Ballon Molly Breeding Tank!

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

For christmas time i'm thinking of creating a balloon molly breeding tank! Here is what i'm thinking of doing, with a max budget of $110 (not including fish)! I've researched prices at my lfs for some needy supplies! Here it is:

10 gal. tank (with hood, filter, lighting)- $60-$70

5 lbs of gravel-$5

plants, clay pots, driftwood- from $10-$25

breeder box- $7

What i've already got:

food, net, air pump enough for two small tanks, 5lbs of gravel, thermometer...and care

 

[BWBettas]

Your going to want a bigger tank that 10 gallon

Bret

 

[dwarfgourami]

Bret has a point. A 10 gallon is not going to be enough to keep the parent fish in and bring up the fry. If you have another bigger tank, the 10 gallon would do for the actual birth+fry tank- as long as the fry also can be moved onto somewhere bigger as they grow. I would save the money on the breeder box- they stress the fish out. Also, are you sure you can find a home for the fry? Livebearers can be difficult to place. If this is under control, and you have a bit more tank space, a ratio of 2-3 females + 1 male should be about right.

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

the fry will not stay in the tank for too long because i will sell them for about a buck each to my lfs for store credit.

 

[dwarfgourami]

the fry will not stay in the tank for too long because i will sell them for about a buck each to my lfs for store credit.

Check what size they'll take them at though. It is unlikely that they will be prepared to pay a buck for newborns. And if not you'll need safe growout space for them- the breeding box will only do them for a couple of weeks- and you need to keep them safe from the parents.

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

so, when the fish are released from their mother i put them into the breeder box. but how do i do that? net or something else? with 2f and 1m that'll be 6" of fish so 10gal. in my opinion is alright for them to grow enough to be sold. not all of the fry will survive, though. i've heard about 15-20% of the total fry will survive untill they're 1''. am i right?

thanx for your help!

 

[dwarfgourami]

When the fry are released you can net them and put them in a breeder box, but this is only a temporary solution- after a few weeks you have to release them or their growing will be affected by being confined in the box. You probably cannot sell them until they are sexable, so that will be a few months. Remember that even growing fry will add something to the bioload of the tank- and they need very clean water to grow. What percentage survives depends on all sorts of factors- the first being how quickly you can get them away from the parents. But if you are able to get them all safely away, then a 15 % survival rate sounds quite poor to me. You should do better than that with conditions being right. And if conditions are wrong, then they might all die.

 

[nmonks]

dwarfgourami has given some great advice there. Of the four common livebearers, mollies are easily the most difficult to keep and breed. They need space, good filtration, and specific water conditions (at least very hard and alkaline, and ideally slightly brackish).

Here's how I set up a tank for breeding halfbeaks, which aren't all that different to mollies in terms of size and needs:

• Get a simple glass tank appropriate to the size of the fish. I'd say a 20 gallon tank at the least for mollies. The price difference between a 10 and 20 gallon tank is small and the benefits from going bigger huge.
• Now, forget about a hood and lights. You don't need them. Instead, put the tank somewhere it gets sunlight all day, but only direct sunlight for a couple of hours at most. Don't forget to put something under the tank to give the glass support. Polystyrene tiles are ideal, but I use a newspaper cut to size.
• Cover the tank with a piece of glass cut to size. This will cost you virtually nothing. Go to a glass shop or DIY centre, and have them make the glass up for you. Ask them to smooth the edges. You want the glass pane to be slightly narrower than the tank is long so that air can circulate. So if your tank is 24 inches left to right by 12 inches front to back, get a pane of glass 23 inches long by 12 inches wide.
• Put a little sand or gravel on the bottom of the tank. Just enough to cover the glass to a depth of a few millimetres. Again, should cost you very little.
• Throw in some hornwort. This will grow well with sunlight only, and provides the baby fish with cover.
• Install a heater and an air-powered box filter (cheap and effective in small aquaria).
• Cycle the tank (or put filter wool in the box filter taken from an established aquarium)
• Add your fish. Don't forget to remove the parents once you have baby fish.

The longer you keep your baby fish, the bigger they get, and the more money the aquarium shop will give you. I get about £2 per halfbeak (imported specimens retail for around £4) so only after a couple of decent sized broods my initial outlay is covered. Regardless, you are going to be stuck your baby fish for about 3 months, so there's no point getting a tank too small for the brood of fish. Mollies are especially sensitive to confinement: males get stunted and don't grow their big dorsal fin, and females tend to miscarry. Mollies are also more aggressive when kept in small tanks.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

Ya, I think i'm going to plan in the future on getting a plain glass 20 U.S. gallon. I'll put a filter (of which I still need to decide on) and instead of glass on the top I'm going to put some mesh. Hornmort and a little gravel is in the plan but i'm also going to add some broken pots which in my experience works well with hiding places/stress levels for the fish. I've got some extra lamps at home so i'll use those plus sunlight to light up my tank.

