fry tanks.....some questions

[cmoreash]

What would be a safe cleanup crew for fry tanks? I am thinking some snails would be good, as they would have trouble catching the fish. :wink: Are corys totally out of the question, even the dwarf hasbro corys (not even an inch long)? I am gonna set up a hatchery tank in the near future, and i would like some ideas. It is gonna be a 10 gallon with a sponge filter.

Oh yea, and is substrate good to put in, as in coarse sand? would that inferfere with the snails? And is an incandescent light fixture ok for young fry? How about a few hardy plants, would that be good, as long as they didn't take up space?

Thanks for your help

 

[Z Man]

I don't like snails myself as I believe they make more of a mess than what you start with. I use only a 5-gallon bare bottom tank with a small sponge filter. Then to clean the tank bottom I have made a small tank siphon. A 3' piece of airline tubing attached to a 6" or 8" piece of rigid plastic tube used for underground filters with a 1" piece of airline tubing on the end that goes into the tank. I cut this small piece at an angle to get better coverage in the tank. Collect the water in a white plastic pail so you can check for any fry picked up by mistake. It's slow but works well. You can then add fresh water with the same hose and it won't disturb the fry. Make sure the fry tank starts out with some water from the breeding tank. You can pick out some bad gunk every day and if you only remove a little water, you don't always have to replace it each time.
Z Man

 

[Neil]

Zman,
That is so funny, because that is almost exactly how I do it. Must be something to it, huh! The only difference is that I don't use a 1" piece of flex at the end. With the rigid tube I can almost use it like a pencil for total accuracy in cleaning real close to the fry.
Neil