Molly fish are tropical fish that grow extremely fast and reproduce frequently. Adult Molly fish do not have parental care, often abandon the fry and even try to eat their fry. I will show you the molly fish fry tank maintenance techniques that help protect the molly fish fry.
How do I care for Molly Fry?
Molly adult fish abandon their baby fish shortly after birth and may even eat them. In addition to taking care of the Molly fish, you also have the responsibility to maintain the aquarium, thus ensuring that your fish are protected from diseases and illnesses of any kind. Other factors that should provide good maintenance and clean tank interiors and filters include stable parameters such as temperature accuracy, lighting, and other essential functions.
Molly Fish Fry Care Guide
Basic guidelines for molly fish fry care are provided: The care and treatment of baby fish are quick and easy. Adult fish can eat fish fry from the pond, even if the mother doesn’t. Two steps make hatching a success; separate the parents from the litter (or provide enough hiding places for everyone) and take care to keep your baby animal healthy until it becomes a full-grown fish. Taking care of molly fry tanks can be as easy as cleaning them.
How to Care & Grow Molly Fish Fry
Molly fish does not demonstrate parental care; parents can even eat the fry. Female molly gives birth to babies, called “Molly fry.” They are similar to adults but a tiny, tiny version of adults. When a baby is born, he needs nutritious food.
Is a separate nursery tank for Molly Fry necessary?
The Molly fries will be separated from the female Molly fish shortly after the female give birth in a nursery tank, far from adult fish; they cannot be separated together with the female pregnant Molly fish. A separate tank for breeding (nursery tank) prevents the small fry from being eaten by other fish, increasing the brood’s survival. This information is necessary for the safe storage of Molly fry fish in aquariums.
Filtration
A filtration system is essential in all tanks, including Molly’s. Check that the filter you choose is suitable for the size of the Molly fries; obviously, the devices must be secure for small fry. The best way to check the efficiency of the filtration system is through water testing. When proper aquarium filters filter the water inside the tanks, quality and sanitary standards are balanced.
Adding plants
You can choose between artificial plants or live plants to fill your tank. Also, plants must be added before placing Molly Fry in the tank. A good tip about choosing an aquarium plant is selecting plants with broad leaves, like Java fern or some mosses, which are widely common in specialty stores. This place with plants will be used as a hiding place by the fry. In addition, you can create floating plants, helping babies when there is more natural vegetation close to the surface so they can hide immediately after birth. Plants will also help with feeding small fry and other fish species if is a community tank.
Large tanks
Molly fry should have a good volume in the tank to keep the tank’s balance constant. Female mollies can produce hundreds of fry instantly – their births can reach over 100 fries. The baby Mollies needs tanks to grow, ranging from 10 to 20 gallons.
Temperature of water
Like tropical fish, Mollies should have the warmest temperature in their water tank. Keep the water temperature around 77°F. The water temperature dictates the level of Molly’s metabolism and allows for healthy feeding and growth. Use the ideal aquarium heater to maintain stable water temperatures. A thermometer can also help analyze the proper temperatures in our aquarium.
Lighting
Lighting is a significant component in keeping fry ponds healthy. Appropriate bulbs protect its growth. Tanks require at least 12 hours of rest and 12 hours of light per day.
Prevention from diseases
Keep your fish constantly well fed with quality food, and the aquarium’s water quality is always ideal. Sometimes parasites and pathogenic fungi can be present in water. Babies have no immunity to diseases that can harm them. Various chemicals can help the habitat stay healthy, and there are medications of their own to treat illnesses.
Introduce Molly Fry In The Nursery Tank
Relocating your Mollies fry into a nursery tank is a great strategy to increase the number of fries that reach adulthood. Let your Molly fry in a container floating in the water of the new aquarium for about 15 minutes until the temperatures stabilize. Little by little, mix the water from the aquarium with the water containing the fry; observe to determine if they all have adapted and are swimming well. Use a net, remove the fry, and place them in the nursery tank.
Fry Mollies Food
Molly fry does not require specific dietary supplements, only quality foods. They can eat the food that adult fish eat. Animal-derived foods, such as brine shrimp, worms, blackworm, and bloodworm, can help fry fish to grow faster if they become healthier.
Saving Molly Fry is essential. Tell me the reason?
Keeping Molly’s fish fingerlings in a community tank can be harmful. Molly’s chicks are tiny and quickly become food for larger fish; as they mature, most animals in the tank will chase and attack them. In short, Molly Fry makes an exciting snack for other fish, including her parents. It is necessary to keep the molly fish habitat in ideal conditions at all times; this includes protecting them from all other species in your aquarium.
