With my 5 Albino Socolofi fry at 3/4" to 1"+ and with my beloved Lab. Hongi female holding, I'm planning to move the Socolofi to a grow-out tank and set up my 6G fry tank for the Hongi to hang out and spit.

This leads me to ask: what is the best grow-out tank setup for someone like me who is short on space?

I was thinking of setting up an Eclipse 12G because I like having the filtration and lighting all built in, even though access for water changes and cleaning is a pain. The Eclipse 6G has been a great fry tank. I can also get the Eclipses and their filter cartridges deeply discounted in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Is this too small and short-sighted a purchase? Allowing that the Hongi female is 3.5" and the Socolofi mom was barely 2", the Hongi clutch may be larger. Do I need to get at least a 20G to be safe?

Thanks, Derek, for your advice!

Pseudospecialops OK we gotta come up with a short form for you name!!How about PSops?

I would reccommend going as big as you can provide.If the tank is too small then the fry will stunt when they reached the tank limit (intriguing thought and may end up in another topic)

The larger the tank the bigger and faster the fry will grow out

Hope this helps and keep me(us) updating with the fry


Derek

Mongo likes to call me PSO to save typing, and none of us likes to argue with Mongo! ;)

Don

I grow my fry out in 15-45g's until 1" then put them in something 75-125g to grow out in the open water! I often strip mothers right into my adult paracyprichromis nigripinnis tank when they are safe to grow out and get mothered by them. I have had by far best growth results with them, a very good fish to be seragate parents as they protect them as their own, and their tanks often get fed 2 times a day with brine shrimp.