# So, how does this work?



## Pandapop

I'm in need of fish-net breeder boxes after two of my four decided to have holes in the mesh (lots of teeny-tiny babies escaping into the tank and being eaten...). I've been looking on eBay, since I got a good deal on a double-breeder box before in the past.

I keep coming across these things...










It's a net. With a zipper. 
That you can (supposedly) put live-bearing fish into, raise fry, or isolate injured or aggressive fish. 

How is that supposed to work? It's a bag with a zipper. Does it expand in size or something? It seems to me like the fry would have very little room. 

This was the description of the item in the auction:

•Aquarium Fish Tank Fry Breeder Breeding Zipper Net Bag White.
•Safely separates new-born fry from other and other fish or isolates injured or aggressive fish with this Fish Breeder Net Bag.
•It is constructed of polyester net with zipper closure.
•Netting design Fry Net Bag allows free flow of water to keep oxygen levels up.
•This Fish Breeding Net Bag is important to isolate pregnant fish, giving them peace to give birth separated from community tank fish.
•After birth, fish can be put back into community tank leaving baby fish to grow large enough in this net bag.
•Size: ~12"(L) x 10.9"(W)
•Weight: 20g



Am I missing something? Does it actually go to another contraption, or is this really it? I don't understand. >:/

If this thing really works, then it's a steal. It's a little less than $4 USD with free shipping. Anyone have a clue?


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## TheOldSalt

This looks to me to be a product originally intended for some other purpose, but then someone has decided to try to sell them to fishkeepers. As you've noticed, it would make a terrible breeder net. You'd have to put something inside it to keep it from collapsing flat, and the holes look too big anyway. I would have to advise against trying to use this thing for guppy fry.

If you have the space, a small tank, or even plastic tub, with a bunch of floating plant clumps in it would work much better than any breeder trap you can buy, saving all the fry with no risk to the mother fish.


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## Obsidian

One word: Pointless.


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## bmlbytes

Looks like it might work as a filter media bag, but I don't see anyone using it as a breeder's net.


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## Pandapop

I haven't had many issues with net breeders and guppies, it's the swordtails that won't work with them. My swordtails absolutely refuse to give birth in a net breeder, and unfortunately they won't do it in a 5g tank, either. So I let them give birth in the main community tank... and if I'm lucky, I'll find a baby or two hiding amongst the floating plants. This morning I actually found one. Could be a guppy though, but I'm hoping it's a swordtail.

Platies are a hit-or-miss for me... some will use the net breeder, some won't. I don't have many female platies left, and the ones I do have won't use the box. 

Mollies I just let do whatever. I find babies every other day in their tank.

/end ramble


I didn't buy these 'zipper-nets', and I'm certainly not going to now (actually I don't think I was to begin with, just curious to know if they worked or not). They do sort of look like some cheap filter media bags. That's probably what they are. 

This is the breeder net I bought last time:











I just took out the plastic bits to allow the mother more room, and threw in some fake floating plants. It worked great and I never lost a pregnant fish (or fry) in it. Only problem was the suction cups didn't work as well as they should have, so I found a way to use rubber bands and scotch-tape (outside of the tank obviously, lol) to hold it up and keep the top from going under the surface of the water. Didn't look too pretty, but you'd never see the tape and rubber bands unless you opened up the top, anyway.


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## Fishpunk

I've kept mollies, endlers, guppies and had reasonable success without using any kind of net at all. The fry hide in the plants. If they survive the first couple of days, the adults get used to them being around and stop trying to catch them.


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## AquariumTech

Media bag, thats about it, even at that I wouldnt use it for finer chemical medias.


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## bmlbytes

Yeah I was thinking that about all you could really use in it would be bio-media.


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