Molly Fry Growth

[guns286]

About 3 weeks to a month ago I discovered 3 molly fry in my 75g community tank. Someone here advised me to get them seperated from the rest of the tank inhabitents or they might become a meal. I got a small, 6" x 3" square, hang-in-tank basket that is now their new home. I figured that when they grow up enouph, I will put the back out. The problem is that in almost a month they really have'nt grown that much. I've read other threads that talk about how quickly they get bigger, but mine are'nt. I feed them well and I know they eat it cause I watch them. I bought algea waffers for my Amanos (my 3 year old calls them shrimp cookies) and the mollies seem to love them too, so I break alittle piece off for the fry, along with powdered flake food. I've always heard that fish grow to fit the tanks they are in. Am I stunting their growth by keeping them in the small fry basket? Or, is there something else I should be doing with them?

 

[cwt]

What else is in the tank that might eat them? Your 'my tanks' doesn't say.

I had my cory fry in one of those baskets, and while I wouldn't say it stunted their growth, it did enable them to hide under the plastic frame of it and do nothing all day (lazy kids, heh). Eventually the basket got covered with algae, and I set the fry free and tossed the basket. 3 survived and are still around today. Doing it over again, I probably wouldn't keep them in there that long... the water circulation in those isn't that great, and waste will accumulate. A separate fry tank might be better.

 

[martiniduck]

My mollies have all grown fast in the basket. I have feed them "Hikari First Bites" form Petsmart. Then when they get a little bigger, I feed them the regular flake. I have kept them in there, until I gave them away weeks later and about 4-5 times the origianal size.

 

[Evilameba]

those baskets dont let much water flow through them. as a result, food and wastes stay in there, the water in the basket gets dirtier and stunts the fish. put them in a large tupperware container or something, use tank water and add mature tank gravel. i used a basket with platy fry, only one survived and the little guy is still less than an inch long, almost a year old!

 

[mfdrookie516]

i bought a 10 gallon for that exact reason... i had heard so many horror stories of breeder baskets and boxes, it was worth the $5 on craigslist and when they get ready to have their babies, or once they do, i just put them in the 10 and they have all the room to grow, plus it has its own filter and keeps the water nice and clear... i just took an old fish net and cut the netting and covered the filter so they didnt get stuck in it...

 

[aarongalvan]

Fish Net

i bought a 10 gallon for that exact reason... i had heard so many horror stories of breeder baskets and boxes, it was worth the $5 on craigslist and when they get ready to have their babies, or once they do, i just put them in the 10 and they have all the room to grow, plus it has its own filter and keeps the water nice and clear... i just took an old fish net and cut the netting and covered the filter so they didnt get stuck in it...

Like the idea of the Fish Net... I have a 10 gallon breeder tank and I have 5 growing mollies! They grow super fast. I'm sure I lost several; they probably got eaten by the Filter.

 

[mfdrookie516]

it just kinda hit me one day, i said wow, its a wonder these guys havent ended up in the filter... then i saw a net that i had ripped, so i cut it, put it over the intake, and zip-tied it on... everything goes up through the netting, except the fish i might just patent that idea... of course im sure somebody else has already done it too

 

[martiniduck]

I cut up one of my wife's new nylon stockings and did the same to the filter intake. The first time my mollies gave birth. It worked as well.

 

[mfdrookie516]

martiniduck... how did the wife take it? my fiance absolutely hates MY aquariums, i can just imagine what would happen if i cut up something of hers to use in one of them lol

 

[martiniduck]

Your's too. I keep my tanks extremely clean, but she thinks fish tanks are dirty. It's a mental thing. If it wasn't for her, I probably have the house full of tanks, it would probably become an obbsesion. I did not tell her about the nylons, I just took it. She probably thought she lost it somewhere.

 

[mfdrookie516]

oh... good idea lol... i do have an obsession... it started with one, has developed to 6 over a 2 month period!!! she refuses to touch anything that has been in the tank, and the only thing that keeps her happy is having her blue and pink gravel and petsmart decor in "her" 55 that i take care of... she occasionally feeds them by pouring a little food in the lid of the container, opening the lid with the net, and hurridly removing her hand from getting the "nasty" water on her lol... she finally agreed to let me post all of my tanks but one on craigslist so i can buy a 125 that i found... im so excited

 

[martiniduck]

Good luck with the new tank. It's nice to know I am not the only one with a wife that has an aquarium issue.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yeah, for the most part, i dont think were alone... i know spoonman and hn1 both get alot of help from their wives... must be nice lol

 

[aarongalvan]

I just got into fishkeeping... maybe a couple of months ago! My wife thought the little ten gallon was cute; then I came home with a 55 gallon, now I am getting a 30 gallon hex tank for some dwarf pea puffers! I think she is starting to lose her "cute" thoughts about it!

 

[mfdrookie516]

im in the same boat... i got my first one the day after i moved in where i live now, on june first... my fiance liked the first one, then thought the second was a bit much... now with six she is on my butt to get rid of some... im currently working on trading all but one (my prized 55) for a 125... she said she doesnt care how big they are, just how many lol