Hank
> My limited experience agrees with Hank's. Our Praecox,
> at least in a relatively roomy aquarium, were/are
> quite tolerant of fry, if they are well fed. They
> could well be called, "the guppies of the
> rainbowfish."
>
> I began keeping rainbowfish after keeping killies. I
> too tried keeping rainbow fry in small containers, a
> la the killinuts. It didn't work for my Madagascars.
> (And then my son directed me to the half dozen tiny
> Madagascar fry coasting along an inch or two from the
> small power filter intake on the parent's 20-gallon
> tank.)
>
> Killie are amblers and aquarists get by, raising them
> in smaller tanks, though they would be impressed if
> they raised the same fry in 20-longs. That isn't
> always possible I realize.
>
> But your rainbows are swimmers, not amblers and even
> the fry need space. Their mouths are so small (even in
> the case of larger looking fry such as the Bedotia)
> that they need the tiny powdered fry foods such as
> APR, Tetra egglayer or one of the many other new foods
> commercially available. I found it useful to set them
> up in greenwater tanks, with lots of snails to clean
> up the extra powdered foods. They can browse the
> protists in the greenwater when not feeding on the
> powdered food. The greenwater's photosynthetic
> properties may also keep the water a little safer.
> Militant and frequent small partial water changes, as
> they grow up, doesn't hurt. YMMV
>
> I still transgress in keeping the smaller rainbows in
> 20s with power filters. Once in a while a larger tank
> is available. I would be interested in what others use
> for their adult rainbowfish. Hank mentioned dropping a
> praecox mop in a rearing tank. How big do people go
> with grow out tanks?
>
> Thanks and all the best!
>
> Scott
> Park Forest, IL
>