Will A Betta Eat Molly Fry?

[umlaut31]

Yeah basically - set up a new betta tank, currently stocked with 4 cories and 1 molly fry who is about 2-3 weeks old who I discovered yesterday!

He must have transferred either in the water change to my new tank or in the plant I moved across! I thought none had survived from my first livebearer spawn, but he's live and swimming!

I'm getting my betta tomorrow - and suddenly realised, what if he thinks it's food!

Will he eat it? What should I do?

Cheers for any ideas etc

 

[wilsonnw8]

Yeah basically - set up a new betta tank, currently stocked with 4 cories and 1 molly fry who is about 2-3 weeks old who I discovered yesterday!

He must have transferred either in the water change to my new tank or in the plant I moved across! I thought none had survived from my first livebearer spawn, but he's live and swimming!

I'm getting my betta tomorrow - and suddenly realised, what if he thinks it's food!

Will he eat it? What should I do?

Cheers for any ideas etc

Yes likely that the betta will eat it, Id buy a fry trap and put it floating in there until its a cm or so long and old enough not to fit into the bettas mouth, about neon tetra size and up should be ok

 

[umlaut31]

Okay will do!

Thanks for the warning!

 

[emzyp]

YES YES YES !!! they will get eaten, i risked ot once with a lot of platy fry and my betta ate them all 7 i was gutted! trust me, you will learn by your mistakes, dont risk it!

 

[Jdubz]

im keeping my guppy fry in the trap till they are 1 1/2 cm then putting them in with my fighter, theres a load of hiding places, wood,moss,riccia,pots,rock stack.

 

[wilsonnw8]

Okay will do!

Thanks for the warning!

No problem

 

[hensonc4098]

Yeh - as the other guys have said your Betta would probably eat the fry if ti got the chance

 

[Bowhead]

I have had a betta in with every batch of molly fry, and have never seen them eat one or even try to intimidate one. I have also had no problems with diminishing populations. I suppose I've had about 100 mollies total raised in that tank from a batch of 4 females. Just FWIW. Right now my bristlenose pleco fry just hatched, and since they are such slow swimmers (and much more valuable than mollies) I put the betta in his own hatchery . . . just in case.

 

[Night61]

my betta girls are my guppy population control.

 

[ReMz]

I have had a betta in with every batch of molly fry, and have never seen them eat one or even try to intimidate one. I have also had no problems with diminishing populations. I suppose I've had about 100 mollies total raised in that tank from a batch of 4 females. Just FWIW. Right now my bristlenose pleco fry just hatched, and since they are such slow swimmers (and much more valuable than mollies) I put the betta in his own hatchery . . . just in case.

bettas are unpredictable. as you kno, best to take precaution.

 

[saltynay]

my betta girls are my guppy population control.

I hope my male will be aswell to catch my guppy/endler hybrids and shrimplets hopefully 1-5 will survive so that I can sell them but its no real worry if he gorges on them all. The strangest thing is that my guppy females seem to copy the betta and grab a bubble from the surface and and release it, the tank is well planted and I have added an oxygen tablet so that I know that the water is oxygen rich and they are still doing it rather strange and cool at the same time .