new milly just had babies

Question
A new molly fish introduced into our neighbor's aquarium just had babies. There is a black molly that was already there. Sometimes other fish will eat the babies right? I told them to get a glass full of the aquarium water and transfer the babies into it. Please advise.


Answer
Hi Belinda;

Yep, the other fish love to eat babies. It is said that mollies eat babies much less frequently than other livebearers, but they can and will if given the chance. Whatever container they are moved to must be with a filter and heater. They will die in just a small container also from lack of oxygen and waste build up. There are a few ways to make them happy, any one of the following will work.

*A breeder net or box that hangs on the inside of the aquarium. They have holes or slots to provide ventilation and heat from the aquarium water, but they are safe from the other fish.

*Another tank for only the babies to use. Make 25% water changes daily so they will grow fast and can be added to the main tank as soon as possible. They will want the baby tank to be available for newer babies quickly. The mother can have more in 30 days, even if she has not been with a male. She doesn't need to breed with a male before subsequent batches of babies. She will store the sperm from the male for 6 months or so. Using original aquarium water is a good idea. It helps avoid extra stress. They can use 50% old and 50% new if they set up another tank. Make sure they use water conditioner. Lots of water conditioer will also help the fish get through the break-in period that lasts 6 to 8 weeks.

*Lots of hiding places like bunches of live plants in the main tank so they can hide. This is a good solution for times when another tank isn't possible. The babies will also feed on tiny microscopic organisms that live on the plants. Plants should also be abundant in a breeder tank or baby net if they choose to do that instead. They may not all survive even with hiding places, but their chances are greatly increased.

Feed the babies tiny bits of crumbled fish food several times a day. Extra tank cleaning will be needed for this reason. Just like humans, baby fish can be oh so messy!

Is the main tank big enough to accomodate the babies when they become adults? For 2 adult mollies it has to be at least 4 gallons. Then once the babies get to be adults, each fish needs at least 2 gallons of room in a filtered and well maintained tank.

How long has it been set up? If new, or set up less than 8 weeks, they need to make plenty of water changes (3 times a week) so the fish will survive the break-in period.

These questions are important so we know if they can all live together long term as they grow up. Let me know as soon as you can. I have more suggestions that will help them get through it if they need it.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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