# Moving fry into another tank.



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

Is it safe to siphon and move 4 day old fry to another tank or container? 

I'm considering to move them into a shallower container so it can be cleaned easier. At the moment I have around 30 fry in a 3 gallon but I'm finding it difficult to clean the bottom of the tank.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I have moved fry that young (I just did the other day). 

All I did was use only water from the previous set-up, scoop them all out with a plastic measuring cup and put them in the tank. However, I have siphoned and used a turkey baster to move fry before. 

They never seemed the worse for wear because of it.


----------



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

Thank you for that. 

I might be able to scoop some out but they're all over the place plus they're so tiny its difficult to see them....

Do you use an air stone to aerate the water? I'm worried it might cause too much movement but I read it's beneficial.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I have only just added two small sponge filters to the grow-outs containing my older fry (around a week or so old). 

I do have one tank that has a big sponge filter going at a fairly rapid pace and none of the fry seem affected by that at all, even when they were still in the nest and became free-swimming. 

I am pretty tough on my fry. I do daily water changes and don't coddle them so the weak ones usually die early on. 

However, I don't think an air stone is necessary. Only reason I put the sponge filter in was the IAL makes my water go cloudy sometimes if there is no water movement.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Moving them at four days is extremely bad, as at that age they are very, very sensitive. I wouldn't risk it.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

My four day old fry are fine. I don't appear to have lost anyone because of the move. As long as the water is from their tank and you aren't chasing them around for an age trying to catch them, I see no issue with moving them. 

I have to move my fry at an early age if I don't want to risk them to be eaten by both/either parents as I don't have separate spawning tanks. 

I would say it was more of a risk if they still had their yolk sacs attached or weren't free-swimming. Even so I have moved fry that young (dad is a fry eater) and only lost around half of the very small spawn.


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Moving fry that young is very risky. The water parameters must be the same or very close. If you want to siphon them out (also risky) use bigger tubes. I wouldn't use airline tubes. . . it's true fry accidently sucked out during cleaning can be poured back into their tank, but IME intentional siphoning causes more damage (with airline tube). Make sure the water level in fry tank and the new tank are not too far apart thus reducing suction power.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

They are already in 3g of water.. why go less? Shortly you should be drip adding new water in the tank to give them more room so they can grow, as well as adding in a sponge filter (air stone isn't something normally used...). 

Personally, unsure if it is worth the risk to move them into something smaller than 3g just to have to move them once more into something bigger shortly.


----------



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

I decided not to take the risk and left them in the tank. Just been using a turkey baster to get rid of the gunk at the bottom. 

I fed them bbs last night and tried egg yolk today but not sure if they're eating. They don't seem to chasing or moving towards the food.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Can also use airline hose to siphon out the bottom.. be a bit quicker/easier to suck up the waste than with a turkey baster.. those are good more for spot checks 

Hmm.. do you have a magnifying glass to see if you can watch closer?
What temp is the tank set at?


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I would not move fry that young either. I find it risky! Though I don't go easy on my fry, I still give them the opportunity to grow :lol:


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Actually you don't have to clean the gunk during the first week. . . I don't, even when breeding in a 1g. I only siphon water and refill very slowly. When fry is big enough to spot, then I siphon gunk.

If you feed BBS, they won't usually touch non live food.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Wow all my fry must be hardy then as they are always getting moved out into separate tanks as soon as they become free-swimming. With me it is a necessity as some of my pairs are fry eaters. 

I also give them a day to settle in and then start doing daily siphoning and slowly add more water as I usually only start off with 2-4L. 

I think slow and steady is the key if you ever have to introduce young fry into a new tank. You really have to use the exact same water or acclimatise them incredibly slowly to avoid killing them all. 

I agree that usually if fry have access to live food they won't take food that isn't moving around. It's instinctive in them to snap at anything small and moving so if they have been feeding on BBS they probably aren't going to take the yolk.


----------



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

I tried siphoning with a small tube but getting around the tank is quite difficult because my small tank has supports at the top for the down drop filter and at the same time watching out for the fry in case they get sucked up too. I guess I have to be patient lol. 

Sorry, what I meant was I didn't see them chase after the live bbs. Not sure if they ate the bbs when they sunk to the bottom either. That's why I tried egg yolk. If I leave a IAL in there would that help grow infusoria? 

The temp is around 80 degrees fahrenheit.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

If they were eating the BBS their stomachs would look orange. If they are young (sounds like they are around the same age as my fry) then it doesn't really take much to fill them up. 

If there is excess BBS still swimming around at the bottom they should pick at this over the course of the day. 

IAL is great I have found at encouraging the growth of all sorts of fry friendly micro-organisms. You can put a couple in and let them slowly breakdown and this should provide some additional food for your fry.


----------



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

They don't seem to have any orange stomachs. 

I will definitely try some IAL then. Thanks


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

It could be that they are a little too small yet for the BBS. My four/five day old fry (not sure how they compare in size to splendens) are just taking microworms now. Up until then they were feeding on infusoria. 

I've found they have to be a titch bigger to eat BBS. Although I know some people feed it successfully to their young fry.


----------



## alunjai (Jul 29, 2012)

I left an IAL in there now but probably a bit too late cos it might take a few days before infusoria to grow? I should of threw in my old decomposed IAL from another tank into the spawn tank. I was worried it might foul the water.


----------



## Tracy7768 (Jan 17, 2013)

*Ial?*

What is IAL please?


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

IAL = Indian Almond Leaves. Its tannin is beneficial for bettas. You could substitute them with oak leaves, not as good but good enough if you don't have IAL.


----------

