Molly Fry

[Missy]

Hey There,

Within the last month I set up a 20 gallon tank. I filled it with swords, mollies 2 dwarf gouramis and a pleco. The day after I brought home three mollies, one had babies, 30 babies . I immediately moved them to a breeding net within the tank and they have been doing wonderfully. This is so exciting watching them thrive and grow. They are six days old today! I am concerned however about one baby. He is 1 of only four black ones, the rest are white, and it appears that he cannot swim. Strange I know but true. He eats well, although off the bottom, and squiggles about alot. I have seen him occasionally hop up about a 1/2 inch but that is all. He appears to be thriving and has definitely grown but I know that something is wrong with him. Has anyone ever had this happen before. Will he die eventually? I am very concerned and would appreciate any insight anyone may have. Thank you.

 

[impur]

Do to much inbreeding in livebearers, I think this has become a common occurance. He will probably be picked on until he dies as the fry grow. Or he may not be able to compete for food and starve. You could feed him to your betta or one of the fish in the 20, a nice treat for them. If this sort of thing bothers you, you can wait it out and see how it does.......you never know.

 

[Missy]

Thank you very much for your thoughts. I think I will wait a little while since he seems to still be eating and growing but I don't doubt that I will eventually have to "euthanise" him. Again, thank you for responding.

 

[x_swan_x]

Thank you very much for your thoughts. I think I will wait a little while since he seems to still be eating and growing but I don't doubt that I will eventually have to "euthanise" him. Again, thank you for responding.

I suppose a swimbladder problem is out of the question ?,I think that breeding fish is quite similar to breeding children,you watch them grow,nurture them and keep them safe and from time to time you get children who are handicapped or retarded,it dosnt mean you show them any less love,I think you have a great opportunity to care for a fish that really needs alot of care,and while it can feed and dosnt seem in pain...enjoy mother nature in ALL her glory.Forgive me as im new to tropical fish,ive also had my first batch of young,they have a guppie father and a silver mollie mother,5 survived...they are now 8 weeks old and seem to be female guppies,but with quite large tails...and ive just had a further 7 (all guppies)...4 larger one's and 3 smaller thinner one's,which I think may be male guppie fry...all seem well so far

please keep us informed of your fish's progress.

peace 2 all

 

[Liz05]

Maybe if you want it to survive, you could separate it into its own smaller tank? That way, you know it won't have to compete for food, or be bothered by the bigger ones. You could always get a snail or some ghost shrimp for his tank, and make him right at home!

 

[Missy]

Thank You. I would like to do what I can for this fish. He is very cute and I can't help but find this somewhat heartbreaking. I was actually thinking today about puting him in his own tank to better his chance for getting food since I noticed that he isn't getting much now that the others are growing so rapidly.

I have a few questions though. It is very warm right now where I am so I am not concerned about a heater but what is the smallest tank that I can get with a filter that would be sufficient. Also, are ghost shrimp available at pet stores. I have never noticed them at the Petsmart I usually shop at although I also wanted them for my Betta tank.

Do you think I should go without gravel? I thought the gravel might be abrasive on his belly. What is another alternative or should I leave it empty and just put a plant or two on a weight in the bottom?

Thanks for the imput. Hopefully I can give him some quality time.

 

[sandyd]

Hi sorry to hear about your little guy, but i do have a thought. You could get one of those plastic breeder boxes that floats on the top of your tank and you could put it in there. It is clear plastic so that you could see how it is doing and it is still not all alone. The sad fact is that it may not make it, i have had a few deformed fry and lost most of them, but i put them in the little plastic box on the top of my tank so that no one could get to them and they were still able to see everyone around them. Hope it all works out for you. SAndy

 

[Missy]

Well, the sickly little molly died this morning. I guess some things just aren't meant. But on a happier note, another of my mollies gave birth over night. I salvaged 8 from the tank but the others must have been a tasty snack. I'm sure there were many more but I didn't realize she was ready to drop them. Thanks everyone for your concern and helpful thoughts.

 

[Mollie*fish*lover]

Well, the sickly little molly died this morning. I guess some things just aren't meant. But on a happier note, another of my mollies gave birth over night. I salvaged 8 from the tank but the others must have been a tasty snack. I'm sure there were many more but I didn't realize she was ready to drop them. Thanks everyone for your concern and helpful thoughts.

awwwwwwwww i am sorry to here about your little baby molly! my molly is about to give birth! i think its her 1st time becouse her belly is not as huge as they could get! but at night i put her in the plastic breeder box*trap thing* and if she doesnt have them at night then in the morning i will let her out becouse when she sees all the fish she gets to stressed! i also got A male that has ben trying to mate with her! what do you feed them when they are new born??? all i have is some crushed up fish flakes!

 

[MountGuppy]

that stinks at least he lived awhile

 

[Missy]

Hey Molly*Fish*Lover,

Thanks for your words. Mollys are very hardy and are alos rather large, at least in comparison to guppy fry, so all they really need is the crushed up flakes. Put a small amout of flakes in a tiny sandwich bag and crush it between your fingers until they are nearly a powder. When feeding the babies, three times a day is best but two is ok also. Stick just the very tip of your finger in the water. Dab it off a little on a towel then dunk it in the powdered flaked. Then all you ahve to do is dot the tip of your finger on the water above the babies. They'll be anticipating their meals in no time. Also, don't get excited and over feed them it will dirty your tank and get stuck in the side of the net breeder or plastic breeder you are using. Make sure all the food you give them is gone in three minutes tops. If its not all gone then give them slightly less the next meal. As they get bigger you can increase their food a little and just feed them twice a day. Hope this helps.