Henry the fish keeper Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 Hello everyone! I am having some trouble keeping molly babies alive. Please give tips and advice any help is appreciated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 On 4/5/2022 at 4:46 PM, Henry Li said: Hello everyone! I am having some trouble keeping molly babies alive. Please give tips and advice any help is appreciated. I'm sure everyone has different ways. Here's how my son did it for his final BAP project... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 When you say you can't keep them alive do they disappear or do you find the bodies? Can you clarify a little? They need hard water, I always have crushed coral as a substrate or a bag of crushed coral in the filter. The molly parents show no parental care, they will hunt their own babies. I try to do one of a couple things - 1. guppy grass - my favorite plant for the babies to hide in, anything similar will do; 2. I have been using pond planters, using some airline under the rim and floating them in the tank, the fry can hang out there and eat, rest and recuperate then stay or go back out, the adults can't get in; 3. I have never done this but I have seen folks use a tank divider or the light defuser to make a part of the tank a no adult zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 5, 2022 Author Share Posted April 5, 2022 I find bodies and I keep baby mollies in a breeding net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 GH/KH issue would be my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 On 4/5/2022 at 5:39 PM, quikv6 said: GH/KH issue would be my guess. How much GH/KH is enough for baby mollies..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 Mollies generally like harder water. I'd say 150-200ppm GH and 100 KH would be closer to the minimum. Feed baby brine, or frozen baby brine multiple times a day (maintain water quality), and they'll grow faster. Crushed flake will work in a pinch (pun intended), but baby brine produces better results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 On 4/5/2022 at 5:09 PM, Henry Li said: I find bodies and I keep baby mollies in a breeding net. I have found that the breeding nets are often a problem. The babies settle on the bottom of the net at night and other fish attack them through the netting. They just peck away at them through the netting and kill the babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 On 4/6/2022 at 6:13 AM, gardenman said: I have found that the breeding nets are often a problem. The babies settle on the bottom of the net at night and other fish attack them through the netting. They just peck away at them through the netting and kill the babies. Then what should I do? I don´t have any room to set up another tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widgets Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 @Cinnebuns (and now me too) have had success with the Fluval Multi-Chamber Holding & Breeding Box. It hangs outside the tank and uses air flow to bring in fresh tank water. Fluval Multi-Chamber Holding and Breeding Box, Large Fluval Multi-Chamber Holding and Breeding Box, Medium 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 (edited) Can you think of other solutions? Edited April 6, 2022 by Henry Li Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 They make more rigid breeding boxes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widgets Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 @Fish Folk has a DIY Floating Fry Tray 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 On 4/6/2022 at 6:50 PM, CT_ said: They make more rigid breeding boxes too. Can you name one and link it for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy F Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 I just heavily plant my tank to give lots of hiding places Not every fry survives but then again, I wouldn't have space if every fry survived. I largely prefer the community tank breeding method. I find it both simple and helps keep the population in check. I feed 4 smaller meals a day and it keep the adults sated so they are not constantly looking for yummy fry snacks. I have seen well fed adults largely ignore the fry or at most chase it for 2 seconds and then go back to the easier to find food. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 On 4/7/2022 at 10:57 AM, Henry Li said: Can you name one and link it for me? Widgets already named and linked an example above. There are others that just float in the tank, but I have found the fry do better with some direct oxygenation. You could always put one of the floating ones over an airstone or sponge filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry the fish keeper Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 On 4/7/2022 at 12:14 PM, quikv6 said: Widgets already named and linked an example above. There are others that just float in the tank, but I have found the fry do better with some direct oxygenation. You could always put one of the floating ones over an airstone or sponge filter. Alright thank you for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widgets Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Are you needing something to catch and separate the fry as they are born, or just a safe place for them to grow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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