Breeder boxes

[Kelly S]

So... Why is the Ziss breeder box worth $35? Not being sarcastic; I'm a novice breeder. I have a $5 floating breeder/isolation box, and I was thinking of getting a second. Is the increased water flow significant? Is it that it stays put?

4 of my 8 molly fry have died in the floating box, but they were also born into the quarantine trio a few days after I bought their moms, so I don't know how good their odds of survival were anyway. (Going forward, I want to do some deliberate, selective breeding of mollies and platies.)

Thanks!

[gardenman]

I  use the Marina/Fluval hang on breeder boxes. The Ziss boxes cost more due to the way they're made with the fine stainless steel mesh embedded into the side walls. The fine mesh helps to keep fry inside the box while still allowing water circulation. The Marina/Fluval boxes use a grate that tries to trap the fry, but the grate openings tend to be a bit large and some fry can escape unless you add a piece of sponge or wrap the grate in some cloth. The Marina/Fluval breeder boxes use an airlift to pump fresh tank water into the box that then overflows back into the tank. Circulating water through a breeder box is important. It keeps the fry in the same water as their parents in the attached tank.

Edited February 12, 2021 by gardenman

[Maggie]

I have a cheap Penn Plax plastic breeder box. It works ok, but I attached a piece of fishing line to reduce the possibility of it tipping. I only bought it in case of emergency (finding fry of egg scatterers) and use it now for my danios. If I were going to breed purposely, I'd get a better box. 

[Andy's Fish Den]

I have both the Ziss breeder box and several of the Marina ones, and to be honest when I buy another, I will just go with the Marina ones. I don't think that it is any better than the Marina boxes for the money. I also put an extra airstone inside the breeder boxes when I am using them to add extra aeration, just run the hose through he hole that's in the lid. 

[Hobbit]

16 hours ago, Kelly S said:

Is the increased water flow significant?

I don’t have the Ziss box specifically but I have a similar one, and to me the increased water flow (from the air hose pumping water into the box) is the single most important feature. I’ve used homemade hanging boxes without any kind of water flow support, and unless you’re very careful about constantly cleaning and making sure there’s good flow around the box, mulm and biofilm eventually clog the mesh to the point that the water inside fouls and the fry die. I’ve had it happen fairly quickly, within 12 hours. The air pump system prevents this.