hard plastic and the net, get stuck there and die. After considerable product research, my next try is the Hagen Marina multi-breeder. I can house 2 mothers separately in each breeder. I got 3. They arrived today. The babies supposedly drop through the grill in the bottom and join their friends in the fry tank. The mothers are safely kept inside the breeder. We'll see how it works. It's supposed to be good for both live bearers and egg layers. I'm experimenting with the live bearer functionality right now.

[theotheragentm]

The problem with most breeding traps is they are small and stress the fish out. If that can be corrected and still work well, that is the best bet.

[itafx]

That's a hard one isn't it? I have 4 mothers-to-be in breeding traps right now and they're highly stressed. My first try at stress reduction is to put some frilly fake plants to give them something to hide in.