naomi_l5

Hi Guys,

I need some help, my mollie fish has just had babies, this is the first time i've had fish and only had them a month if that - i didnt realise when i got her she was pregnant just though she was a bit bloated !

Neway i have a few questions as i have NO idea what im doing so hopefully someone out there will know !

Just need to know...

a) should the mother be kept with them

b) what do i feed them and how many times a day ?

c) how long til they can go back into the tank ?

Please help !!

Thanks loadssssssssssss

x

woodsplace1

sure wish I could help you naomi...I am in the same delimma as well, my little molly is preg and about to deliver her fry. I have just as many questions as you do. I am pretty sure you will need to keep the baby away from all the adult fish until they can't fit into any of the adult's mouths...(apparently they will eat their own, ironic) you should put the baby in a breeder net or box and feed it very small amounts of fish food, (crumble up the food you have and feed it about 3 times /day) she will prob have more babies so keep an eye out, there might be some hiding out in plants if you have any...like I said, watch out for the other fish, they do eat the babies
keep up the good work and congrats, can't wait until my little one has her own little ones as well!
If I am wrong on any of this info, I am sure someone will chime in and let us know!

vin

The first thing you need to do is put the fry in a breeder net or a breed-n-show tank. This sits in the community tank, but keeps the fry away from adults which may eat them. Prefer a large breed-n-show. This has a divider so you can separate two adults and a grate on the bottom where the fry fall into the bottom away from the mother after birth, but it's all up to you. As long as you can separate the mother from the babies after a day or two.

Second, the easiest way to feed your fry is to take a zip lock bag and some flake food. Put a small amt. of flake food into the bag and crush it into a powder. Then, get a wooden toothpick and dip it into the water. Dry it lightly so that the tip is still moist. Dip the moist end of the toothpick into the powder and then into the water. This will dispense just enough food for the fry. Do this 2-3 times daily. If you can't do it 3 times, twice will do. They won't starve.

As they get a little bigger, you don't have to crush the food as finely. In about 6-8 weeks they should be large enough to move into the community tank. By that time they should be about 3/8"-1/2" long and no longer look like a food source to the larger fish.

Have fun and good luck.

Jason

Great advice peoples!