A discus breeder I knew, messed up my mind (such as it is) by changing 90-95% a day! However he was drawing water from a more or less temperature controlled reservoir through a carbon filter (to remove the chloramine and heavy metals). He's not the only one to do that. However those who do that 1. are running water which is the same for the fish every day. 2. The tanks have active filters already established. 3. The bad stuff should (cross fingers) have all been taken out by the expensive, often replaced, carbon filters.

I have several tanks. Their water chemestries tend to be quite different and I will use the covered jar water adjustment. Setting up a new pair or fry in a new tank will be done by putting a couple of inches of their previous water in the tank with them. Each day a slow siphon will increase the water almost to the point of doubling the water level. That is done until the tank is as full as I want it to be.

If a fish is moved into water which is a little harder than the water it was in, that is no problem. Likewise fish can be moved to water which is a little higher in pH with no problem. With a little acclimating in that jar, it shouldn't be a problem jumping or even dropping most of a number in pH a day. That will cover most moves from tank to tank.

If really drastic changes are abruptly made, the "osmotic pressure" of the water may be so different from what is going on with the fish that their gills begin to hemmorage. This can lead to short term or long term suffocation. That is also one of the things too much chlorine in the water can do.)

Even if they don't suffocate, they may be weakened and perish of something else. Sort of like someone with the flu getting pneumonia.

"you mentioned placing worms in a clean pickle jar. Is that just for storing them or do I place the mother in there to eat in the pickle jar."

LOL! My Bad! Sometimes I write something assuming others are visualizing what I'm thinking of. Mind reading requests are unfair. ;)

The idea is to put the jar in the tank. Then a few worms are put in there so that the guppies can snack on them as opposed to the fry. :)

There also used to be a gallon jar of worms in the refrigerator. Popular demand caused me to buy one of those worm holders so the blackworms could be unobtrusively slid onto one ofthose small shelves lower down in the refrig.  (And I learned - don't ever store worms in the refrig. in old yogurt containers!)

Looking at all you are feeding them, that need for a worm jar probably is not an issue. With the spirulina (?) in your veggie flakes it is unlikely that they will munch much on your plant. They may forage for microfoods on the leaves.

As previously mentioned, plants are useful in their own right though. (Maybe go back to a Sept 6th Log on this site on Guppy plants....) If they are cleaning all the food up, it is not too much. However...

With that militant a feeding schedule, you may find it to your fish's benefit to do a 20-30% partial water change - in your "spare time" - more than once a week.  (Take a look at What Do You Use to Season Water? Oct 29th)

"also how do floating plants work, just like they sound or is their more of a science to them.... it sounds too easy"

Well... you do have to turn on the light(s). :)  The number of hours is as important as the wattage of the bulbs. My lights are mostly suspended shop lights. They are on timers for about 14 hours/day. (Timers are for pre-occupied people too ditzy to remember to turn them on & off.)

You mentioned a fry tank which can over heat from the light. Do you have a thermometer in that tank? Will the lights work without overheating the tank if the top of the tank is open? Would those fuzzy four foot friends be curious cats?

As you mentioned those temperatures are around 80-81. You correctly don't want the tank warmer. Maybe lights off except for observation will have to be the order of the day.

There is a G.L. member who has sooooo much water sprite, they are ready to throw it away. Don't get too specific onlist, but what part of the world are you from? I can't make promises for others.

I'd loan my heavy duty box, but it's still in Puerto Rico.

I think we would agree that hornwort is ok. Water sprite though is terrific! It can be rooted in the gravel or floated. The leaves' forms will be a little to very different in those two nitches by the way.

Also though, if you gave a region, then maybe local Aquarium clubs could be recommended. You wouldn't have to join, but certain plants are like guppies. You either don't have enough or you have too many.

( I also found a fish sleeping on it {the pot scrubber unraveled} in the middle of the night.)

Just too cool!

Others will be more help when on the fry return. (I either leave them to grow up with the parents in a planted tank or remove them until they are grown.) Fry not being bite sized is a good rule though. :)

Skip the liquifry after a day or two if you can find a powdered fry food. (Sometimes you can run a finger through the dust on the side of adult food container sides. Tetra sells a little canister of livebearer fry food. Others must too.) And then there is mail order...

It's also a joy to share your joy over the fry. It's fun watching you grow in the aquarist's craft.

Thank you for sharing.

All the best,
u.s.

Actually, decant or drain a little of the water in the fish bag, set it in a quart pickle jar and add a little tank water. Watch a half hour TV show (like you've got time!) Decant a little more water. Double the water in the bag with tank water. Do the drain and add one more time, Then dump all of the bag water and add your fish to the tank or quarrantine tank.

Some "bugs" may still come in via the fish's skin or gut, but any disease innoculation from the shop will be much less.

Much of life is playing the odds. Always want to improve the odds for those I care about, even for the critters. :)

Oh and I'm so darn lazy, I use my fingers closed over the jar to drain it. (Don't try that with fry.) It's easier to wash hands than sterilize a net.

I was intrigued by Angelee's observation a while ago that her guppies were dropping at night - and I believe it was she, like you, who was checking at some pretty late moments. (Always minding the kids...) Guppygirl notes that her guppies drop often in the morning.

I wonder if there is an advantage to the guppy fry to be born in the gloaming before all of the other potential predators in nature or in a tank are active.

At any rate, feed your female(s) well on some meaty foods. Defrosted, rinsed, glassworms or bloodworms or a few live blackworms left in a clean (soapless) pickle jar could serve to fill her up, provide her with enough nutrients that to keep her from eating newborn fry. That is why the worm in a jar suggestion - she will almost always go for them before the fry. The worms are right there - and they can't climb out the glass.

"Waddling" guppies and platys don't hunt fry much. ;)

I had some livebearers drop the other day. In addition to their regular foods, they have gotten a couple of helpings of blackworms and even a couple small squirts of daphnia - which will swim around the tank, cleaning the water of algae and bacteria and even reproducing until eaten by the fish - hopefully in lieu of the fry.

If the other guppies and the platys in the tank are also well fed, they will be less likely to forage for fry.

What you have there will be useful in providing shelter. Roughly speaking, the more shelter you have, the more fry you will find will survive.

If you can locate it, Java moss is a terrific bottom plant and would be an excellent place for your fry to hide out and search for microscopic foods. (Even those clean, soapless plastic pot scubbers, unwound, can offer some shelter.)

However, some fry head for the surface. (They are somewhat phototropic and head for light.) Can you get some water sprite from another aquarist or some hornwort from a shop? Out of sight, out of mind is a good rule for somewhat hungry livebearers.

You considered isolating one or both of your female guppies. That will work, even without a lot of hiding places for the fry if she/they is/are really really full of alternative foods.

By the way if the potential guppy birthing is driving you nuts, just wait until the platy females start dropping two or three fry a day for a week or more. Their pattern is often much more spread out than that of the guppies! :0