New Molly Babies Weekend Feeding Blocks !

[root729]

Hi everyone,

Apologies in advance for any noob errors or lack of knowledge, we recently bought a small tropical tank along with some guppies and mollys and quickly found that Alan and Wally the two mollies were actually pregnant females. We are about to go away for the weekend and had bought some weekend feeder blocks to put in the tank to feed the adults but now, yesterday, we found 20 baby fish in the tank which was something we were not expecting. We went out and got a breeder net to separate all the babies out (it took 2 hours to get them all in ! ) and now they are all in the net separate from the adult we have the problem of this weekend we are away and how to feed them? Would it be ok to put feeding block in the net with the fry? they are about 1cm long at the moment and i have no idea how else we could feed them this weekend. they feed well from crushed up flakes.

Thanks in advance and sorry for any silly question . .but then this is why we all come here,

Cheers,
Tony.

 

[lilfishie]

You'd be better off not using any blocks, they foul the water very quickly, fish can go a few days without food, just feed them before you go

 

[root729]

I had just read this about adults but was unsure about the fry. In what sense do the blocks foul the water? The tank will be due a good clean and partial water change when we get back and I should be away just under three whole days so maybe 68 hours between feeding . . . could I simply not feed them? it sounds strange to me but thats why I am here.

Thanks again,
Tony.

 

[lilfishie]

They cause Ammonia which is deadly to fish, what size is your tank and how many of each fish do you have? excluding fry

 

[TropFishUK]

New fry need feeding everyday

Could you get a automated feeder to push a bit of footd every 6 hours?

And by foul the water he means the fish will eat and eat and eat and just poo everywhere xD

 

[root729]

ahhh I see, I can deal with poo, would it be ok for the fry? maybe if i cleaned the tank / gravel / 20% water change on Friday before i go then not feed them until I get back . . but then the fry could die if not fed . . would the fry eat from a block? could i cut the block in half or put two in? one for the adults and one for the fry in their net? or just put half a block in the net for the fry and leave the adults?

Thanks again to everyone.
Tony.

 

[root729]

its a small tank, 23Lt with 2 Molly and 7 guppies.

 

[ZoddyZod]

And by foul the water he means the fish will eat and eat and eat and just poo everywhere xD

HE doesn't mean that (might want to check HER gender), they are actually known to foul the water because they just sit in the tank, barely eaten, and start to break down/rot - thus causing ammonia spikes.

 

[lilfishie]

And by foul the water he means the fish will eat and eat and eat and just poo everywhere xD

HE doesn't mean that (might want to check HER gender), they are actually known to foul the water because they just sit in the tank, barely eaten, and start to break down/rot - thus causing ammonia spikes.

Thanks ZZ

As said very little of these blocks is actually edable to the fish, its a waste of money.

your 23l is very over stocked even without the fry but for now, just feed the fish as normal before you leave and we can try sort the stocking when your back

 

[fluttermoth]

The best option is to put a good bunch of pond plant, like elodea or cabomba or other bunches 'oxygenating plant' in the net. That'll give the fry something to pick at, and will help with water quality while you're away.

The adult fish can go without food for a couple of weeks, easily, so leave them without food; there's too much of a risk of polluting the tank with holiday blocks.

 

[TropFishUK]

So what if I said he -.-

On my iPhone so doesn't show up! Gawd!

Stick s bit of apple in and they can munch on that for a day. My mollies like it so not sure about fry.

 

[root729]

This is all good info, thanks. Regarding the over stocking what would you suggest??? what problems could we get? obviously we will not be keeping the fry but will take them to the shop . . which is another question . .when??

Thanks again
Tony.

 

[lilfishie]

over stocking will be putting strain on your filter, the filter processes the ammonia amking it safe, the more fish you have the more ammonia (its there poo) so being over stocked is more ammonia than you filter can handle

 

[TropFishUK]

Either get a bigger tank or have a 2nd one set up... Since mollys have babies every 30 days and have up to 30 fry each time and increases each time they give birth...

 

[lilfishie]

Only 30 fry, mine had 102 from 1 drop!