In my cycling RCS tank, I put 8 .5 inch platy fry in there to cycle it. They were doing great with no signs of ammonia stress and that tank was turning out good. There's only one problem. I woke up this morning to find ask of my fry gone. They've not in the tank, not in the filter, and bit on the floor. I took out all of the decorations, still nothing. Sifted through the gravel very slowly, nothing again. Now I have an empty 10g wondering where the hell my fry went. Please comment and give me some suggestions on what could've happened. Last night only my dog was in my room, but my cats. But he's only 15 pounds and stands a foot tall when I have my 10g on a stand. When he does look at my fish, his paws reach the ledge of the stand and his had can never get to the top of the tank. Plus, there's a lid on the tank so he can't get his head in the tank anyway. I'm just really freaked out right now.
Platy fry just disappear with no predators in the tank.
- Thread starter Kiara1125
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In my humble opinion I don't believe it is a good idea to use fry to cycle a tank - they need (and I will quote you) "pristine" water and a cycling tank does not have pristine water. Also when cycling a tank the water is usually tested daily and as I remember, you need your LFS to do that, so that would mean daily trips there. As far as finding the bodies - difficult. I recently lost 2 otos and a cardinal due to a malfunctioning heater - I would swear they evaporated. lol
Evaporated, lol. Well I didn't really care about these fry since they were my cull. My original (and only) male Platy, that I got rid of, ended up breeding with one of his daughters. These fry were little incest culls. I didn't want them in my tank and seperated them from the rest of the fish once they were born. Well, more like I seperated the mother, kept her fry seperated, and then got rid of her just to be safe with my genetics. I don't like inbreeding especially since these fry had odd deformities like a bent tail. It didn't hurt them and they could swim fine, I just didn't like them.
My heater is an Elite Radiant Heater 75 watts and it's been running at a constant temperature of 82. As for the water checks, my dad refused to do that for me *cough* JERK!! *cough cough*
At least now I'm FINALLY on Christmas Break and I get 3 weeks off of school. Now I get to go to work with him and test the water dailly. The LFS is a 15 minute walk from where he works. The only problem is that there are idiots in Hammond that purposely try to run me over when I'm on the sidewalk. Still, it's great going there and my dad's manager doesn't mind having me around.
My heater is an Elite Radiant Heater 75 watts and it's been running at a constant temperature of 82. As for the water checks, my dad refused to do that for me *cough* JERK!! *cough cough*
At least now I'm FINALLY on Christmas Break and I get 3 weeks off of school. Now I get to go to work with him and test the water dailly. The LFS is a 15 minute walk from where he works. The only problem is that there are idiots in Hammond that purposely try to run me over when I'm on the sidewalk. Still, it's great going there and my dad's manager doesn't mind having me around. I know right!?!? But my dad is always complaining that I can get it tested at my lfs, but yet when I can't he refuses to do it for me. Instead he got my stepmom tons of expensive things for Christmas, while I bought my new tank myself. What did he get me?? A movie, and he might get me a new filter for my Goldfish tank since that thing is being stupid.
Hello; I have had similar missing fish but not so many in just a few hours with no known reason. Were there any snails in the tank? Snails will consume a dead fish pretty quickly, but that does not explain why they died. With established tanks available from which to get items coverd with beneficial bacteria for the new tank, the cycle should happen fairly quickly. Perhaps only one or two fish to start next time. I usually put only one fish in a new setup and often leave it for several days before adding any more.
Never trust a cat. While unlikely I have seen them try to catch a fish with their claws.
Fish in a new setup are sometimes eaisly spooked and some may have jumped out, but it seems unlikely that all would do so in so short a time. If they did jump the cat could have snacked on them when they hit the floor???
Keep thinking and checking. Sometimes an answer never is found.
Never trust a cat. While unlikely I have seen them try to catch a fish with their claws.
Fish in a new setup are sometimes eaisly spooked and some may have jumped out, but it seems unlikely that all would do so in so short a time. If they did jump the cat could have snacked on them when they hit the floor???
Keep thinking and checking. Sometimes an answer never is found.
Skjl, I didn't have snails in the tank and my cats never went into my room. Speaking of which, they don't have claws and they couldn't have gotten into the tank. There's a hood and there isn't a big enough ledge on the stand for them to get on, trust me I've seen them try.
I've learned about how amazing bacteria is, so I believe you KcMopar. Yes, 8 decayed platy fry should help feed the bacteria quickly, but I should probably stick something else in there too. I really don't want to put in a snail. Can I put some White Clouds in there?? I could always put them in my Goldfish tank if they survive.
I've learned about how amazing bacteria is, so I believe you KcMopar. Yes, 8 decayed platy fry should help feed the bacteria quickly, but I should probably stick something else in there too. I really don't want to put in a snail. Can I put some White Clouds in there?? I could always put them in my Goldfish tank if they survive.
Why buy more fish to kill them (you said "if they survive") just to cycle your tank when there are so many other ways? And about inbreeding fish, most fancy varieties of fish that are not the wild type are inbred, only they call it "line breeding"... Same thing with reptiles and amphibians...
Try culling them more humanely next time. And don't waste another life trying to cycle a tank you can easily cycle without killing anything else.
