Help: Fry Keep Getting Eaten

[FishySarah]

I had a molly give birth recently, in the evening she was big with a gravid spot and in the morning she had given birth, but no sign of fry. My tank has an ocean of java moss and I thought some might be hiding, but I didnt' see any. I was hoping some would show up later in the day but none did. For a while I clung to the hope that a few survivors might make it, but its three weeks later and no fry. I had to face facts- they were lunch for my fishes.

Well, my other molly is now pregnant, and I want this time to be different. IS there any way to know exactly when the fish is going to give birth so I can scoop up the babies and put them in the breeder net? I want to at least be able to save a few. I want to get another tank as a fry tank but with Christmas coming up I don't have the extra funds to buy a tank and stand and all that stuff right now. SO in the interum (sp) does anyone have any advice for me? I tried putting two of my pregnant mollies and one of my pregnant platys in the breeding net before they gave birth, but all three miscarried. I guess they can't take the stress of being confined. So that's out.

The problem is, if they give birth in the middle of the night, how can I save the fry? Maybe if I look REALLY carefully in the java moss in the morning? Right now it is anchored down on the side of the tank. Should I spread the moss over the bottom, let it float on the top, or keep it where it is?

As for my fish I have the two female mollies, one male and three female platys, 5 neon tetras, 5 black skirt tertras, a few ottos and four gold barbs. The tank is 29 gallons, so I am about where I should be in terms of fish. I have friends who want my babiy ones if I can raise them. I think its my gold barbs eating the fry, because they are little terrors and will eat absolutely anything they can fit in their mouths.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[fishdawg]

its the black skirt tetras... i just put 8 of my fry in there about an hour ago and i watched 8 get eaten.

 

[xoemiweexo]

wellll....i think you should put more plants in for the fry. it increases the rate of fry that will survive. my fry kept on getting eaten too, but when i put more rocks and hiding places..it helped.

 

[FishySarah]

I don't know ....there is A LOT of java moss. It takes up nearly one fifth of the tank. And two of those plastic bushy 'baby savers' I ordered from Petsmart online.....big bushy fake plants that are supposed to keep babies from getting eaten. Besides the java moss, what kinds of plants or fake plants can I add?

 

[xoemiweexo]

I don't know ....there is A LOT of java moss. It takes up nearly one fifth of the tank. And two of those plastic bushy 'baby savers' I ordered from Petsmart online.....big bushy fake plants that are supposed to keep babies from getting eaten. Besides the java moss, what kinds of plants or fake plants can I add?

welll..in my opinion, i dont like real plants..i like fake ones. so..you could buy cheap fakes one like i did and just let them float around in your tank. OR you could just put ur prego fish into another tank.

im have a prego platy right now but im just letting her stay in her tank and let nature take its course. i put a lot of rocks and fake plants so the baby fry would have a 80% change of living.

 

[wei0204]

I normally plant some plants at one corner of my community tank for the female to give birth and for fry to hide. I will choose the taller plant with more leaves. At the middle of my tank I will plant some shorter plants with more leaves with a big drift wood to create extra space for fry to hide. The bottom of the tank I will add some stones and marbles. The combination of these things if sufficient to keep some fry alive.

Hope this help...