Convicts + tanks x fry = situation

[ThaDude]

So I'm a little torn on how to go about this problem.
I have a 20Gal that houses about 100 convict fry, measuring maybe 1cm.
I still feel they're too little to catch with a net, and aside that I have no real good ideas on how to remove ALL of them from the tank. Every scenario I create in my mind ends in disaster. The 20gal was intended for breeding, a 30gal rubbermaid intended for grow-out.

I moved the parents about 2 weeks ago to a six gal bucket, then 3 days ago a rubbermaid 30gal. My intention was to see if the parents fare well in the rubbermaid and check levels in a week to see if the fry could survive. Well yesterday I dropped the thermometer in the tank, and today i see the male has dug out a nice cave for his plump female under the thermometer.

I'm wondering if I should move the parents back to the 20gal they've previously redecorated or just let them do their thing in the 30gal rubbermaid. The convicts appear really white (stressed) oppose to their darkness and bright colors during their last breed session in the 20gal.

*-begin babbling-
also, what after that? move wrigglers in with the 3 week olds, or seperate, or maybe get another rubbermaid with a diy filter for both... or should i just let the new batch get big until i can move in the last batch and then switch the parents back to the 20gal...
*-end babbling-

The options are overwhelming me and disaster situations keep playing out in my head.. any suggestions?

-EDIT- Also, another factor being, the heater in the 20gal is 82deg, the 30gal heater WILL NOT exceed 78deg.
I know the heat makes them hot, so to say

 

[BigDaddyMagnum]

well before you continue.. be 100 percent sure you want convict babies, i have a breeder pair myself... but when those little convicts get bigger they will need alot of space, secondly once parents begin to re spawn they will kill the previous babies seeing them as threats...... so now that there seperated from the babies u shouldnt re introduce them......

 

[ThaDude]

110%!!!!! I own a Guyana Rhom (piranha), so it's clean food source without thiaminise [sp]
$80 1 time oppose to the $15 i was spending bi-weekly/weekly. And they say there's no such thing as a free meal.

I wasn't talking about reintroducing them to the parents, the parents would remain alone, as they have. I was talking about intermingling the two fry batches once they're of size in order to free up the 20gal for the parents, their intended home.

 

[Citrinellus]

Tank the parents out of the 30g. Siphon the fry into the 30g. Then reintroduce your convict pair to their original abode.

 

[ThaDude]

I have medium large substrate. When siphoning, how would I avoid the lil ones from falling into the substrate or drying up?

 

[Thedaniokeeper]

remove substrate first?

 

[sk8zeroatskewl]

i had the same situation with fry i wanted to eliminate the over breeding problem so i just fed them to my fish but convicts will tolerate just about anything they have withstood imense temp changes my fry actually have a malfunctioned heater so the tank would fluctuate between ninty and seventy and they just kept rocking and turning out fry. i dont believe you will loose any of your live stock on any of these cenarios so feel fry to experiment with living combinations my two breeding pair actually churned out 4 batches this year so they will just keep on going

 

[bgcoop8784]

i always just left the fry in my 2 29 gallon tanks with the parents untill they were about a week old, then just used the gravel vac to syphon them into another 29 gallon that i feed out of, i was keeping 2 breeding pair that way i always had plenty of feeders.

 

[packer43064]

I have medium large substrate. When siphoning, how would I avoid the lil ones from falling into the substrate or drying up?

I usually just bang the tank a lil so they will get out of the way. If your siphoming into a bucket then just net them back into the tank if you get any. Fry are hardy little fella's.

i always just left the fry in my 2 29 gallon tanks with the parents untill they were about a week old, then just used the gravel vac to syphon them into another 29 gallon that i feed out of, i was keeping 2 breeding pair that way i always had plenty of feeders.

I've done the same, about the easiest way.


OP: I would do as someone else said and put the fry into the 30 gallon just because they will have more room. A 20 gallon just for a breeding pair of Convicts will do absolutely fine. Just put the pair into a bucket then gravel vac the fry in the 20 into the 30. Just straight from the 20 into the 30 gallon if the 30 is lower than the 20 tank. Then put the pair back into the 20. Sure you might lose some, but nothing is perfect. Plus your pair will have more fry in no time.

 

[Diaster]

Just siphon the fry from one into the other no need to net