raising molly fry in main tank

Question
Hi Karen,

I have a 10 gallon with 3 mollies, 3 platies, and 2 guppies.  They all get along pretty well, although sometimes my guppy likes to chase my molly.  My black molly just recently gave birth to some fry.  I counted about 6 in total.  I'm pretty sure that she is a first time mother=)  Anyway, I want to leave them in the main tank.  I am a little worried about the feeding, as I have tried to ground up some flakes and the other fish beat them to it.  I also have quite a bit of hiding places for them (I think).

Got any suggestions on how to care for them?  I'm planning on letting nature take its course, while trying to raise them as much as I can.

Answer
Hi Judy,
As long as the fry have plenty of places to hide then I believe that they will be fine. Try putting the food at different intervals throughout the aquarium. Or distract the fish with some food on one end of the tank and give the fry a chance by putting some food near them also. Stir the flakes down in the water (you might already be doing this) so the fry can get to it easier.

The two main things to pay attention to while caring for molly fry is their water and their diet. Keep their water nice and clean with frequent water changes. Twenty-percent taken out everyday does wonders for their growth. And feed them as frequently as you can. All baby fish do well with several small meals a day rather than just one or two big meals. Ideally 6 small meals a day is best but you can get by with 3-4. Remember to feed small portions, just enough for each fish to get 1-2 mouthfuls. That's plenty enough.

You'll be surprised at what survivors molly fry can be in a community tank. They do extraordinarily well even under some bad circumstances. I've had molly fry survive and continue to grow even amongst potentially large predatory fish!

Best wishes and I hope this helps!
Karen~