Cleaning tank with Fry babies

  • Hope you’re all well! I’ve been looking into how best to clean a tank and separate the fry from the adult parents with a lot of mixed advise. The parents are two Cichlids and seem to be caring for them. Right now the fry are still squirming around on a castle decoration too small to swim and occasionally one of the parents will mouth brood them, or pick them up if they fall from their place. How do I clean my tank that’s starting to get dirty with algae without upsetting the fry and parents? I have two snails in there that seem either uninterested, or that the algae is too much for them too eat.

    Thanks!

  • Do you know what type of algae it is? You can always try to capture the female (she will suck all of the fry up in a sense of danger) and place her into a smaller tank or somewhere while you clean everything else. Then when you place her back in the fry should be good and the algae should be gone.

    Or try to just run it all off with like a sponge you use to clean dishes with while they are in there if that works.


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  • That is a good idea! Or try to get a huge net and push her in since the fry should stick to her. Then you will be able to grab them all at once.

    Let us know if the mason jar trick works!

  • That’s also a good idea! I tried to fish her up from the tank but she’s like a bullet. I’m thinking about puttin a mason jar in there and just pulling it out at night when they all rest in it lol

    Do they ever rest at all? I haven't seen mine take a moment of rest. It's quite frustrating trying to get them caught up. Would it be possible to do it during their feeding?

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