Best way to raise fry?

[Carlyf]

I'd like to hear your opinions on raising live bearer fry. Breeder box or no breeder box? Why?

 

[jennandjuicetm]

Following!

 

[Fishobsessed7]

Depends on what you are trying to do with your fry.


If you want as many as possible use a box

If you don't care or want as little as possible, no box


Fishobsessed7

 

[Fishfur]

I'd agree with that. Livebearers in general are likely to eat their fry, so segregating fry is the only way to get fairly high survival rates. If you don't care how many fry survive, then don't bother trying to separate them. Usually a few will survive. Feed the adult fish plenty so they are not hungry as if they are hungry no fry will make it.

 

[Carlyf]

I kept some in a box, but they ended up looking sickly and started dying off about 1 a day. I cleaned the box, fed Hikari first bites and kept the temp consistent. Not sure what happened

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[Fishfur]

A fry box has to have pristine water. I prefer the ones that hang on the inside of a tank and use the tank water, so it's filtered and circulating all the time. Keep the bottom bare, and if at all possible, feed live microworms. Ideal fry food and they live for many days, so the fry will pick them off the bottom and you won't have to feed five or six times daily.

Otherwise, you need to feed several times daily and keep water very, very clean. Fry can be overwhelmed by ammonia or nitrite or lack of oxygen much faster than adult fish. Stagnation happens when there is no circulation of water, so the gas exchange stops happening.