How Do I Care For My Molly Fry?

[Voxcharm]

So I have my first batch of molly fry, 

  they were born while I was away, most probably on sunday (2 days ago) and I came back to find them.
 
Managed to find 5  and transferred into a floating fry trap. No idea how many were born, although the molly mummy I suspect is quite a young one who's not quite fully grown, young ones have less fry in one drop right? The fry seem active and healthy. I am feeding them finely ground quality flakes that I ground up to powder in a pestle and mortar that they are eating greedily. I have floated some pistia in the trap and a small bundle of java moss that they are making use of to hide in.
 
I'm asking for any advice from experienced aquarists about the best way to go from here. How much should I be feeding them? (Currently been giving them a pin prick touch of the powder twice a day) What problems do I need to look out for? When should I release back into tank? If another female drops can I put younger fry in the trap with older fry?
 
Tank is 50 litre heavily planted: 3 adult female mollies (the baby daddy, re homed 2 weeks ago, was in tank with the females 3 months prior) and 6 corydoras aeneus and ~8 neocardinia and cardinia shrimpies.

 

[fluttermoth]

The key things with fry are lots of food and lots of water changes.
 
That fry looks rather undernourished, so I think you need to up your feeding by quite a lot. It's almost impossible not to overfeed fry; that's one of the reason you need to do so many water changes; even if they're in a mesh trap the water will need refreshing at least twice a day.
 
You shouldn't have too many problems; livebearer fry are pretty easy to raise, if you keep them well fed and keep up the water changes; as they're floating in the big tank, you'll need to do extra water changes on that as well; 50% every other day would be a good start.
 
Any new fry could go in the trap with the others, and they can be released into the main tank as soon as they're too big to fit in the other fish's mouth's. That should be only a couple of weeks.
 
However, I would think very carefully before you try and save any more fry. Your little tank is already overstocked with the adult fish; none of which should be in a 50l at all, if I'm going to be honest; they're all too big and chunky, and you don't have room to keep any fry, or raise them properly.

 

[coolie]

Many years ago, I used to keep Mollies and had poor success keeping the fry alive longer than a week.
 
I think if I was doing it now, I would use some kind of infusoris or liquifry type food. Back then when I was a student, I did try the powder, (I believe it dried egg yolk) but it used to sit on the water tension where the fry couldn't get to it.
 
Sorry, just what I was doing wrong as opposed to anything you must do.

 

[Voxcharm]

Thanks for that info, Ill up the feeding. Had been doing daily 20% on the tank itself and turkey basting waste out of trap.

I don't have any intention of keeping them into adulthood, 8 adult Mollys in a 50 litre would most definitely be overstocking, but id like to raise them to re homing size at least, so I can watch them grow. I have a second tank nearing fishless cycle completion so was considering transferring the 3 adults to that anyway.

Re overstocking I personally don't see a problem with 3 Molly's in a 50 litre, true they have a significant bio load but nothing the filtration and cycle in my tank isnt dealing with. with my small school of corys I do agree i am pushing my stocking, but over crowded I don't think. My stats are all good and steady, the filter is long established, and fish all very healthy displaying only very normal behaviour.

It's so subjective, fish keeping, infuriatingly so at times, and in an ideal world we'd all have ginormous tanks. But there are MUCH worse cases of overstocking than mine. I do however very much appreciate you are only trying to help.
Coolie, lol, what didnt work is also helpful. Thanks D

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Overstocking often isn't a case of good of bad water quality, instead it is how much swimming space each fish has got, every time you add fish, that swimming space lessens.

I'm sorry, but I agree that mollies shouldn't be in a 50 litre tank. Their minimum tank size is 30 gallons. Mollies are active fish, and 50 litres doesn't provide enough swimming space for them to be truley happy.

