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View Full Version : Balloon Belly Molly Fry Died in Breeder Box

Runtscal
07-31-2009, 01:45 PM
Hmmmm! Placed very pregnant Balloon Belly Molly in Floating Breeder Box --- gone 24 hours -- returned to find maybe 15 to 20 fry all dead in the bottom of the breeder box. They were all good size & fully developed.

Any ideas why?

Do they have to go to the top within 'x' amount of time for air or anything?

or because I wasn't home to feed as soon as they were born?

Weird
Typical Tony
07-31-2009, 11:55 PM
did you have a airstone in the breeder box?
guppyfreak2
08-01-2009, 12:09 AM
i have tried everything to breed my balloon mollies and out of 5 females pregnant many times at least 40 i have had maybe 10 babies survive i dont know why i have know problem with the others ... lol :confused:
EAST_TX_RN
08-01-2009, 05:50 AM
I don't think they get good enough water circulation in those boxes, but that's just my 2 cents.
fischlein
08-01-2009, 06:57 AM
It happend to me before
I agree with East TX RN , the breeder boxes don`t have enough circulation.
You should get a breeder net (they are around $ 3 in walmart)
Dr. Awkward
08-01-2009, 02:17 PM
I would also guess lack of circulation. I never had a problem keeping molly fry alive with the parents in the main tank. Since they drop so many fry so often I always kind of wished the parents would eat at least a few of them.
ElijahTurtle
08-01-2009, 03:45 PM
Well y'all beat me to it on the circulation issue.
Runtscal
08-01-2009, 08:06 PM
Gosh -- thanks all -- wish I had thought about that -- I had two net breeders hanging on the tank with bettas in them at the time.

It was my 1st time to use a floating breeder box -- and I guess the last.
If I hadn't been gone for the 24 hours --- I might have been able to move them after they dropped.

I used to have guppies & used the fry nest out of plants & the hairnet trick & saved way too many that way.

I'm thinking there is also something about the balloon bellies that makes it harder for them to survive too.

Thanks again.
Dr. Awkward
08-01-2009, 08:20 PM
I'm thinking there is also something about the balloon bellies that makes it harder for them to survive too.


I think you're right about that. We had balloon mollies and they had the worst fry. So many them were deformed and had to be culled, way more than regular mollies. Some kept the balloon trait but almost all were normal. Over the 2-3 years we had them I think they only gave us half a dozen nice looking fish.