Whitecloud Fry In My 100 Rubbermaid Stock Tank

I've had Whiteclouds in this stock tank for several years. They spawned some in the past and produced a few fry. This year they spawned a lot. The area in the video is maybe eight inches across. The fry seems to be everywhere you look. No filters, water changes, air stones, and only a pinch of flake food when the weather is warm none during the winter or rainy days.

300 Gallon Rubber Maid Stock Tank With Bluefin Killifish, Bronze Corydoras, and shrimp

300 Gallon Rubber Maid Stock Tank With Bluefin Killifish, Bronze Corydoras, and shrimp.

Much of the test is from answering questions on a Facebook group.

My 300-gallon stock tank is greening up again. Green water isn't a bad thing. Green water can be an excellent food source for tiny fry and makes fry more difficult for the adults to find and eat them. It does make it hard for me to see the fish.

I added a 12 Bronze Corys a few days ago. Two were adult females that were laying a large number of eggs without a male. I wanted to use some albinos I have that seem to want to spawn every morning, but I was afraid that they would be to easy for a predator to see when they come up for air. In the green water, the Bronze Corys are almost invisible.

I don't use filters, no moving water, no water changes except when it rains. I do add water to keep the tank full. 

If you have fish in the tank, you are not going to have mosquito larvae. Not for long anyway. Mosquito larvae will get eaten as well as just about any insect that gets into the water. If you have surface feeders, they will attack insects on top of the water.

It takes a while for the tank to become established. Once it does and the plants are growing well, the water is clear.

I would add that if you are going to do this, stock tanks are the way to go. The sun will burn up wading pools and plastic tubs. It would be best if you had as much shade as possible. Full shade all day, if possible. Full sun will cook your fish.

They design stock tanks for watering large animals on a farm. They make them form plastics that will sit in the sun for years without falling apart and withstand abuse from horses, cows, goats, and other farm animals. They have a drain built into them. I have one running now that has been in constant use since 2004.

A tub or tote you get from Walmart is made from cheap thin plastic that will not hold up to the sun. These tubs are not designed to hold water, and the sides will bulge. If the rim should split under pressure and sometimes do, you could come home to find your fish dumped out on the ground.  A large animal, dog or raccoon, could easily tip one over or break it.

Wading or kiddie pools are a little better. They will hold water well, but they will not last long. The edges will split eventually, and once that happens, the pool is toast. The shallow ones heat up very fast if they get any sun at all.