Breeding net/mollie question?

Question

Ok, so my golden molly is definitely pregnant. I noticed her getting rounder about a week ago, now she has a dark gravid spot but she's not squaring off. I have a breeding net (with no slits) but I'm thinking that besides stressing her out, it'll only keep her closer to her fry therefore allowing her to eat them.

I would let her just have them, but my filter is such that the little fry would get sucked up. I don't think that they could swim against its current, even thought it's not that hard. My tank is 20 gallons, with a big algae eater, large black neon tetras, neon tetras, zebra danios, and white clouds, besides some other mollies.

Should I buy the kind with slits? If so, when should I move her into it? How do I encourage her to drop her fry, or will she just do it? And then what do I do with the fry if I don't wish to keep all of them? I've never had baby mollies before. Help is greatly appreciated. Please explain as fully as possible, keeping in mind that I'm at school constantly so no, I won't be home to net the fry as soon as they are born however I will not allow them to be born only to be eaten by my filter.

Answer 1

Mollies can't really be "encouraged" to drop their fry--they'll do it when they're ready.  And many of the fry will probably be eaten by the other fish, so you shouldn't have too many to deal with.  If you still have too many, you can grow them out a little and then either trade them in at a pet store or find a new home for them.

You can use a breeding net to house your fry, but you should never put the mother in there--it will just stress her out, and could cause her to abort the pregnancy.

Also, there's a simple solution to your filter problem: take a piece of nylon stocking, wash it thoroughly in hot water, and then use an elastic to secure it over your filter intake.  Tada!  Instant fry saver--they can't get sucked up through the nylon, and it should help ease the current a little.

You can also use a piece of sponge and slide it into the intake tube, with the same effect.  The sponge will also serve as a place for beneficial bacteria to grow, which is an added perk.

Also, I know you didn't ask about this, but your tank sounds a little overstocked, especially if that algae eater is a common pleco.  They grow over a foot long and produce a lot of waste, so they really need a bigger tank.  Just some helpful advice. :)

[edit] Yup, that's all you really have to do.  Live plants are nice (I use them in most of my tanks) but not having them isn't a problem.  As long as you have some hiding places, a few of the fry should survive, and the rest will just make a tasty snack for the rest of the fish.  Which is for the best, really, since Mollies can have a LOT of babies, and trying to re-home them all could be a nightmare.