Try culling them more humanely next time. And don't waste another life trying to cycle a tank you can easily cycle without killing anything else.
Sorry. I didn't know that overnight I turned into an animal abuser. *rolls eyes* at least I don't do something like keep goldfish in bowls or bettas in small plastic cups.
I'll probably put some goldfish pellets in the tank. I'll be able to check the parameters on monday.
EDIT* I just found 3 fry!! I found then swimming at the top if the tank. I fed them some bbs and they seem fine. I'm keeping my eyes out for more, but I don't know how I missed these fry or where they were hiding. :/
I'll probably put some goldfish pellets in the tank. I'll be able to check the parameters on monday.
EDIT* I just found 3 fry!! I found then swimming at the top if the tank. I fed them some bbs and they seem fine. I'm keeping my eyes out for more, but I don't know how I missed these fry or where they were hiding. :/
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Seriously?!
"Cull humanely"? WTF? Is any way really humane? It's still just a fancy word for death. Atleast she gave them a chance...and fry are such a small bioload that generally they won't crash[or even cycle a tank off the bat unless they were bigger].
On this note, I'm sorry die hard fishless cyclers, but there is NOTHING wrong with cycling a tank with fish in...you just have to take precautions that said fish won't be hurt by the cycle...live plants help absorb excess ammonia/nitrites/nitrates & WCs also control it. Honestly, I wouldn't do it with a super sensitive fish and on that note, even cheap/blah ones need to be "prized" and taken care of cuz they're still living animals but if you're willing to work at it[which a tank is constant work, TBH], why not?
Kenny, you are my SAVIOR!!! I thought the same exact thing. what else can I put in there to help cycle it more?? I'm thinking about getting a male swordtail and breeding him with my virgin female platies. I found all of my fry, here's a video.
[video=youtube;29f55d4Sr3U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29f55d4Sr3U&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
what else can I put in there to help cycle it more?? I'm thinking about getting a male swordtail and breeding him with my virgin female platies. I found all of my fry, here's a video.[video=youtube;29f55d4Sr3U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29f55d4Sr3U&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
You are a lot better off using an uncooked or even cooked shrimp or two to cycle the tank. You do not need to do water changes for one. For two: the cycle happens faster because you are not water changing and removing the nutrients to help the cycle along. For third: you are not endangering your pets. Ok, and for the Fourth: of course you can cycle your tank with fish!!! Its just harder because of the water changes and testing every day, it takes longer, and you could harm your pets. Either way gets you the same result!! With the fish is just more work and more money. I for one have murdered more fish then I care to mention because I didn't know any better since I started keeping fish back in about 1978. Either way a person chooses is just fine as its their property to do with as they choose but, one should be aware that there are safer and quicker ways to cycle a tank these days. After all this is the age of technology and its at everyone's finger tips now as anyone reading this is doing at this moment. There are many levels of fish keepers out here and each has different ways of handling their property. Some have a monetary price on their pets and some have a right to life belief on their pets.
Also: A note to Kenny. I gave fish-less cycle options to her because the fry died pretty quick. This quick death would have been due to bad water parameters in most cases, and seeing that she does not have a test kit a fish-less cycle recommendation would have been appropriate for her situation.
Also: A note to Kenny. I gave fish-less cycle options to her because the fry died pretty quick. This quick death would have been due to bad water parameters in most cases, and seeing that she does not have a test kit a fish-less cycle recommendation would have been appropriate for her situation.
But the fry didn't die KcMopar!! They're alive!! But I might do that shrimp cocktail idea. I just hated it how MR started beating up on me and crap. I sorta know what I'm doing. I'm just asking the more experienced for advice. So I can just stick a piece of raw peeled shrimp in the tank?? How much would that be money wise??
I just hated it how MR started beating up on me and crap. I sorta know what I'm doing. I'm just asking the more experienced for advice. So I can just stick a piece of raw peeled shrimp in the tank?? How much would that be money wise??
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there are people who do use fish to cycle, but there are ways to do that humanely too with daily water changes to help keep params from spiking too badly and using live plants to help filter, and using filter media from established tanks to seed the bacteria into the new tank....
just because they are fish doesnt make it right to hurt them. you may see it as making some unwanted inbred fry useful (which btw most livebearers you buy at the store are prob inbred, most fish in general possibly due to the lack of new wild lines being introduced, so daddy to daughter is no reason to kill them. they live or they dont, but you need to give them the fighting chance to, you are not god) if everyone had the thought process like you, then a lot more fish would die needlessly than already do. and sadly there are no laws to protect fish from dumb people who think...its just a fish.
using a cocktail shrimp will cycle your tank faster than some fry anyways.
just because they are fish doesnt make it right to hurt them. you may see it as making some unwanted inbred fry useful (which btw most livebearers you buy at the store are prob inbred, most fish in general possibly due to the lack of new wild lines being introduced, so daddy to daughter is no reason to kill them. they live or they dont, but you need to give them the fighting chance to, you are not god) if everyone had the thought process like you, then a lot more fish would die needlessly than already do. and sadly there are no laws to protect fish from dumb people who think...its just a fish.
using a cocktail shrimp will cycle your tank faster than some fry anyways.