Baby Fish Overload!!

msmalls74

msmalls74

msmalls74

Soldato
Joined
4 Aug 2006
Posts
7,903
Location
Stevenage , Wisbech
I bought a female dalmation Molly a few weeks ago and thursday morning I noticed 6 or so baby mollys swimming about. Stuck my birthing net together and caught them and stuck them in the net. This morning i found about another 16 or so babies, so i have around 25 baby mollys in my tank. The problem is my tank and system will not cope with that many fish and im concerened about the rest of my fish. So whats the best call of action? i want to keep a few, but i dont want to make them fish food as the mrs is already attached to the babies :rolleyes:. How long till they get to a size i can release them into the tank? Is it possible to sell them to an aquatic center? Any help would be useful.
 
Have you got anything else in the tank other than Mollies?

Anything slightly predatory will eat the tiny fish and the numbers will whittle down.
For example, my tank had guppies in it and the baby fish were always eaten. When the tank was guppies only, they did breed a lot and a lot of the babies survived.

You could try and separate the males, it should be obvious which ones they are. If you are worried about overstocking, just remove them from the fry net and let them fend for themselves.
 
You need to introduce some other more predatory fish that will eat any new born mollies, get one that will not eat your fully grown mollies though.

Otherwise you will end up with babies every few months.
 
Nexus said:
Have you got anything else in the tank other than Mollies?

Anything slightly predatory will eat the tiny fish and the numbers will whittle down.
For example, my tank had guppies in it and the baby fish were always eaten. When the tank was guppies only, they did breed a lot and a lot of the babies survived.

You could try and separate the males, it should be obvious which ones they are. If you are worried about overstocking, just remove them from the fry net and let them fend for themselves.
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A few guppys, 2 clown loach, 2 dalmation mollys (both girls) and a dwarf plec, i was hoping this morning that they would get eaten before i caught them but they wasnt interested. One of the local fish stores will take them off us in a month or so, that may be an option.
 
msmalls74 said:
A few guppys, 2 clown loach, 2 dalmation mollys (both girls) and a dwarf plec, i was hoping this morning that they would get eaten before i caught them but they wasnt interested. One of the local fish stores will take them off us in a month or so, that may be an option.
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The Loaches should eat them if you take them out the fry net.
 
simulatorman said:
It's a fishy thread. :D
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I know
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Buy a breeding net and your local fish supplier should give you either cash or credit.

Mollys breed like crazy so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for some. Best to have some live plants for them to hide in (Java moss is great for this as it grows like crazy)
 
I used to sell cichlids to a shop, give em a buzz. Only prob is they will not want them until large enough to sell, so your tank may not be up to progressing them that far.
 
Edward78 said:
Your not killing them right??
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Dont want too, but if they start to imbalance the tank i may have let a few free. :(
May get a cheap second tank just for the babies to grow them for a month or so to sell them. I will try to only keep the female mollys so it will stop the baby factories.
 
Yeah speak to your fish shop, if they are healthy and well formed they may well buy them off you, I sold a few kribensis back to mine.

If you get some floating plants they will give the babies some cover if you release them into the tank, the weaker ones will get eaten leaving only the strong.
 
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