Fry in breeding box

[StuMcc99]

How long would you keep your fry in a breeding box for? I put them in it today managed to save 4 of them up to now.
I know they will have to get to a size where they won't be eaten but just wondering how long it take for them to grow.
This is the first lot of fry I have had.

 

[thebluespirit]

It depends on what kind of fry they are amd what other species are in your tank.

Usually once they are bigger than the mouth of your largest fish you can release them but you also need to consider how aggressive their tankmates could be

 

[StuMcc99]

They are guppy's.

I have mollies, tetra's, platy, Khuli loach's and a dwarf frog.

How long does it normally take for them to grow to a good size? Do u no?

 

[khoifish89]

my recommendation is that they have to bigger than snack size aka bigger the other fishes mouth.

 

[thebluespirit]

My guppy had fry last month. I only saved two. They were in my fry trap for just under a month before they escaped. They are just under 2cm i think. Still very small but the tank only has one adult female. The fry are strong and fast enough now to be safe in the tank.

My female also had more fry 2 days ago and you can see the size difference. Since its mt fiest time with fry they do seem to grow very slowly. I fed my first two on powdered egg yolk and later some crushed flakes.
If you feed them live foods they grow quicker(i've just ordered decapsulated baby brine shrimp eggs as this is the next best thing and more practical). Also keeping the temperature at around 80 means you can feed them more often to help them grow but dont do this if you have other species of fish in the tank.

 

[StuMcc99]

Cool thanks for you help & tips guys

 

[StuMcc99]

Just one last quick question, if I do a water change will the fry be ok?
I only ask cos I went to my LFS today and the guy in the shop was saying about his fry and that he put them in to another tank and most of them died cos of the PH levels, they where a bit different to what they were in his other tank. Is this true and like I asked will a water change affect them?

 

[thebluespirit]

Yeah they should be fine. Moving fry into a new tank is fine but you have to acclimatise them like you would when you buy any new fish. If its done too quickly it can be fatal which is probably what happened to the lfs guy.
I do water changes weekly. If i ever need to remove the fry i just use water from the same tank and place it in a container and then place the fry in there. I try to change water quickly so that their water doesnt cool down too much.

If you can manover your net so you don't have to take them out of your tank then even better but im clumbsy an they usually escape when i try that.

Lower water quality will reduce growth rates in fry so its worth doing small frequent water changes and make sure you use water conditioner and hopefully you shouldnt have any problems

 

[StuMcc99]

Thanks for that you have been a great help

 

[thebluespirit]

No worries mate. I've asked similar questions on here and read up a lot so its nice to be able to help out