I have fry!!! Now I need some answers...

[myriam]

So far there are 5 tiny fry swimming about and I'm sooo excited (as you all know I have been waiting and waiting for this moment...).

So I have some questions:

1) I have the mama molly in a divided area of my tank, so it's just her and the fry now. I don't know when she started giving birth, but obviously during the night because it was this morning that I saw the fry. Should I take her out now before she starts eating them? Is it pretty likely she will pop more out--she is still huge?

2) The last fry I had with the black mollies were black and were already good-sized at birth--like a centimeter. These fry are tiny and beige with black tiny tails and eyes. Is it possible she bred with my male platy? Or will the fry get bigger and darker as they grow?

3) When I move the mama out and put her in the regular tank, how do I feed the fry? They are all swimming at gravel level and hiding in the plants. I bought Hikari First Bites...if I put some in will they swim up or will they just eat the sunken food?

Thanks for your patience and help, everybody

 

[Terry]

myriam well done, concratulations.

Firstly if the female is still quite big i would say she is still going to have some more babies. This is like a catch 22, do i take her out or leave her in so she don't eat the babies. She is probably more concerned about giving birth at the moment, but there is a possibility that she will eat the babies.

It is possible that a platy has bred with her, but sometimes the babies can be smaller that before if she is carrying more.

When you remove the mother just feed the babies with some flake food, but crush it up really small.

HTH.

 

[webmoose]

Congrats myriam what do you plan to do with your fry?

 

[PhilMar]

My molly had 6 fry, and then let out another 7 all in my main tank. I'm new to this, so I had no idea to pull her out before she had them . I now have 5 left, but they are to big for the others (female sword tail) to eat them. Not that I have any knowledge about this, but I think you have more to come. 8)

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

The addition of java moss in the main tank will allow you to leave the momma molly in the tank PLUS provide shelter and a food source for the fry. The moss grows well in almost any water conditions and will allow the fry to hide amongst it until they're large enough to NOT fit into someone's mouth.

Your Hikari First Bites are an excellent choice for first fry food! I've had great results feeding it to my L. multifasciatus fry- and those buggers are tiny! You can also grind up your regular flake food for them to add variety in their diet.

 

[myriam]

Webmoose, I think I'd like a few of the fry to survive and become a part of my tank. Over that, I guess I'd try and see if the LFS would take them. I also have 3 pregnant platies! Hopefully mother nature will ensure that my tank won't get overrun with fry, but at the same time, there is a part of me that would love to see them all survive and grow up

Thanks for your help everybody.

 

[webmoose]

Hopefully mother nature will ensure that my tank won't get overrun with fry, but at the same time, there is a part of me that would love to see them all survive and grow up

I was thinking the same thing.. I looked at my tanks this morning and counted 7 - 1 month old fry. and about 26 under one month old in my tank... Now I am not so sure nature will help out... Soon I might have too much of a good thing....

Guess at some point I will see if any local pet stores are interested..

Experts: (stupid question of the day): Is this always an issue with any size tank and livebearer's?

 

[myriam]

I just counted 7 fry. They are swimming down in the gravel and plants, hiding a lot. The mum is at the top of the water, and still quite pregnant. So it's been 24 hours now since she popped these ones out...how many more hours could it possibly take for her to pop the rest out? I want to get her moved to the main tank before she wants to snack on the fry! I've been trying to keep her well-fed, even with extra treats like the bloodworms, hoping it will stave off her hunger.

 

[William]

I know how you feel.

I currently have 9 Molly fry, I bought a 10gal tank just for them and their all quite content in it.

I added a Gold Mystery snail, some large bundles of Java fern and such. They really like it


Altho selling them to your friends or in the classified may garner a larger return then selling them to a LFS

 

[myriam]

Webmoose, from what I've heard, if you have livebearers you can expect fry every 4-6 weeks consistently...yikes!

I moved the mum back to the main tank section. The fry aren't hiding so much anymore but they are still hanging out at the bottom.

I put a pinch of the Hikari First Bites in but the fry are all swimming at the bottom and don't come up. Any way to get them to eat at the surface? Or will the food sink for them to eat at the bottom?

 

[angelstiger]

I know everyone can't raise fish the way I do but, I always use a breeder that separates the mother from the babies, like a V-bottom. In my experience even well fed mothers eat their young. I even had one female molly just kill her babies and then spit them out (back in the early days when I thought net breeders were more humane).

As far as raising the fry. There is no substitute for a grow out tank. Even in a well planted tank, the babies will inevitably pop out in front of a hungry mouth. Solitude of a grow out tank also allow them the freedom to feed unmolested. They grow faster.