# Molly fry not growing



## aquarimum

My molly fry dont seem to be growing very fast. They are about 5 weeks old and still just about 1.3 cm long...one of them is even smaller. I feed them a good flake food that ive ground up myself and they also get bloodworm, spinach and peas. I thought that by now I would be able to put them into the big tank but if I do that I think they will be eaten. Am I doing something wrong?


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## Alasse

What sized tank are they in?


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## jrman83

Have you watched to see how much food they are getting?


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## aquarimum

There are 7 of them and they are in a 40 liter tank with heater and filter. They always seem to eat ok, they come up to the surface as soon as I put the food in and when I get the magnifying glass out and look at them you can see there stomachs are full. Surely they dont need more space!


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## jrman83

Space may be okay, but it is proven that fry grow faster in a larger tank. I can show you differences in size of Swordtail teenagers that were born on the same day but spent a few months in my 75g while the rest were in my 125g. Close to a half inch difference in size just from 2 months spent in a 75g tank.

I tend to overfeed when I have young fish present and dont just let the food float on top. I push the food into the water with my hand to get it to them. I do this just to make sure they are getting plenty, because the adults will get most of what you put in.


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## aquarimum

There are no other fish in the tank for competition with food only a solitary bumblebee shrimp who gets anything the babies dont eat. The food does seem to sink pretty fast anyway. Guess that Im not really doing anything wrong and I should be patient. I should also say that these babies were born the day after I bought the female molly home. Ive no idea how she was fed and her breeding background. There were around 20 babies that we managed to rescue from the big tank before they were eaten and alot of them died within the first week so maybe they are not a healthy batch. I hope that the little ones do survive.


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## jrman83

You could possibly look into fry foods or find ones that are higher in protein value. Do you know the protein content of your food?


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## aquarimum

I just checked the food and it doesnt state the protein content. I will get some proper fry food tomorrow. I feel bad that I havent given them a good start in life but its better late than never and least I know better next time.


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## snail

I've never had molly fry but aren't they known for growing slowly? I must be the only person to have owned a pair of mollies and never got babies, one of them must have been sterile I think.


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## joevw007

IMO you probably have inbred mollies that didn't produce healthy offspring. sounds like you are feeding correctly and the tank is big enough. Sometimes if it is the mother's first batch of babies they will come out small and weak.


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## navigator black

When I am raising mollies, I do 50% water changes twice a week, or they slow down. They aren't adapted to a high protein diet - they are roughage eaters that feed on algae and the critters that live in it. They NEED fiber in their diets.

If you ever get to watch them in the wild, they constantly graze on algae. They eat all day long, in between socializing, displaying and breeding. 

I keep wild-types, not domestic strains, but they should be about the same. They aren't the fastest growing fish after about the first 2 cm. They'll eat like pigs but growth is slow and steady. 

Make sure they are in hard water that is very clean, and what you are doing is probably right. With a vegetable/algae component to their diet, they'll be healthier.


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## dtothedog

Well whats the temprature at?


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## Ford4ever

my molly fry are the same. They are about 2 months old and some of them are growing fine and are now pretty big but the others are still as big as when they where born. I have them housed in a 30 gal tank by themselves. I don’t know why some are growing and some aren’t. I feed them a few times a day but there is still no change in the small ones.


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