AnnT

Temp: 78 F; The tank has been set up since 9/13/09 - 10 gal
Tank has: Gold Molly, Black Molly, 2 Sunset Platys, 2 snails

I'm pretty positive my molly fish is extremely pregnant. I looked online and found this comment board about other people breeding molly fish, and read that the other fish ate the babies, how do I stop that from happening if I only have one tank? I have other tanks, but only the one with a pump and filter and everything. Is there like a divider I could buy and put in the tank and keep the babies on one side, the adults on the other? If not, can I put the babies in like little fish bowls or vases or something to separate them from the adult fish or do they need to be in a tank with a filter, pump, and a light? I have no idea what to do at all and would like any suggestions, whatever I can get really. This is my first time owning fish, so I'm completely new at this.

eiginh

You can buy betta dividers but make sure the adults have the bigger side or you can buy a breeder box which hangs towards the top of the tank. http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Pets.../T710219_55792

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore! Most pet stores or LFS ( local fsh stores) sell breeder nets. You basically remove the fry ( thats what the babies are called) and put them in the net untill they grow big enough to not fit in the other´s mouth. You could either put the pregnant mom in there and wait untill she gives birth or be on alert and pull out the babies when you see them.

ynaggo

Beware that molly can have up to 30 fry I believe, You can save a few of them in a fish net temporarily and buy a divider after but your going to have to let nature take its course.

thorpbrian

What do you plan on doing with the babies if they live? You can't put much more fish in that tank (MAYBE, one more molly).

AnnT

I don't know. I guess I'm assuming some will die...can I sell/give the babies to petsmart or some pet store?

Tony G.

Sometimes local fish stores will accept the fry. Though not always, so start looking for a place that will take them. If you want nature to take it´s course then i suggest you et the fry stay in the main tank with the parents. That way the strongest will grow. Mollies are constantly having babies, so i am sure after a while you´ll just leave the fry in with the parents. You could also invest in a larger tank ( check craigslist.com or kiji) for available tanks. There are some really good deals there, so if you plan on upgradng you can get used tanks in good shape for a good price.

thorpbrian

Also, since you say your new to fish keeping, and the tank has only been set up for a month, did you properly cycle it before putting fish in? Do you have a test kit to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates?

If not here is a thread with helpful beginner's tips:

READ FIRST: Freshwater Beginner Important Topics

Shawnie

OK everyone! lets welcome AnnT to our site dont overwhelm her with information and lets try to answer her specific questions....Thank You!

welcome annT !

bolivianbaby

Welcome to Fishlore

If you have any plastic plants in your gravel, pull a few out of the gravel. The mother molly will have them in there and then you can scoop them out and put them in the breeder net from there We use live plants for our livebearers, but sometimes our plastic plants will get uprooted (we have some pretty active fish) and the "mommas" will have their fry in the plastics.

Hope this helps and we're glad you're here

Lucy

Hi Ann Welcome to FishLore
Maybe a DIY divider like this would work?
Dividing a tank for betta's..fun and low cost
A breeder box or net as suggested above would be a good idea.

I don't have live bearers, but I'm guessing a bowl or vase wouldn't be a good idea, they would need warm water and room to grow.
Maybe you can use your extra tank as a grow out tank?

Be sure to share pictures and best of luck with your new tank

Meenu

Hi Ann,
Welcome to FL, you've come to the right place. These people are awesome at helping with aquariums.

BB, you hit 3000 posts, congrats!

Tony G.

Good point! you coud set up the extra tank and just buy a sponge filter for it, theyre perfect for fry since there s no way they can get sucked up by it

bolivianbaby

I didn't even see that, Thank You

jdhef

I would congratulate you, but that was so six posts ago!