Ballon Molly Fry

[Kevinator]

I went to clean my tank last night and to my suprise my wife spotted a Molly fry!! It was the only one we saw. We have in a breeder net. We are not sure how old it is or how to feed it for that matter. Can anyone take a guess at the age? Also how do I feed the little guy??? Should also aquire a small tank for him to grow?

 

[Xavier]

i can't really tell how old it is from an aerial view but you can feed him baby brine shrimp. You can also put some fish flakes in the corner of a small sandwich bag and rub them into a powder, then dip a toothpick in the water , then into the bag ,then into the water again to feed him.

 

[Kevinator]

I did smash some food up and feed it like that? Is there any fry food out there I can buy?

 

[FastestFishy]

When my platy had fry, I heard of something called liquifry but when i went to my LFS I couldnt find any. I feed them bloodworms and Baby brine shrimp and they are doing just fine with them.

 

[connorsbala]

I feed mine microworms, baby brine shrimp, liqufry fry food and crushed up flake food when theyre bigger

 

[kpintheshed]

i had the same fry as you i had 12 i just crunched the flake food so its small enough to fit in there mouths and they ate it. then later on i fed them baby brime shrimp. liquid fry is good but make sure you put in the recommend because alot of people put to much in and worms appar.

 

[FastestFishy]

where do you get the liquifry i tried looking in LFS's aroud where I live and I still couldnt find any!

 

[kpintheshed]

maybe you should ask them to order it for you. at mine they have 3 different ones

 

[FastestFishy]

k thanks ill do that next time i go there

 

[Kevinator]

Does anyone have any idea how old it is?

 

[SnBMeg]

On the day they're born, balloon molly fry are about 4-5mm in length; on occasion you might get slightly larger individuals, who are born at around 6mm. They grow very quickly for the first few weeks, if they have enough food and space. Based on your photos, I would estimate that your fry is likely anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks at most. If you can get an accurate measurement for its length, I may be able to narrow down the age estimation a bit.

I've had good results with feeding Liqufry the first few days, then transitioning to powdered flakes (I just grind up regular flakes with a small mortar/pestle set; you can buy powdered fry food, but it's quite expensive compared to just "making" your own), and moving to a combination of flakes and frozen foods when they're large enough. Even when they're too small, I may drop in a tiny frozen brine shrimp, so that they can get a taste for it. I typically feed young fry at least 3 times daily.

If you can get a small tank for him/her, that would be great! The fry will likely be fine in the trap for a few weeks, but the more space you can give it, the better. A 5 or 10 gallon tank will work well until it's large enough to move in with adult fish.

 

[clinton ><>]

i just bought some hikari first bites they are amazing all my fry have grown rapidly since i started feeding them it

 

[SnBMeg]

i just bought some hikari first bites they are amazing all my fry have grown rapidly since i started feeding them it

That's the same brand of powdered fry food that I was thinking of.

I still have several packets of it, and it does work quite well, but given how little there is for the amount it costs, I personally prefer not to use it. It probably is formulated to have more of the nutrition that fry need, but it can be a matter of that slightly better nutrition vs. its proportionately much higher price compared to that of regular tropical flakes.

If price is really important to you, I would suggest going with crushing flakes rather than buying special foods, especially since you can also supplement fries' diet with natural foods that you prepare at home. And if you really want your fry to have the best possible nutrition, you're really better off making your own food(s) for them--most commercial fish foods are made with the producer's costs being the primary consideration, rather than what would be healthiest for the fish, which is why the first ingredient in many fish foods is some grain byproduct or somesuch, rather than vegetables (like algae) or meat (like fishmeal).

I'm not trying to slam anyone for using the commercial powdered fry food: certainly, not everyone has the time or desire to go those extra lengths to make the "ideal" food. If that's your best option, then definitely use it! It is a good food for fry, and all I'm saying is that there are healthier, more balanced options out there if you want to use them.

 

[tizzame]

Sorry to highjack this thread but wasn't sure where else to put it and seeing as my question is about my Balloon Molly i figured it would ok to put here .

I Have 2 Orange Balloon Mollys One male one Female ( or so the shop told me ) . How on earth can you tell if the female is Pregnant ?? That may be a silly question but her belly is already huge . I have noticed that she seems to be getter a littl fatter but i really don't know if she is going to have any fry's ..
I did ask the shop NOT to give me any Pregnant ones as i already have three Pregnant fish and 30 Silver Molly Fry. I am running out of room for birthing nets in my tank .

 

[lynned1952]

liquifry really isn't necessary. I've successfully raised fry on the brine shrimp and crushed up flakes...later gave them bloodworms....they all servived.....