All My Fry Dead.

[OldMan47]

CCSKitten, the easiest way that I know to keep a filter like that ready to go is to move it over to one of your tanks that is full of fish. That filter will end up sharing the biological load with the main filter in that tank and can move to an empty tank in 5 minutes. It keeps all of your options open without the risks and smell of feeding an empty tank.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I would also like to add that molly fry (particularly black molly fry) often have better survival rates when a little marine salt is added to their water.

 

[ccskitten]

Thanks for the advise guys. I think it's clear now that I had made mistakes:

Putting them in the trap to start with
Letting my tank stand overnight (to check heater)
Adding flake to the tank
Not adding salt (I have plec, tetra and rainbow fish in main tank so can't add salt)

I must say that I truely believed that what I was doing was for the best and I've seriously had my confidence knocked since my fry have died. It's all part of learning from mistakes but if feels pretty poo!!

Anyway....

I'm still not sure what I am going to do with my pregnant platy. I still think she has about 2-5 days left. She is looking very bulky, has the visible white birthing tube, hanging more by the heater but not hiding....yet!! My tank is well planted and I should be having some floating plants (frogbit) delivered tomorrow and I have added a big pile of small pebbles to my tank so there is a cance that I would have a few survivors if I left her to it. However I would like to put some fry into my daughters tank.

My options: -

Move preg platy into 17 litre to give birth and move her out
Move some fry to 17 litre once born

What do you think is the safest way?

I have put the media that was in the 17litre back into my main filter and I will of course use a different piece of mature media next time and I have bought some stockings to put over the filter just in case.

What would you do and when?

Thanks again guys

 

[OldMan47]

Kitten, I don't want to get into a row with Tokis-Phoenix but I have plenty of very healthy mollies with no salt added to my tanks. The main thing that mollies need is a reasonably hard water and a pH well over 7.0. A marine salt will give you both because marine tanks run with a pH over 8 and of course with lots of dissolved solids. In my case, the water from my tap comes in at 250 to 325 ppm TDS depending on the time of year and with a pH of 7.8. I never add salt for livebearers, including mollies, because they really don't need it. They do need lots of dissolved solids and a decent pH. All of that said, mollies can thrive in straight saltwater like you might use in a reef tank so it won't hurt them if you have some salt. The Plec and tetras in my community tank also see high solids and high pH water and are doing just fine. I have no experience with rainbows to say what they might need. The picture earlier in this thread is a molly in a salt free tank with high TDS and 7.8 pH.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Kitten, I don't want to get into a row with Tokis-Phoenix but I have plenty of very healthy mollies with no salt added to my tanks. The main thing that mollies need is a reasonably hard water and a pH well over 7.0. A marine salt will give you both because marine tanks run with a pH over 8 and of course with lots of dissolved solids. In my case, the water from my tap comes in at 250 to 325 ppm TDS depending on the time of year and with a pH of 7.8. I never add salt for livebearers, including mollies, because they really don't need it. They do need lots of dissolved solids and a decent pH. All of that said, mollies can thrive in straight saltwater like you might use in a reef tank so it won't hurt them if you have some salt. The Plec and tetras in my community tank also see high solids and high pH water and are doing just fine. I have no experience with rainbows to say what they might need. The picture earlier in this thread is a molly in a salt free tank with high TDS and 7.8 pH.

as oldman47 said, salt is not needed, and can have perfectly healthy mollies without it.

my mate has brought wild mollies and livebearers from abroad, and they were in salty water were he caught them from
now have gradually got them into normal tap water over the last few weeks and they are thriving!!

and these are wild!

 

[ccskitten]

Thanks OldMan. My pH is a steady 8.0 and all fish seem happy.

What do you think about my platy? Do you think I should move her to birth or move the fry afterwards? I'm worried that a 17litre will be too small for her and the last thing I want to do is stress her out. My gut feeling is to leave her in the main tank but would like somebody elses opinion on this.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

move fry instead over to 17litre. but it wont be long before ull have to move them back out of there as its not alot of space

 

[ccskitten]

Thanks rock. The plan is to let 5-10 at a time grow out in there just so my daughter can call them hers.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Thanks rock. The plan is to let 5-10 at a time grow out in there just so my daughter can call them hers.

that wud be fine

 

[OldMan47]

You can do fine moving mother or fry. Fry are usually easier to catch, but if the drop happens when you are not around, you won't find very many to move unless you have lots of good cover.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Kitten, I don't want to get into a row with Tokis-Phoenix but I have plenty of very healthy mollies with no salt added to my tanks. The main thing that mollies need is a reasonably hard water and a pH well over 7.0. A marine salt will give you both because marine tanks run with a pH over 8 and of course with lots of dissolved solids. In my case, the water from my tap comes in at 250 to 325 ppm TDS depending on the time of year and with a pH of 7.8. I never add salt for livebearers, including mollies, because they really don't need it. They do need lots of dissolved solids and a decent pH. All of that said, mollies can thrive in straight saltwater like you might use in a reef tank so it won't hurt them if you have some salt. The Plec and tetras in my community tank also see high solids and high pH water and are doing just fine. I have no experience with rainbows to say what they might need. The picture earlier in this thread is a molly in a salt free tank with high TDS and 7.8 pH.

Thats true as well, but at the very least adding a little salt to the tank will do no harm and at the most it will have a beneficial effect.

 

[ccskitten]

Well oh dear, platy gave birth last night before the frogbit arrived! Found 4 fry tho. 4 seems to be the magic number.

I've set up the 17 litre again, cut a chunk out of my mature media for the filter and filled it with water from my other tank. The fry are currently floating on the top in a tupperware box I'm still using the same filter that came with the tank. I've set it on it's lowest setting and covered it with some tights.

I can't believe how much smaller platy fry are to molly fry.

Let's hope I can get it right this time!!

 

[nosoup4you]

Congrats on the fry!

 

[ccskitten]

Thank you no soup. They all look happy in their new home.

 

[OldMan47]

Best of luck with the new fry Kitten. You will need to get them out of the bucket and into that 17 litre as soon as the water in it is suitable. The small container will not be big enough for even 4 platy fry for more than a few days.