Molly babies everywhere!

18 years ago

We just got two Mollys about 3 hours ago and Presto!!! One of them had fourteen babies! (4 didn't make it) And my daughter thought it was a boy cause it was so big. I went back to the store and bought one of those nets to separate them in the tank. Now what? Do I feed them? What do I feed them? Do I put the mommy in there? Any help is appreciated!

Comments (4)

uninformed_kitty
18 years ago
Feed them very finely crushed flake food, and don't leave mom with them because she'll eat them without a second thought.

Keep in mind though, that when these babies grow up they're going to have babies of their own. The things are like rabbits. So maybe you ought to let some of them get eaten. I dunno what your space is like.

When we kept them as class pets, we left them to their own devices, and only a few every survived the filter and their parents, keeping the population reasonable for the tank. If you want only a few to survive, put lots of fake or real plants in for them to hide until they're bigger.
lulu2839
Original Author
18 years ago
My daughter is very excited about our new additions! We have 9 very healthy Mollys left. We will be moving them to my son's tank when they are old enough.
lulu2839
Original Author
18 years ago
We originally had two Mollys. Since the one had babies, she has become VERY aggressive towards the other fish even the other Molly. She nips at them, especially during feeding time. What should we do? Will she calm down?
anton_grower
17 years ago
Hi there, I grow black mollies for a hobbie and experiment with different varietes and stuff. Yes, these fish are a bit nippy and agressive, specially at feeding time. Sometimes they will get into furious fights until one of them gives up. The best way to resolve this problem is to keep a few more than initialy planned. Example: if you keep only 2 or 3 fish, try introducing at least 2-3 more fish of approximately same size. that will eliminate problem. Feed them generously as their metabolism is extremelly fast and they will develop into wonderful specimens.
The main reason your fish became agressive is because she got domesticated in your tank and someone ALWAYS has to take charge in the tank. If its your female that is better than if it was a male (they will scare away the females who may get less food as a result of constant agression from the dominant male). Don't worry about the nipping, that is how mother nature makes sure that the strongest prevales.Hope this little info helps. Good luck and enjoy this wonderful little black fish. Anton