Queenserpentine Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Breeding Live bearers in a planted vs breeding net What do you think is morally right? Should young babies be nurtured in a community tank where all the sick are weeded out? or should people place them in breeding nets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I'm moving this out of Betta Hobbyists :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I don't think this is one that can be answered as having a morally right or wrong answer. Some say that natures way is to weed out the sick and unfortunate, but nature does not keep fish in enclosed containers, so others say we have created this environment and must continue to manage it for the best of its occupants. There are too many factors that have a bearing on each persons decision regarding this to make a blanket judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo oakley Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I have Guppys in a tank with young Oscars with lots of plants, they still manage to breed. I also have breeding tank set ups for my special colours, I don't use nets just lots of plants and I take mum out as soon as I see she has had her young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenserpentine Posted April 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 tbh! Sometimes i find that I can't live with myself if i don't put the fry in a net. I prefer doing this so that they get used to the communal environment and they can adjust to seeing the others. Speaking of which, I have one of my female tuxedo high fin platys in one now waiting to birth. *excited* Anyhow thanks for the opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canfeleq Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I colony breed most of mine. Tanks have lots of plants including Java moss. I don't remove the adults or the babies until the males start developing gonapodiums. I have lots of babies in the tanks at any given time, the adults don't seem to eat them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terribletegs Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 My experience is that I get better survival rates in a planted tank. In a net, it is difficult for the smallest fry to scavenge for food effectively. I breed my guppies in a 3' extra deep tank and it is heavily planted. I colony breed with 4-8 adults and I only take the adults out when I have enough babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbzy81 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 tbh! Sometimes i find that I can't live with myself if i don't put the fry in a net. I prefer doing this so that they get used to the communal environment and they can adjust to seeing the others. I was always taught, you don't interfer with them in the wild, so you shouldn't interfer with them at home. It's survival of the fitest just like in nature. If your tank is planted heavily enough & your fish are well feed, there shouldn't be a problem. Sometimes breeding nets can be crueler. If you put mum in when she's not ready she gets very distressed, starts releasing the fry before they're ready & they're usually dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenserpentine Posted April 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 my main fear is the two new mollies I got yesterday munching the babies. Thoughts on breeding traps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darennkj Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 I personally don't use breeding traps as I find it stresses the female too much. A heavily planted tank with a lot of space is best. Use to have sailfin mollies, swordtails and guppies together in a huge tank. I'm sure some of the babies (of all 3 varieties) were eaten, but most survived and they just kept breeding. In your case, might be a good idea to take the two mollies out and return them when the babies are a bit older? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 It is hard toplay a game of morals and ethics when you are keeping the animals captive in an unnatural environment to begin with. What happens in the wild is very unlikely to happen in our tanks. Fry have much more room to move and kide in the wild, and many more predators to deal with, and that sort of thing is hard to replicate even if you wanted to. It is really up to you how you handle the babies. I leave mine loose in the community tank, but I do have traps and the like for those special fish where keeping the babies alive is important. I have traps suitable for large guppies, no bigger. You can get traps suitable for larger livebearers, but they are not commonly available. You are best off using java moss rather than a V trap for them IMO. Be careful of traps and nets, the fry can get squished and crushed in nets and some of the plastic ones have very ordinary water circulation. If you use them, get one with some sort of built-in filter or something to ensure the water circulates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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