 

[Voxcharm]

Ohhh this is what really upsets me about animal forums. This is why many people are put off using animal forums and thus refrain from seeking valuble advice from them. I appreciate the opinions. I really do. But I asked how to care for my molly fry not anything else. I have healthy, happy mollies in a 50 litre (12 gallon) tank currently. Lots of responsible aquarists have mollies in a ~10 gallon tank. I have fry that I'd like to be raised as healthily as possibly. I'd really value advice on this. I really don't want a squabble about whether or not mollies need to be in a 10 gallon or 30 gallon tank.

Appreciated some people disagree that my tank is sufficient for mollies. Others think it is sufficient for mollies. Fish keeping is subjective. I'd love a bigger tank, but, basing on lots and lots of research, guided by experienced friends and based on keeping 4 then 3 mollies in the tank for 6 months, I think my 50 litres is ok. Bigger would be better. Bigger is usually better. Granted.

please any advice on what I asked would be most appreciated. We all have these animals welfare at our hearts.

 

[fluttermoth]

But the issues are intrinsically related. Fry in overstocked tanks won't grow properly or healthily

 

[Ny82]

We all have these animals welfare at our hearts.

 
Then you would take the advice on board. I have seen mollies as big as 5 inches long. As for fry, I feed my fry 4 times a day and do water changes twice a day in their tank.

 

[Voxcharm]

We all have these animals welfare at our hearts.

 
Then you would take the advice on board. I have seen mollies as big as 5 inches long. As for fry, I feed my fry 4 times a day and do water changes twice a day in their tank.

I've seen sailfins around that size too. These are 3 short fins, the biggest is 4cm, I just measured her.

But the issues are intrinsically related. Fry in overstocked tanks won't grow properly or healthily

I agree they are intrinsically linked but I disagree that 3 mollies in a 12 gallon is in humane. That really is open to opinion as you will find many people saying 10 gallons is sufficient for short fin mollies.



Aargh anyway let's just call it a day on this hey.

 

[fluttermoth]

I was more thinking about the cories than the mollies.
 
Anyway; it's your tank and your decision.

 

[Voxcharm]

http/aquariumlore.blogspot.co.uk/2006/08/molly.html?m=1

http/www.seymourfish.com/how-to-care-for-a-molly-fish/


Sorry, I know I said let's leave it there but just wanted to share my point with links; other reliable sources of info saying 10 gallons+ is appropriate for mollies. As I said. It's subjective.

 

[Seymourfish]

I personally think that short fin mollies will be fine in a 10 gallon, but only if it has regular water changes, is slightly over-filtered and has enough free swimming space for them.
 
If it was a sail fin molly, I would definitely agree that 10 gallons would be far too small, and fry will do well for a short period in a 10 gallon tank if water changes are stepped up. With that being said, the larger the tank, the better that they will do and the more room you will have for error (which always happen eventually).
 
As for taking care of the fry, they're not as hard to feed as other fish and my problem is usually having too many fry. lol
 
What I normally do with fry is feed them small amounts three to four time a day. I use a small mortar and pestle to crush up spriluna flakes and regular fish food flakes and sprinkle small amounts on the top. I will also feed baby brine shrimp if I'm looking to sell the fry as it helps them grow faster.
 
They generally don't need any speciality food, since they are so much larger than regular fry and their mouths can take powdered food. I often keep my aquariums heavily planted,  so that ensures there is a bit of infusoria in the water for them too.
 
 

 

[the_lock_man]

I personally think that short fin mollies will be fine in a 10 gallon, but only if it has regular water changes, is slightly over-filtered and has enough free swimming space for them.

 
There's a lot of people will disagree with you there.

 

[Seymourfish]

I personally think that short fin mollies will be fine in a 10 gallon, but only if it has regular water changes, is slightly over-filtered and has enough free swimming space for them.

 
There's a lot of people will disagree with you there.

Is it optimal? Not by a long shot. But I think that you can keep a handful of mollies healthy in a 10 gallon.

I always say you should go for larger though and mine have been kept in 29 gallon and 45 gallon tanks in the past.

Like anything else, the minimum should be considered as the minimum and not the recommended. Will it work? Yes, but the fish will be far happier in larger tanks.