The problem with most breeder boxes

[MDDad]

Is a water change.

We have a cheapo fry box for our live-bearers that is a netted box, which hangs on the side of the tank. Most of them seem to work this way.

These little breeder boxes, and isolation nets, are great until you need to do a water change, and the water level is going to fall below the bottom of the netting or box. What do all of you do?

 

[coralbandit]

I have used backer rod to float paint strainers in tanks with fry.
The Marina breeder boxes are different. They hang on outside of tank and use an air pump to send water into the breeder box on one end like how sponge filters move water and they overflow on other end..They even have little 'guards' to keep fry in ,but I just cut a coarse sponge for the water to flow though and keep fry in...
What kind of fry do you have?

 

[MDDad]

None at the moment. We have a pregnant platt and a pregnant molly.

 

[coralbandit]

Here is a picture of the marina..I have Pothos in mine instead of fish..You can see the tiny sponge I inserted on the top left of the box .

Here is a Sherwin Williams 5g paint strainer in use [my own idea]..

In this picture I am uning the strainer to contain mosses and duckweed to help with water but not muck up the tank or filter..
They are12" wide so fit in most tanks 15g and up ..

For smaller egg laying fish I use Toms dip and pour with the smallest Aqutop sponge filter and or airstone and change water daily.

 

[MDDad]

I bought a Marina.

The problem - the instructions recommend an air pump that does 1L/min or less. The absolute bare bottom, crappiest air pumps I can find are all higher than that. Even a five dollar cheapo I found does 24 gal/hr which is 90/L an hour or 1.5L/Min.

What did you use?

 

[coralbandit]

I use an air valve to control how much air goes to it...
My pump runs all 50+ tanks......