I bought 4 fish from Petsmart about a month ago- 1 male and 3 females. My male died on Saturday (I called Petsmart, he suspects it was fin rot) , but i noticed that one of my Silvers is pregnant. I've read some of the articles on here and I was thinking of buying a breeding tank, but i was just wondering,I know male fish eat the fry, but do Female fish eat them too? Would a breeding tank be necissary in this case?
2007-10-17 18:16:15 · 7 answers · asked by Brittany 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Yes, females eat fry.
For best results, get a breeding tank.
Net breeders, and other "traps" are another alternative if you can't get another tank, (they provide a floating "nursery" where the parents can't get to the fry) but fry MUST be seperated from mama and all other fish as well.
2007-10-17 18:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, mollies are not as bad as most fish for eating fry. If your adults are well fed and you have lots of hiding places (plants, ornaments and such) and the tank is not crowded most of the young will not be eaten. They are very good at hiding. If you want to keep all the babies it's best to put the mother in a tank all by herself with lots of plants but if you do not have the money for a special tank good hiding places for the babies will save most of them.
I've read that new pot plastic pot scrubbers, the kind that come in different colours, make good hiding places for fry if you don't have a lot of plants. I've never tried it but I've often had fry and I think if they were well washed, without soap, it just may work. I do plan on trying it one day soon.
2007-10-18 01:45:34 · answer #2 · answered by guppylover 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all mollies would eat fry, they have no compassion for newborn fish. you could place the pregnant molly in a breeding tank, but:
1) you might misjudge the time of birth
2) you might stress the mother resulting in miscarriage or premature birth
3) some breeding tanks suffocate the occupants
if possible, i would suggest putting some plants that the fry could hide in. once the fry are born, you can transfer them to a breeding container by using a net.
also, mollies prefer brackish water so 2 tablespoons of kosher salt per 5 gallons is good.
2007-10-18 01:24:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The other adults may try to eat the fry if they aren't given enough places to hide. Rather than using breeding nets, I always used plants (can be real or artificial) in the tank. That way I didn't have to stress the mothers by moving them, or try to figure out when they were about to give birth.
The mothers would hide in the plants to drop the fry, and I always had plenty that survived. Just look for plants that have lots of leaves that make it hard for the adults to get to the very center like these: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11151/product.web , http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11146/product.web
2007-10-18 01:26:50 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, get a breeding net . After the fry show up remove the female and let the fry grow for awhile in the breeding net.
2007-10-18 01:23:29 · answer #5 · answered by steve s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh yes...she will eat her babies. Buy a breeding net, but remove her once they are born. Add aquarium salt and feed her some greens..they like Algae pellets or cooked peas without the skin. Good luck! Oh, and get some fry food for the frys!
2007-10-18 01:38:00 · answer #6 · answered by Blair C. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in some cases yes...in some cases no
with my fish...not 2 many got eaten...
i have a breeding net and i catch them fry and but them in
i dom't like putting the female in the net because she gets stressed and don't put a silver molly inthere as they are too big...
make sure you have lots of hiding places...ie rocks, floating plants small crevises...because you should really put a net in the tank until the fish is done because it will probably strees her out aswell...
2007-10-18 02:57:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