Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Fish > Mollie fry feeding, etc.

Mollie fry feeding, etc.

23 11:32:11

Question
Hi!  One of my mollies had babies 3 days ago.  I noticed them when I went to feed the tank in the morning, and figured that I would wait to see what nature had in store for them.  The mother was pretty beat up by the time I found her, and though I took her out of the big tank and into a 2 gal isolation tank, she ended up dying over night.  The following morning, I noticed that I only had to fry left in the tank.  Rather than put them into the isolation tank, I used my big cichid net and caught them in it.  Now they are safe withing the confines of the big net, with a plant floating with them.  but I don't have any fry food.  I fed them crushed flakes and crushed freeze dried brine shrimp.  

How long do I need to keep them in the net?  My community consists of 5 Tiger Barbs,4 Cherry Barbs, 2 Gold Barbs, a Pink Kissing Gourami, a young Clown Loach, Chinese Algae eater, and 3 mollies.  They aren't able to get out of the netting, so I know they are safe in it.  But one of my other mollies looks as if she may have her fry soon.

Can I put the new fry in the net with these two older fry after they are born?

How big do the fry have to be before they are safe from being late night snacks to my other fish?

What plants are best to have in the tank for them to hide?  I only found the two surviving fry because they were hiding in a LED nightlight casing and came out when I was feeding everyone.

Am I feeding them right? Or do they need special fry food?

Answer
they need to stay in the net until they are as big as the biggest mouth within the tank, otherwise like you say, they will become late night snacks..

i always feed mine crushed flakes and have a good survival rate (not all of them will survive)...but maybe because you have 2 they will...

depending on what size the larger fry are when the newer ones are born..they can go in, but if the older ones are bigger then no because bigger fry may eat smaller fry...but they will have to be quiet a bit smaller

they shouldnt need any plants...