Fry Tank Questions

[Ichthys]

I was wondering how much and how often I should change the water in my 10 gallon fry tank? There are 26 month old mollies in the tank and I change about 1-2 gallons every day to every other day, but the water remains very cloudy. I have done a few 3-4 gallon changes and it does look somewhat better afterward, but not for long! I test regularly and everything has been good. Should I be doing 3-4 gallon changes daily or every other day instead of just 1-2 gallons?
Any suggestions would be great!

 

[gheitman]

What kind of filtration are you using? Also what and how often are you feeding them? You might need to look at either increasing your filtration or reducing the amount you feed them. I raise mollies in 2 10 gallon tanks that are planted. I use sponge filters that are rated for 15 gallon tanks on both. I don't do water changes as often as you. At most I change the water twice a week.

 

[TankGirl]

26-month-old mollies don't sound like fry to me!

Anyway, you are almost definitely cycling. What are the exact measurements of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

 

[hashbaz]

TG, perhaps you are joking but I think Ichthys meant 26 one-month-old fry.

 

[Ichthys]

I use an Aquatech filter (the tank is a walmart kit) and I feed a pinch of crushed Tetra tropical flakes twice a day. I have fed them crushed bloodworms twice, algae wafers (I only put in a half of wafer at a time and they normally eat the whole thing), and have fed them veggies, also. I have no live plants and there's only a little layer of gravel in the tank (the tank was originally a q tank for the mother mollie and some other fish. She had her babies and I moved all the adult fish to their permanent home and left the fry). Is better filtration in order?

 

[Ichthys]

Yes! That's what I meant I should have reworded that!
Nitrite and ammonia are 0, but I don't have a nitrate test kit. Should I get one? All the fish seem healthy and active.

 

[TankGirl]

(Yes, I was joking, should have stuck in a "lol" or something - don't think anyone is still counting the months at 26 )

Okay, in the absence of ammonia or nitrite you could have high nitrate but this could be a harmless bacterial bloom, or related to the food. A sponge filter might not be a bad idea to supplement your HOB, and sponge filters come in handy for Q-tanks and such if you keep them cycled.

 

[Ichthys]

Thanks TG! Sponge filter it is - but I don't know much about them :? I need to get the sponge filter, an air pump, and tubing, right? Any brands/types that you would recommend? Also, aren't nitrates good at a small amount, but high amounts are bad and you get rid of them by changing water? Could I have high nitrates even though I change water frequently?
Correct me if I'm wrong...I still have a lot to learn!
Thanks again for your help!

 

[TankGirl]

It is possible you have high nitrates with frequent water changes, but as long as your nitrate remains pretty constant and you are indeed doing adequate water changes, I would not worry too much about the actual number value. Nitrate is not going to cause cloudy water. I still suspect the food, and a pretty crowded tank, even though they are fry. Keep up with what you are doing and if you don't wind up getting a sponge filter just do small water changes every other day to replace the extra filtration.

I don't have a real preference on sponge filters but Rena makes a very quiet pump, if you want to spend the $$. Otherwise most any pump will do, just have to put up with the hum. You can get away with not spending very much at all - check Bigalsonline.com.