Does Molly eat her babies?
Yes, Molly, eat your babies. As adult parents, they may end up eating their children. This behavior does not seem unusual for ornamental fish. Mollies usually eat whatever fits in their mouths.
Hidden spots
In this way, Molly’s chicks can be protected by having enough hiding places inside the aquarium. Keeping your baby mollies safe with an artificial hiding place and other aquarium decor items is possible. However, these tactics don’t always work effectively. Be aware that hiding areas are a good idea, but it might not work very well, so take them to a separate tank.
How do I protect Molly Fry in the main tank?
As stated earlier, the only effective method of protecting fry is to keep them in a separate aquarium from their parents and other adult fish.
How long can you keep Molly Fry in a breeding tank?
A breeding tank is a simple method of keeping your fry healthy and safe. Larger female Molly generally release up to 100 fry at one time. Keep your fingerlings separated for 2 to 3 months, or until they are big enough not to be eaten by other fish in the main aquarium.
How are Mollies born?
It takes some time after birth until Molly fry reach the feeding stage. These fish reach sexual maturity from three to six months of age. As long as the adult mollies are kept in good condition, reproduction will occur without problems.
Tell me the best way to put Molly Fry in the main tank?
If Molly is kept in a mature and clean aquarium with excellent water quality, they will become quickly and easily healthier. When the Molly fry is large enough not to be devoured by your tank mates, you can transfer them to the main tank. When fish reach a medium size, other fish no longer confuse them with food. During this time, the molly fry should grow big enough to remain on the main tank without causing harm.
Regular water change
Partial water changes exist to improve water quality for Molly fry. Perform weekly water changes in Molly’s fry pond. Water changes keep contaminants dispersed in the medium at low levels, as it renews the water and prevents contamination; this increases the ability of the fry to grow better and healthier. Please do not keep fish with deficient oxygen levels and keep the water temperature stable, use a aquarium thermometer.
Fry Molly Grown Up to Adult Mollies
About four months after birth, Molly fry grows into adults. Molly fry do not have a specific color, appearing in different colors and formats about their strain. After a more extended period, they acquire their fixed primary colors and forms. These fish will get beautiful colors with a nutritious diet and a suitable habitat.
Molly fry care guide
Generally speaking, you should know these three key components when making molly fry care recommendations.
Add plants to your tank
You have the option of using artificial materials and even living vegetation. Put your plants in the aquarium before introducing the fry. These plants provide hiding places for the fry in their early ages and behave similarly to those in their breeding boxes. You can always use broad-leafed plants similar to Java ferns or moss. This effect can also be created by using floating plants, especially with long roots; spawning mops also help. Always help newborns to hide around them immediately after their first birth, this will help you to save molly fry.
Isolate the female Molly Fish
By separating the pregnant molly from the main tank, you keep her out of worry that other fish will eat her fry and prevent pregnancy from stressful for female Mollies. Keeping a female about to calve in a community aquarium is not the best method of maintaining baby Molly babies healthy, especially when you have a lot of adult fish in your aquarium. In theory, the more plants and places forming hiding places, the more fry will survive. This may seem like a simple question, but it is not always for beginners. This option of removing the female makes the molly fries easier to keep when separated.
How should we feed them?
It is recommended that fry feeds with small amounts several times a day. Remember that Molly fish fry is small animals and can only swallow food that fits their tiny boa. Feed the fry regularly, without leaving food leftovers in the aquarium. Quality food will bring quality animals. Keep a strict diet so you don’t leave your fish obese or leftover food that will degrade the water quality in the fry tank. It’s safe and convenient to store your fry in an adult-like tank. You can also offer the same food that adult fish eat; crushing before submitting crush makes the pieces small enough to fit in the fry’s mouth.
Tank and filter system setup
Breeding tanks will require between 10-20 gallons of water to raise the fry. The tank needs an efficient filtration system. Ensure your filters are free of dirt and not sucking up the fry. The filter can also be covered with foam that protects it from sucking fish and traps food residue.
Conclusion
Is breeding mollies a good hobby for any fish keeper. Molly fry is not very difficult to raise. Still, it is necessary to take measures for their preservation and well-being and maintain the excellent condition of the aquarium and excellent water quality. Unlike adult Molly fish, which are more robust, fry is less tolerant of an unstable and toxic environment. Before attempting to grow Mollys, you should be familiar with keeping these fish. Always try to feed them nutritious and correct food, keeping the aquarium in perfect condition for your fish.