fry and community tanks

[tamtam]

So I have recently gotten some platy, they are currently in my community tank. A dwarf gourami, some neons and rasbora. I do plan to set up an all livebearer tank but figure in the mean time I should think about options because I'm sure at least 1 of the females has probably come pregnant from the petstore.

I'm not completely set on keeping any fry for the first while without a permanent tank, if it happens then that's cool.

So I guess I was thinking either maybe I get a 10 gallon, set it up as a breeder for the fry though it's hit or miss on whether that would cycle on time, even with some seeded media.

Or maybe would it be a better idea to just offer a lot of coverage in my community tank? I have a lot of drift wood and some fake plants, a cave and recently picked up some rocks to make some more caves. I was also planning on a few more "plants" for the front/lower levels as mine are all taller.

Would putting them in a cycling tank be worse than having them in the community tank? I'm just weighing my options here on what would happen given both situations.

 

[LyndaB]

Personally, I always vote for keeping fry in the main tank. I have various livebearers and have created an area of their tank with branches and both java moss and fake plants in order to give them a safe haven. They are smart enough to go there and wait it out until they are large enough to join the community without becoming lunch. I think this gives you stronger, healthier fry and it definitely has shown me what amazing self-preservation skills they exhibit. I wouldn't have seen any of that in a grow-out fry tank.

 

[tamtam]

Personally, I always vote for keeping fry in the main tank. I have various livebearers and have created an area of their tank with branches and both java moss and fake plants in order to give them a safe haven. They are smart enough to go there and wait it out until they are large enough to join the community without becoming lunch. I think this gives you stronger, healthier fry and it definitely has shown me what amazing self-preservation skills they exhibit. I wouldn't have seen any of that in a grow-out fry tank.

oh, interesting! I'm glad to hear some success on this. How do you handle feeding them?

Also roughly how much footspace in a tank would you dedicate to them?

 

[LyndaB]

In my 46 gallon, they probably have less than a gallon. It's kind of in the upper right corner of the tank. They live off of the micronutrients in the java moss and other plants, and I also direct some fry food in there for them.

 

[tamtam]

ok, so there set up is on the top of the tank not the bottom? Or am I reading that wrong? Thanks, this sounds really interesting. I hope I'm able to try it.