Is it wrong if I want fry to be eaten?

A quick recap: 26 gallon tank, 2 dalmatian & 2 creamsicle molly, 2 red wag platy, 1 cardinal tetra. About 4 days after we brought home our mollies, the creamsicle molly had some fry, we have 3 or 4 living who are getting rather large and are able to eat the same food as the other fish. Today, a dalmatian had about a dozen fry and actually she is still giving birth as we speak. Looks like she's pooping, a casing is sort of around the baby, the baby squirms free and the casing floats off. All of the fry are VERY active. I think we have a male molly. 3 female, one male. He is skinnier and longer and has a different tale than the others. Should we take him back and get a female? I feel bad. I don't want to send him back to PetsMart where we got him. How horrible is that? But if I don't want my fish to reproduce, what am I supposed to do? I have never heard of neutering a fish before.

Oh. My. GOD.

Is it wrong that we aren't taking the fry out and am hoping that several get eaten? We're trying to fight the urge to MTS and we've already asked the local PetCo if they take molly fry and they said no, check the PetsMart. On top of it all, the creamsicle molly that gave birth about 3 weeks ago is looking mighty HUGE and about to burst. Is this totally unethical that we leave them in there? We did a 10% water change tonight and that's how we saw the little suckers in the back. Tested the water with the crappy test strips tonight and the pH is constant (7.6) GH & KH are at their normal HIGH, Nitrite 0, Nitrate >10. Tomorrow we are going to PetCo where I found the fresh water API Master kit. Should we get a "nursery" tank even if we don't want to keep any?

Help!!

 

I'd try to find some sort of smaller local fish store instead of a retail giant like petco, you may have more luck with the people there.

Otherwise if you really want to be humane, then yeah get another tank, you don't have to make it special just basically treated water heater and basically habitable enough, and when they grow you can bring em back into the fold in the reg tank.

Otherwise might be stuck axing the fish if you can't find someone to take em off your hands. And wrong is definitely subjective in this case.

HMM, or what meen. said xD

 

No, many people let the fry stay in the tank - it's a healthy, natural source of protein for the other fish


edit: I don't think it is inhumane for fish to eat fry - it happens in nature.

 

You could get some fish that will eat the fry.

 

A lot of people get live bearers just to provide live food for their fish. So, no--if you don't want fry, then leave them in the tank. But I'm sorry to tell you that (depending on how many hiding places you have in your tank) you'll have more than you want to survive. I have way too many Mickey Mouse platys in my tank. I've taken some to my LFS, but I'm not very good at catching them.

So if you don't want your fish to reproduce, take the male back. But also realize that the females can store eggs for a while, so they still may have babies even after the male is gone. I think independent fish stores are better about buying fish from customers than the chains. My Petco will take fish but will not pay for them.

Good luck with your tank.

 

Has anyone had success in putting fry up for sale on Craigslist? I don't even want paid for them, I just would rather they have a good home.

 

Has anyone had success in putting fry up for sale on Craigslist? I don't even want paid for them, I just would rather they have a good home.

You can ship them to me I've got lots of hungry fish

 

Has anyone had success in putting fry up for sale on Craigslist? I don't even want paid for them, I just would rather they have a good home.

I don't think you'd have a problem finding them homes via Craigslist.

I also don't think you're going to be called inhumane if you leave them in the tank. Like Meenu said, it is nature.

This is one of those times when you have to decide what's best for you. We're all behind you whatever you decide.

 

Nothing better then fish fry, taters and cold beer

 

My Zebra Danios had some fry and I didn't notice until days later so it was way too late to do anything about it. But no, I didn't feel bad about it as it's just the cycle of life.

Thou, if I added a fish that I didn't know would eat my other fish than I'd feel bad.

Jack - I love tater tots.

 

You are fine letting them get eaten, if I get too many guppy fry I will put a couple in my other tanks, its nature.

 

You are fine letting them get eaten, if I get too many guppy fry I will put a couple in my other tanks, its nature.

But guppy fry grow up and make more guppies = MTS

 

I don't think it's inhumane or wrong at all. Except if you *see* one of your female bettas stalk and proceed to kill and try to eat a platy fry that you were trying to rescue. Then it's a little hard. LOL! However, my female crowntail betta conditioned to breed more quickly than I expected because she was getting a midnight snack of guppy fry from one of the pregnant females that was in her tank. I only noticed because the guppy's stomach kept getting smaller and the female betta started getting fatter. As others have said, find a local fish store to take the fry. Or sell them on Craigslist. That's how I got my guppies (they were free, but I've seen mollies, platies, guppies and various cichlids for sale on my local on several occassions).

 

Well, we decided to let nature take it's course. Today we have counted 5 fry. Most of the fry looked like they were definitely dalmatian, but one was creamsicle and dalmatian. Hope that one lives because that would be kinda cool to see. Thanks for the reassurance everyone. You've made me feel a lot better!