Little Babies

[that smell fishey]

hi my black mollys have had babies without me knowing what should i do they are about 6 to 7 mm so how old r they also there is 2 males will the fight
many thanks ryan harper

 

[nmonks]

Hello Ryan,

For a start check out the sub-FAQs...

Your first baby fish!
The breeding tank
Breeding traps and nets

They should lay things out nice and clearly. But basically, what you need to do is find a way to stop the other fish eating the babies, and then find the right food for them. At a pinch, you could confine the babies to a net dangled in the corner of the tank, and then add some finely ground flake for them to eat.

Raising mollies isn't particularly hard, though like so many things, while the basics are simple to learn, actually getting consistently good results does take practise.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Annastasia]

I agree with Neale's advice.

Let me just answer the other questions...
If they are 6-7mm, they are very young. Less then a week, I'd say. In regards to the 2 males...how many females do you have, and what size tank? If you have a small tank and not enough females, yes they may begin to fight.

 

[that smell fishey]

there are 3 females and the tank is 2ft by 1 ft but i have not seen them fighting yet

 

[Annastasia]

Depending on how tall your tank is, it's about 15 US gallons. That's kind of cramped for 5 Mollies, and you ideally should have more females. I'm guessing they are pretty young right now? And that may be why you haven't seen the males fighting yet. When they get older, I'd consider upgrading them to a larger tank. How big are they now? And what type of Mollies do you have?

 

[that smell fishey]

the male is 3 to 3.5 cm

 

[Chaz]

Hi
I am just about to recive my first guppy brood in a tank that is 2ft by 1ft, I think I might have the same problem,if not just a question. Does it matter if you have a predominatly male brood, and will this cause problems for the first 4 weeks?

 

[Annastasia]

Okay, so when they get bigger you'll want to upgrade the tank size. This will also spread out aggression more between the males.

Chaz - No, it won't cause any problems in the first 4 weeks, nor even the first 8 weeks. It only more becomes a problem after a few months, when they can start breeding and they get a kick of hormones.

 

[that smell fishey]

what i did is but a fish breeding net trap it said ideal for saving babies born in aquariumwhith other fish

 

[Chaz]

I don't think they will fight until they have growen up, and yes 5 mollies is a little to much

 

[Annastasia]

what i did is but a fish breeding net trap it said ideal for saving babies born in aquariumwhith other fish

You put the babies in there? Okay, that will be good for growing them up a bit. Just remember, you can't keep them in there too long because they'll get overcrowded.

 

[that smell fishey]

there is only 3 there are 7 to 8 mm

 

[Annastasia]

Yes, but they will grow fast. You could probably keep them in there a month or so. Just big enough so they can't be eaten.

 

[that smell fishey]

how big will they be when i can let them out with the other fish

 

[Annastasia]

They have to be just big enough to not fit in the biggest fish's mouth. How big that is, depends on how big your other fish are.