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What size is 'safe' for fry

5K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Nordic 
#1 ·
Hi,

I recently 'rescued' a guppy fry and put him into a breeder net.

My tank has:
- Couple of Guppies
- 4 SAE
- Rummy Nose Tetras
- One Clown Loach

and one of those guys found out guppy fry taste good because even tho my guppies are spawning regularly the fry usually disappear before they can grow up (which is fine, I don't want the tank get too crowded).

The other day I saw one of the little guys swimming around so I rescued him and put him into my second tank. Once he was big enough to not escape the fry box I moved him back into the main tank (inside the fry net)

Now I wonder at which size it is safe to take him out of the 'prison' so he can swim around with the others :)

He is about 1cm length now.

 

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#2 ·
You are most likely going to need a much larger tank to keep that clown loach. They get at least 10" long and should be kept in groups of at least 5.
Your guppy fry can go back into the tank when it's too large to fit into anyone's mouth. Once it gets past half the bulk of the largest fish is a safe bet.
 
#3 ·
Fish would usually eat other small fish/fry that can fit in their mouth. So the fry is safe when it is slightly bigger than the mouth size of the other fish (keep in mind some fish's mouths extend open, in which the mouth is actually bigger than it may appear, but with your listed fish this doesn't really apply).

I'm not sure how big your clown loach is so I can't say the fry's safe size, but as noted above, slightly bigger than mouth size is safe, usually.

I have 4-4.5" SAE and they don't even attempt to eat my 1/2" fish or 1/3" cory fry.

By the way, I have a similar breeding net and those holes are way too big for most new born fry and for most eggs. The size fry that is in there now, is big enough to not swim through.

And yes, as mentioned, the Clown loach will grow to over 18 inches long, and girthy at that, and really do need more of it's own kind to do well (they are a very social fish).
 
#4 ·
Most non-predatory fish can eat something that is up to 1/4 their size, so a 4" fish might be able to eat a 1" prey. Some are not very interested in doing this, and might just take new born fry and eggs, and ignore more strongly swimming fry.

True predators can often handle prey that is up to half their size, and I have seen pictures of some predators attempting to eat prey almost as long as they are.

Ditto the concept of 'Clown Loaches get large and are social'. They can easily reach 10", one of the largest I know of was 14". Best tank is at least 6' long, and even then it is a bit small for a good sized school. What size is your main tank?

Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) ? Loaches Online
 
#6 ·
Ditto the concept of 'Clown Loaches get large and are social'. They can easily reach 10", one of the largest I know of was 14". Best tank is at least 6' long, and even then it is a bit small for a good sized school. What size is your main tank?
HI, it's just a 30 gallon tank and yes I know that it's not big enough. I walked into a pet store and asked for what I can do about snails and the LFS guy talked me into buying three loaches. Later I found out that they get really big, so I brought two of them back to the 'donation' tank of that store.
I left 'oscar' in the tank for now (he is only 2" so far) but maybe I will return him too - or upgrade my tank at some point :)
I guess I learned my lesson to do research on my own the next time...


By the way, I have a similar breeding net and those holes are way too big for most new born fry and for most eggs. The size fry that is in there now, is big enough to not swim through.
Jea that's why I took him into my shrimp tank first. But I moved that shrimp tank into my office last weekend so I put him into the breeding net. Luckily he is already big enough.
I catched another fry couple of days ago and put him into that net too and sure enough he was not in the net anymore the next day.

I guess I leave him couple of weeks in the net and feed him until he is 1" just to be sure.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
Things to keep in mind in the future - most loaches will eat snails. Most don't get anywhere near as large as a clown. Some actually prefer to be alone (not clowns though)

Guppies...will eat their fry if they can catch them within those first few days. If they survive the first week, they leave them alone. Oddly enough, one surviving that first week increases the odds of survivors with subsequent drops. It's like they can't tell if the fry are new or old so they leave them alone.
 
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