# Fry and Filter?



## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I got a really excellent 2 in one filter today. It's a pump as well as a filter. It has a sponge and charchol cartridge inside it and can spray a jet of filtered water into the tank from above, blow bubbles into the water or just plain filter it back into the tank. I set it up in my new 40L (10g I think) fry tank that a friend has lent me only to see some of the fry getting caught in the slits that the water is sucked into to be filtered. So I took it out and made sure there were no fry stuck inside the cartride itself (rescued about 3 from in the slits) and pondered what to do. Then I remembered reading somewhere on here that someone used nylon pantyhose to put over it and stop the fry getting sucked in so I had a friend give me a pair of her old ones and attached that securely around the entire unit and a few inches up the cord. I now have it submerged in the tank with it just pushing the newly filtered water into the tank without any attachments and at first the fry freaked coz now there is a current in the tank but they've all seemed to congregate next to the unit away from the blower part or at the opposite end of the tank where the current isn't so strong. 

Ok after all that I'm going to get to my question, which is..will they be ok with this current? I can't turn the filter down at all..it has one speed. It filters 26ga per minute so It's fairly strong (I've one of them in my community tank too) and there were no softer filters at the store so I juut got what there was (they were on special, too good to pass up). I am sick of doing 100% water changes everyday, which wasn't such a big deal when they were in a 5ga grow out tub but this 10ga tank is just too big to cart into the laundry to clean everyday. I figured with the filter I would only need to do 50% water change every other day and maybe a 100% once a week if that. I'm just concerned that there may be some longer term effects on the fry. The guppys I have in with them don't seem to mind the current, they just school together and swim with it but the bettas have always been loners and hang out in small groups. I can try and attach the spray arm to it, covering it as high up as I can with the nylon hose and aim the jets at the heater to better circulate the water...will that help?

I am eager to get some opinions on this. 

Thanks


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

Bettas don't do well in a high current tank. They will spend most of the time where the least current is. A sponge filter for a fry tank is the best way to go. That filter you have is running twice the tank size a minute of water so it's pretty strong for the fry. Also a "new filter will do nothing to cut down on the amount of water changes needed in the tank until it cycles which will take weeks. All it's going to do till then is move water around. 


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

oh yeah I know that . I just figured it would at the very least suck up some of the uneaten food and circulate the water around the tank a little better so there is an even heat. Although the heater isn't an issue anymore, it just broke so I'll have to look at getting another one. I suppose I could put the 50W one from the guppy tank in there. I want the bettas to survive more than the guppies (am considering feeding them to my adult fish *evil laugh*) so I'm not too fussed if they don't grow as fast as they could. My friend aquired a buyer for my fry today and they are eagerly awaiting them so It is more important for the bettas have a heater. I am going to leave the filter in for now and see how it goes. I attached the spray arm so that it trickles the water down the side of the tank, eliminating alot of the current but still allowing it to filter some of the debris.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

The filter will suck the debris up, but it will still be in the water. There is nothing that makes fry grow like clean warm water and good food. When I raised discus I did 3 99% water changes a day on the fry tanks to get max growth rates so 1 water change a day on Betta fry still seems ok. :help: 


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I have noticed in the 3 days that they have been in this bigger tank that their growth rate has increased ALOT!!! There are a few that are the same size of my 6 week old spawn already and they are only 3 weeks old today! I am thinking of putting the smaller of my first spawn (the 6 week old ones) back into the tank with my new spawn as they are the same size, just keep the bigger ones in their individual cups. I really can't see them trying to eat them being that they aren't much bigger as the younger spawn at all and I deffinitly spread enough BBS through the tank to feed them all.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

for people raising Bettas to show the problem is not the fry eating each other, but them taking bites out of each other. The damage done never grows back perfect. I jar fish very early to prevent this from happening.


RC


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

The tails actually grow back??I didn't think they did!
That would explain alot though. I've been noticing my CT male who's tail got mauled by my female looking better lately! I thought that was just because when it first happened he sulked around the tank alot and didn't flare at all for like 2 weeks. But now I have placed my other male in his tank next to him and lately he seems to have what looks like clear webbing at the ends of the mauled fins. Could this be his fins growing back slightly??


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

yes. many times the new webbing is clear.


RC


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