# Betta fry missing?



## megrose (Oct 12, 2016)

So last night a few of the babies were swimming but there were still some in the nest so I decided to wait until morning to take the dad out. I didn't see the parents spawn back when I bred them, and I didn't take the mom out right away since the dad put the eggs in a log instead of in his nest he had been working so hard on so she might have eaten some or maybe they just didn't spawn very well but there were maybe thirty eggs. When they were hatched but still dangling from the nest I could probably see maybe 10-20 tails dangling down. I took out the dad this morning and then nest that was in the log is not only empty but completely gone. I've been looking for a while and can find maybe four fry in the tank. Did the dad eat them last night? Are they just really good hiders? I don't have many hiding spots in there aside from two floating logs and two fake plants because I took out the live plants since someone told me to give them methylene blue which I did yesterday. Did the medicine make them disappear? I'm really heartbroken about this, I was so happy I finally got a pair to breed together and this is my first time successfully spawning. I remember as a little child I had guppies that had babies and they disappeared because the filter sucked them up but this tank only has a corner filter that specifically says it's good for fry tanks. I don't know if they're just too little for me to see but even then back when there were the most I didn't see as many as I've read betta fish have.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Noooo. Don't use corner filters. They will trap fry seeking hiding places. Use sponge filters if at all.

If dad took care of them, he wouldn't (usually) eat fry. Well, not until later. But he might have if fry were too weak. 

I'd say the corner filter took them


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## megrose (Oct 12, 2016)

Thank you so much!! I had read that corner filters were good to use in fry tanks but that was obviously untrue. When I read your response I went and looked at the filter and saw one swimming inside it in the top compartment!! I took the cover off and I counted five live ones came out (along with many dead ones  ) so now my spawn of 2 became 7. I'm not sure how they survived in the tiny space above the filter material for days but I'm thankful they were spared. I took out the filter in my and I ordered a sponge filter to replace it with. Thank you for being so helpful!


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

You are very welcome.

Corner filters will even trap bigger (10-20mm) fry that attempts to hide behind it. Avoid corner filters until bettas can't squeeze in any where around/in the filter. OR place the filter in the middle of the tank (bigger fry).

Not really sure why/how. Perhaps it's because filters give fresher water and for newly hatch, they also provide micro critters - thus fry gather in and around them.


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