# Fry question



## FishyBusiness (Jan 24, 2012)

I have my 10 gallon set up with a lot of plants and seashells turned in a way so babies can get in them but no adults. Will this be a good set up if they are mixed with adults. I have several females expecting and I can't put them all in the breeder box. My 3 gallon tank doesn't have a filter and is mainly for quarantining sick fish. The bottom of the 10 gallon is sand so I'm sure the babies can't get stuck like my mollies did in the gravel.

Question is will this work?


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

Lots of plants will help, but the seashells will end up boosting the pH level in your tank. If you originally have soft water, then it might be good for your aquarium. I try to keep my pH levels around 7-7.5, and to my personal experience, it works well with guppies and most other livebearers. For a small 10 gallon tank, I would remove most of the seashells (unless they're freshwater shells, but since you say 'sea'shells, I assume they are not). Leaving one or two in there should be fine, but watch your pH levels.

Also, be careful with sand. It can form pockets of hydrogen sulfide, which is toxic to fish. I would suggest removing it. The best substrate you could use for livebearers is nothing at all, and leave it as a bare-bottom tank. I've been going bare-bottom for years now, and it's worked out much better than gravel.

How many adults do you have in this 10 gallon tank? Remember that when and if your guppies give birth, your tank will quickly over-stock. Too many fish in one small area leads to ammonia spikes in the water, and can kill off most if not all of your fish. Keep your water-changes regular, and watch how many fish you have in there.

Guppy fry tend to either float to the surface or sink to the bottom of the tank, as soon as they're out of their mother. Having places to hide in both areas will greatly increase your chances of keeping them alive. They naturally seek shelter from the larger fish, but don't be upset if a few of them are eaten. 

Overall, my suggestions to you are:

Remove the sand.
Remove most (or all) of the seashells.
Add more plants (fake or live, silk works best as it won't shred fins).
Buy another separate tank for the fry.


Hope that answers your question, and have fun! I always get excited when my livebearers give me new fry.


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## FishyBusiness (Jan 24, 2012)

I say sea just cause its what I'm used to. I think they are the craft like ones. I didnt personally get them from the ocean so don't know. Most of them I boiled for a few seconds before I used them. I do a 15-25% water change on a regular basis and have plastic plants floating. I may be upgrading to a larger tank soon but all together I have 16 adult fish, 2 of which are Corydoras. I have a breeder box but it tends to sink easily for some reason.

Can I prevent the hydrogen pockets?


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## FishyBusiness (Jan 24, 2012)

I have a full tank change scheduled for the 25th, could a biweekly complete change lower the risk from the sand.


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

I have no experience with the sand, but I have a issue with small things that fry can get in, but the parents can't. Fry have a 'die off' stage, where, when they reach a certain age, the sick/weaker ones die. They may choose these shells as a place to do so, so watch out. So long as you have some cover on MOST of the surface of the tank, you'll have fry survive.


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Yes, I wouldn't recommend the shell idea for fish other than species meant to live in shells. Also, I don't think you should worry much about the sand when it comes to forming pockets of toxic gasses. It usually takes a deep sand and a fairly long time without disturbances for this to happen. Sand is aesthetically pleasing, but I would change it out to small gravel just for the sake of easier siphoning if this isn't as much of a decorative tank as a breeding tank. 

As this is supposed to be a temporary solution, just get more plants. Best answer.


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