Fry Catastrophe

[gta1628]

Ok so I started with 4 black molly fry and 2 platy fry as of yesterday. I came home from work last night and 1 of the molly fry was gone without a trace. And then I woke up this morning and now the smaller platy and another molly were consumed by the other fry. There was nothing left but their little heads. I keep them in a small plastic breeder and feed them crushed flakes 3 times a day. Why are they eating eachother? And what can I do to prevent this?

 

[theotheragentm]

Big fish eat little fish. That's the simplest explanation.

You can try putting in some plants to allow them to hide. Java Moss is excellent for this. It is a no fuss plant that grows just about anywhere.

 

[modaz]

with feeding 3 times a day the water in the tank that the floater is in should have daily water changes of 10% as the more food you put in the more waste is produced so with the flow of water restricted in your floater the nitrates will be high in the floater for sure, a daily clean of the floater with a small syphon tube will sort this out and keep it clean as well, the fish will die b/c of the excess feeding and the results of, all fish includnig fry will eat dead fry or fish, its just a natural thing for them to do

 

[gta1628]

I do have a little fake plant in there in which the platys would always hide. I also clean it every other day. I had actually cleaned it just before all this happened. The other platy is dead now as of last night. I have decided to name the last two mollies "misery and despair".