How to - moss box

[beastie]

Hi guys . So I have a one liter breeding box ( for guppies or something) with slits in the bottom. I tried several times moving a clump of moss and pair of fish, or just moss filled with eggs, but it never amounts to anything and I always end up with snails, film on the surface, mess and no fry.

I thought the air exchange from the surface will be enough. Should I lift it up to dump the older water and the debries and fill with new? Wont that risk the eggs? How do you do it, without an airstone? Thanks

[Guppysnail]

Is there a reason you don’t want to place an airstone in the box? 
 

I have used small metal coffee strainers with styrofoam that airstones would not stay in to hatch eggs. I place it in front of high output canister flow. It helps but it’s not ideal. If I don’t remove the fry within a day or two they usually perish even doing twice daily water changes. The eggs also fungus more often than not without an airstone.  

[beastie]

Well for once right now I do not have any airpump free and the box is just so damn tiny I do not know how much would I even have to restrict the flow to the barest minimum

Also on the other hand I sort of hoped thanks to the holes in the bottom there will be some water exchange and the surface area to be large enough to promote oxygen but if not, I will have to wait with further experiments till I get some small airpump. I also have no idea where the snails come from, as they are never there when I put the moss in.

The reason why I am even trying is after my initial success with clown killifish and luminatus, I no longer have new fry. Either I feed too little ( I think my paramecium cultures crashed, will try to restart them after the holidays) or the juveniles are eating the youngest fry

[Shrimptanks]

Airstone would be your best bet and you regulate it with your usual valve that controls air in the line.   Bottom slits wont provide the surface agitation needed, nor water circulation needed for most egg hatching. 

If it had side slits, maybe placing it in an area by the inlet/filter would provide enough flow.

Maybe if you insist, you can do small manual water changes between box and aquarium but that sounds like a hassle and wont provide the water circulation needed.

 

Also in the case of live fish, most of the time its meant for pregnant livebearer females that are about to give birth.  Won't get much "breeding" behavior between spawning type fish in that small enclosure.

 

TLDR; Air stone best with airflow controlled by airline valve.

[jwcarlson]

If you need something smaller you could probably ram a pen through a smaller jar and put it the corner of your tank.  Might need to tape down the pen so if doesn't fall in.

Once the eggs hatch, though, that's going to be tough without water exchange.  But you might be able to rig something up cutting holes and plug the holes with sponges.