Only 3 Fry?

[molliesandguppies12]

Ok please be patient with me...I've been addicted to reading this forum for the past 3 mths but this is the first time I have posted...not sure if I'm doing this right and not sure if I'm in the right place...like I said pls be patient. I recently have set up a 20 gal tank for my 7 yr old step son. All is going great, I cycled fishless for about 3 wks using filter media from my sisters well established tank and got all my water levels good b4 I added any fish then got 2 at a time for 3 wks for a total of 6. Well on Monday when we woke up we had dalmation molly fry about 12 in all but only 7 made it. Then last night as I was going to turn out the light in the tank I noticed a black molly fry on one of the plants, got to looking around and found 2 more. I thought she may have more throughout the night so I checked on her CONSTANTLY and nothing else. Well my question is...is this normal? Only 3 fry?

 

[nosoup4you]

If the fish is very young it is not unusual to have a small drop. It is also possible that mom or the other fish have eaten some of them. Fry can also hide really well so there may be a few more lurking in the tank somewhere. Welcome to the forums and congrats on the fry!

 

[Duck and Dive]

It is perfectly normal. Were the fry quite big? The bigger the fry are the smaller number of fry you will have. As one of my mollies only gave birth to 3 but they were huge.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Molliesandguppies. It is a bit unusual to only have a drop of 3 fry. As others have already said, some of them might have been eaten. Even a young molly will usually drop at least 15 fry, have another look around and you may find a few more. If you have plenty of hiding places, some of the fry will survive the first few days. After a few days in a molly tank, the fry are usually quite safe from predation.

 

[molliesandguppies12]

Thanks you guys...yes the fry are actually the same size as the dalmation fry that were born 4 days before them! I searched the entire tank plants, caves, gravel edges near the tank walls, no more. Even did a 25% water change and found nothing (I even checked the bucket with a flashlight). Oh well not like I really need anymore fish LOL! Again, thanks for the quick responses!