First Fry

[Lee Pedersen1]

Hello! It finally happened and my white Molly gave birth! These are my first fry and I am clueless. She was bought pregnant and now I would very much appreciate  tips. The biggest being how to clean the tank with dry and should I move them to a smaller setup for the time being? 

[Vanish]

What other fish are in the tank, and what size is it?

[Lee Pedersen1]

I was gifted several fish and I am aware that I don't have a perfect set up for certain species, but I have White Mollly F, Black Molly M, Spotted Fancy Balloon Molly (?) M/F, Fancy Guppy M, Golden Zebra Loach M/F in a 10 G. I also have a 5.5 G with a Black Molly M, and a Yellow Molly F. I have a 2.5 G with loose plants (ex betta tank). Assorted shrimp in 10 G.

My biggest problem is she gave birth while doing my cleaning routine.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Lee Pedersen1

[Vanish]

You can separate the babies, but you shouldn't have too much in the way of predation with those fish assuming you have plants or other hiding places for the fry.

As far as cleaning, some place a fine netting over their siphon. Another option is to siphon into a bucket, then check the bucket for fry before disposing of the water. 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Vanish

[Tyler Kaplan]

Congratulations! There's nothing like the first time a fish gives birth in your tank. As for tips, by far the biggest thing to keep in mind if you want them to survive is that you want lots of cover for you little guys to grow up and not become food for every other fish in the tank. The parents can and will go after them, so you want to make sure there is some cover! My absolute favorite thing to use for breeding livebearers is java moss, other than a very think clump of water sprite IMO it can't be beat. 

Feel free to try different things to find what works for you and your fish. If there isn't a lot of microfauna in the aquarium then I would consider feeding them directly, something like a cyclops, daphnia, vinegar eel, live baby brine, or even finely crushed up flake food will do the trick. 

Fun fact - Mollies can go 100% saltwater!