If you are in the process of setting up a new aquarium, do you know when to separate baby mollies from mother fish? When to do this and will she eat them?
This is an important question for anyone who has ever bred tropical fish before and who wants to avoid their baby mollies being eaten by their mother.
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The best way to care for baby mollies (Poecilia sphenops) is by doing what they do in the wild: separating them from adult fish and feeding them foods suitable for small fry.
In general, it is best to wait until the fry (baby fish) are at least a week old before separating them from their mothers. Once they reach this age of development then separation should be relatively easy and uneventful for both parties involved in breeding your tropical aquarium!
However please note that there’s usually no need or reason to separate them before the fry reaches this point in life.
In fact, I’ve seen mothers eat their own offspring if they’re separated from her too early!
So when do you know it’s time?
If your mother fish starts getting aggressive and acting aggressively towards other species then that may be a sign she needs some alone-
Do Balloon Mollies Eat Their Babies?
Balloon mollies, also known as livebearing fish (those that give birth to their young rather than laying eggs), are typically very protective parents. In fact, they’re often more concerned with the well-being of her fry than she is for herself!
Should I separate baby ballon momma’s from mother?
This is a question that many new fish owners have. But the answer to this one should be, “no.” Why? Well for starters when they’re born these tiny little fry are often so small and fragile it’s impossible without causing them undue stress or harm in some way! Why Do Molly Fish eat their Babies?
While it's true that some species of fish do eat their fry, this is not the case with a balloon molly. For one thing these babies are so tiny they're practically microscopic, and swallowing them would be like eating an olive-sized pill! So there you have your answer: Balloon momma fishes should never need to fear.How to Care for Freshwater Baby Molly Fish
How can you separate the babies from their mothers? You might be wondering about that. The best way to go about this is by getting a breeding box or net, whichever one works better for your situation. Meanwhile, if you are using a breeding box then the fry will drop into another compartment in it, and while removing the mother once she has given birth;
With a breeding net, you just need to scoop up either side of it so that they stay together but still get separated at all times before putting them back inside an aquarium tank as well as placing them separately until they’re ready to join other fish and take care of themselves.
How Long To Keep Mollies in a breeding box
Setting up a breeding box is probably the easiest way to save molly babies from being eaten by adult fish. However, you shouldn’t keep them more than 2 weeks in this space because it will significantly stunt their growth- which can be undesirable for commercial purposes or as a hobby. At about two years old, they are large enough to not mistaken for food anymore and should be released into your main tank
Top Tips on How To Care for your Mollies
Safety of your fish
In order to raise a molly fish, you need to plan for the safety of its babies beforehand. For example, before they are born put live plants in your aquarium so the mother does not feel stressed when she has her babies and separates from them.
Separating fry sexes
Mollies are generally known as prolific breeders, but you can curb this by separating the male and female mollies after they’re born. Moreover, it’s easy to tell them apart because males have a modified anal fin used for reproduction called the gonopodium that females don’t usually possess.
Cleaning your tank
Did you know that a clean habitat is a key to growing healthy fry? When cleaning your tank or breeding box, always change the water and keep it free of any particles. If they are raised in this environment from birth, then there will be fewer complications with sicknesses later on down the line.
Create a Safe Place for your Molly to hide
If you want to protect your molly babies, give them a place they can hide. For example, adding artificial or real plants into the tank will do just that. Plus it’s important for these leaves on the plant to reach all of the way up to the top as well as floating at water surface level in order for protection from light and predators.
How to Prevent Baby Mollies from Catching Diseases?
Generally, there are lots of tiny microorganisms that live in the air. These microbes harm other living organisms by invading them. However, these invaders can be transmitted to water easily so you may find fungi like molds or parasites present in it as well! This occurs because babies with less immunity have a harder time fighting off environmental changes and diseases which makes this harmful for their health too!
Mollies are one of the most popular aquarium fish, but they’re also prone to catching fungus. That’s why you should treat your water regularly with methylene blue and follow certain steps that will prevent diseases from happening at all. For example, check for symptoms before using chemicals or medicines in order to avoid harming other living creatures like bacteria colonies inside our tanks!
Be Careful
Methylene blue and erythromycin or tetracycline can be very toxic to fish if used simultaneously. What many people don’t know is that it’s also important for you to water condition the water before adding methylene blue. You should wait at least half an hour, but ideally 30 minutes, after conditioning your tank with a good quality water conditioner before using any other chemical additives like Methylene Blue Liquid (MB).
How to Feed my Baby Molly?
Mollies can be fed fish flakes that are ideally supplemented with live and frozen food such as brine shrimp, daphnia (a type of crustacean), tubifex worms, bloodworms, and blackworms. They also enjoy vegetables like peas, squash, or cucumbers-blanched for easy digestion. If you don’t want to give them veggies instead provide algae wafers which is a plant-based food they will go crazy over! Mollies should only be given fresh foods two to three times per day in small doses; this means not more than what they can eat within five minutes so it doesn’t spoil too quickly before the rest gets eaten from their dish
