Raising Fry

[ab92]

Hello everyone,
I just added some mollies to our tank yesterday, and this am I found babies swimming.
I took them out and started my old 10 gallon tank.
I added a heater and filter.I tied a nylon stocking around the filter tube intake so they won't get sucked up.
The fry are clear 'reddish in color.
Only two fry swimm at the top and eat, the others just stay at the bottom, are the eventually gonna eat or are they sick?
I'm new to this and could use some pointers, any advice is appreciated,

thanks

 

[Menagerie]

Get some fry bites--they sink. As the fry get older, they will swim around more. There is a chance a few could have defects that affect their swimming, so keep an eye on them.
Your Mollies will probably have more fry in the near future. Female livebearers can store sperm. The only way to ensure no fry is to keep only males.

 

[aridiar]

It could be that they are eating something else, tho I would get the sinking food just to be sure. My mollies will eat algea when there is some and will pick any food they missed off the decorations and gravel, so the babies could be doing that as well.

Most of mine (when I have them) stay at the top of the tank, but there are always some that hang out at the bottom. I'd suggest getting some duckweed to put in your tank, most LFS will let you have the stuff for free, and your new fry will hide in the roots at the top of the tank. Yours could be avoiding the top for lack of cover.

The first time mine had fry she only had a dozen (that I ever saw) and only two survived. This last time atleast 80 or 90 of them survived long enough to be taken to the LFS to be put in the planted tanks until they are big enough to sell.