baby lyre tail mollies

[terryeckel]

hey everyone,

i've had several threads on here since starting up a 16 g tank. i started with 2 lyre tails and they're doing fine. two days ago we started seeing babies ( thanks petsmart ) we,ve 14 now. i have never had babies before. just a few questions. how long till they get any size to them ? what's the normal surval rate and how should i feed them ? any recomendations about water changes ? i use a python and clean the gravel every few changes and don't want to vacuum them up.

thanks

 

[bettaowner]

I think it will take at least a month for them to reach adulthood. They will eat baby brine shrimp.

 

[AnabantoidLover]

Survival rate has a few factors. Water quality, any other fish in there, parents occasionally eat their own young so it's a good idea to provide some thick plants for the babies to hide in or get a breeding trap to isolate them from their parents and of course there will be the odd weak baby who won't do as well and may die. Most adult mollies from pet shops are already pregnant, it's the joy of live bearers. Feed mine crushed up flakes. If you can get hold of it, baby brine shrimp is a favourite food of baby fish, I wish I had a reliable source for it.

 

[terryeckel]

thanks, my water is in good shape and the babies seem to be doing great. it's funny, when you first turn the light on in the morning you don't see a one, then they start coming out of the woodwork. how long should i wait to re-home and transfer into different tanks ?

 

[AnabantoidLover]

I usually wait for the to double in size or roughly 6-8 weeks before rehoming.

 

[terryeckel]

ok, thank you.