My LFS says they'll take the balloon mollies when they're 1"-1.5". So 20gal., I think, is a great size for them to mature in with the breeding adults.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[nmonks]

The only problem with mesh is it does nothing to stop evaporation. So you'll probably need to top up the tank with fresh water every day or two, depending on how dry and warm your climate is. Glass also helps keep some of the warmth in the tank by cutting down on draughts, but again, that'll depend somewhat on how how warm your home is. Although not an issue with your fish, if you have air breathers (like Corydoras or gouramis) you need the trapped warm, moist air under the glass or hood. Cold, dry air causes problems for these fish.

Cheers,

Neale

and instead of glass on the top I'm going to put some mesh.

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

hmmmm...glass probably sounds better. but i'll have some hole and/or slits in the glass or the tank would get hot in my house without it...especially during the summer when its 26-27celsius.

how much water change would i need for the 20 gal. molly tank

20-25% every 5 days? does that sound good?

thanx

 

[nmonks]

Mollies like it warm, so provided the water temperature doesn't exceed 28-30 C, you won't have problems. A little sticky thermometer put on the outside of the tank would be a good idea.

As for water changes, with baby fish, the more, the better. It is the build up of metabolites (leftover chemicals from metabolism) in the water that stunts the fish. In a 10 gallon tank, I'd change at least one bucketful of water, which is about 3-4 gallons.

Add a little salt to the water each time. It isn't strictly speaking essential, but if you are keeping just mollies, it will save you time and money in the long term. 3-5 grammes of marine salt mix per litre is about right.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

so a 30-40% water change every 5 days to a week is good enough?
I know that mollies store enough sperm and/or eggs (which one is it?) to reproduce for 5-6 months. so can I house that single molly for that period of time and when she finishes reproducing I could add another molly for the next 5-6 months. Could this work? My concern is just the amount of fish and fry that will acumulate over time. My Lfs will only take bal. mollies when they're 1"-1.5" so I wouldn'y have enough space to house 3f w/ 1m. Please help, thanx.

 

[nmonks]

so a 30-40% water change every 5 days to a week is good enough?

Yes. Obviously more is better, and you can often get away with less, but as a ball-park figure this sounds fine to me.

I know that mollies store enough sperm and/or eggs (which one is it?) to reproduce for 5-6 months. so can I house that single molly for that period of time and when she finishes reproducing I could add another molly for the next 5-6 months. Could this work?

Probably. The process is called superfetation. The fish don't store sperm, what happens is that all the eggs are fertilised, but only some embryos develop at once, others start to develop a few weeks afterwards, and so on.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Tolak]

For christmas time i'm thinking of creating a balloon molly breeding tank! Here is what i'm thinking of doing, with a max budget of $110 (not including fish)! I've researched prices at my lfs for some needy supplies! Here it is:

10 gal. tank (with hood, filter, lighting)- $60-$70

5 lbs of gravel-$5

plants, clay pots, driftwood- from $10-$25

breeder box- $7

What i've already got:

food, net, air pump enough for two small tanks, 5lbs of gravel, thermometer...and care

You're getting ripped off on the 10 gallon. Plain 10's are under $10 most everywhere I see them, and it was already mentioned that the tank is too small. 20 longs are a better choice, lots of surface area per gallon, and can be found at corporate shops for around $25. You have an air pump, build a couple of sponge filters, they are better for fry. Here's how to build a cheap top; http/www.gcca.net/howto/tank_covers.htm Get a cheap pre-made flourescent fixture from any diy shop, they are $10. Put this behind the tank, on the bottom, you will have an easier time seeing the fry. Build your own stand, this should cost all of $10 in materials. Clay pots, driftwood, and gravel take up tank space, reducing stocking density. Get the cheapest plastic plants you can find, they are easier to clean.

You have around $50 invested at this point, with double the tank space, and save $10 to $25 on clay pots & driftwood. The fish don't need these, and don't care if they are in there or not. All they do is take up tank space, all gravel does is make for a dirtier tank. Fry need clean conditions. Change as much water as possible, take some of the money you have saved & invest in a python.