Black Molly had babies!

So my 2 year old has a 10 gallon tank with a 20gal filter. He used to have a comet goldfish but it got too big for the tank so we made it an outdoor pond. Instead we got a black Molly, a red wag platy and a sunburst platy. Well the sunburst platy was small and got sucked into the filter.

Now the black Molly just had a fry of 8 babies. I powdered flakes to feed them, I'm not worried about them being eaten as the other two fish aren't big enough to eat them. But I'm worried about them getting sucked into the filter. I unplugged it for now, and luckily they are just hanging around the heater, which I feel like I need a better heater since it's getting colder, and my heater only goes to 77.

Any advice would be so amazing!

 

Do you have any pantyhose/stockings to cover the intake? Preferably, you should get a pre-filter sponge anyway but until then, the pantyhose ( or other craft/mesh type of cheesecloth ) will also work.

The other fish may try and eat the fry - if you have some ornaments and or fake plants to give some cover, that will work.

 

You could put a nylon or sock around the filter so they can't be sucked in. But you would have to wash/change it regularly. However, they could still get stuck on the filter. If I were you I would just keep the the filter off for the next couples days so they can become stronger swimmers and then turn the filter back on with a sock.

 

Also, for optimal fry growth I would suggest getting a new heater as they like higher temperatures.

 

Thanks you guys! a mesh never occurred to me! I was thinking about a sponge or something. The only reason we have the really strong filter is because of how dirty the goldfish was. But with 10 fish currently in my tank I'm now glad again. My PH is about to go crazy!