Mollies are an incredible aquatic plant that can grow in both fresh and saltwater. The common name for the species is Sailfin Mollies, and they are a part of the Poeciliidae family. Molly fish form deep wells in which eggs can quickly develop and also protect their offspring from predation. They have some unique features like their long, flowing leaves. How long does Molly Fry take to grow?
Well, it depends on the variety of Molly fry you choose to grow. But typically, they will need about 2-4 weeks after laying to develop into an adult. These types of fish are livebearers, and they can grow up to a maximum of six inches in length.
This article will detail how long it takes for Molly Fry to grow and what you can do to make sure they are happy during their growth process. We’ll also talk about what happens when Molly grows fully.
How Long Does Molly Fry Take To Grow?
Molly fry has a rapid growth rate. They will double in size within the first few weeks of life and be ready for sale as early as four months old. However, they can also live up to five years with proper care, so it is important not to rush selling them off too soon!
Please take note that you should only sell a tropical fish after its swim bladder has fully developed, which usually occurs around six months old or when they have grown by 25% of their original size. If you want your Mollies to breed, this process could take even longer at between nine and twelve months, depending on how well-fed the parents were during the previous breeding season.
When it comes to the actual amount of time that Molly fry takes to grow, it could be anywhere between three and 12 months, depending on all factors such as food supply, water temperature, etc.
Phases Of Growth In Molly Fish Fry
Generally, we can expect our mollies will be sexually mature within two or three months after hatching. Males are usually ready for mating by the end of their first month, while females may not become fully ripe until they’re between five and six weeks old. Young females won’t be pregnant until they are six months old or more, and males take as long as a year to produce offspring.
Fry (Weeks 0-8)
Mollies generally hatch within 48 hours after laying eggs, although some batches take longer. Fry usually swim freely for about a week. After that, you must feed them once or twice daily until they’re large enough to feed on more significant foods like baby brine shrimp or daphnia. Some people may choose to offer newly hatched fry infusoria (protozoa) or vinegar eels for the first few days.
Fingerling (Weeks 12-52)
In their first eight weeks, molly fry will grow from a typical hatching size of less than an inch to about two inches. While they’re still relatively small, you should feed them small foods like infusoria or baby brine shrimp before they grow larger. After that, they need more nutritionally dense items such as daphnia.
Reproduction (Weeks 26-52)
By the time they’re about four months old and six inches long. Males don’t mature as quickly and may not reproduce until they’re six months old or more. Mollies can live up to three years, although most specimens are usually dead by the time they reach 18 months of age.
How to Make Your Molly Fry Grow Faster?
There are several things that you can do to help your Molly Fry grow faster. The first is to make sure they have plenty of food and clean, fresh water at all times. Besides this, there are many other things to take care of for the proper growth of Molly fish. Such as:
Nutritious Food
The food you provide your Molly fish should be rich in protein content. Some good sources of proteins are brine shrimp, bloodworms, and earthworms, for example. You can also give them a high-quality flake or pellet food containing at least 32% protein to help with their growth.
Feeding them processed foods will not yield any results for proper growth since they lack the necessary nutrients needed by mollies to grow healthy and strong. Take care that you don’t overfeed your fry either because it is straightforward, especially when they are small; this could lead to dangerous situations like constipation and other digestion issues due to overeating food particles floating about in the tank.
Lighting
Mollies prefer an environment where there is plenty of light but not direct sunlight on the aquarium as this could lead to algae blooms which would reduce oxygen levels in the water, causing stress or death to your Mollies. Therefore it’s best to grow well under bright lights without strong shadows falling through any open spaces from above due to lower lighting conditions during dark hours that will affect plant life other than algae.
Temperatures
Mollies do best in water that is between 22-26C (70-80F). They can adapt to a wide range of temperatures, but you should maintain the temperature within this range for faster growth and easier breeding. Also, if your aquarium is present near windows where sunlight heats the area during summertime, then don’t forget to leave an open space or two so Molly fish have a chance to cool down when they need to. Finally, remember Mollies are tropical freshwater species. Their natural habitat has hot weather all year long, unlike cold winters like colder climates such as European countries experience each winter season.
Water Quality
Water quality helps to ensure the maximum growth rate of Molly fry. Therefore, it is important to maintain high levels of water quality. However, take extra care as a slow death rate could wipe out your entire Molly Fry within just a few days if you ignore this matter carefully.
Frequent Partial Water Changes
It’s important to regularly perform partial water changes on your aquarium since most beginners tend not to maintain regular cleanings, especially if you have more than one aquarium. It also helps in maintaining the freshness of water and reducing nitrate levels.
Nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium, and they can be deadly due to their toxicity level, so at all times, try and keep nitrate levels below 20 ppm (mg/L).
Water changes should occur every week or two, depending on how many fish you have inside. Moreover, you should change at least 30% water each time for smaller tanks up to 100 gallons. However, there are other factors that you must consider, such as age, bioload, etc. Similarly, for larger tank sizes, you can go ahead by changing 50% water every week.
Eliminate Stress
Stress is a factor that can slow down their growth. If possible, keep Mollies and fry in an environment where they are safe from predators or anything else, which can cause stress like temperature changes or other fish species being aggressive towards them.
Give Them Space
Mollies are highly active fish, and they love to swim. However, they require a lot of open space and don’t do well in crowded tanks, so it is better to give them as much room as possible even if there are not many fry around since overcrowding can lead to stunted growth or death for the little ones.
So, provide at least 30 gallons of space per fish and give them enough room to grow so they don’t feel overcrowded or bullied by other fish species in your aquarium community.
Treat Them With Beneficial Bacteria
As Molly Fry grows older, their immune system becomes more robust with time. Thus, this means they are less likely to suffer from diseases. But this will only happen if you provide them an environment where all nutrients are available, whether they come from live food like brine shrimp or through plants growing in the tank, etc. So try adding some beneficial bacteria into your aquarium water and regular partial changes, which will help them with their immunity.
pH Level
Keep pH level between seven and eight-point five using a proper chemical balance or supplementing with chemicals for buffering if needed. Use a reliable test kit before adding any new fish to ensure you have adequate levels of these additives in place. Otherwise, harmful bacteria might kill Mollies.
Introduce Live Plants In Tank
Plants can be a great addition to your aquarium. Not only do they provide hiding places for fry, but they also give them something nutritious when you feed the plants in the tank. Some good water-tolerant plants include hornwort, anubias, java moss, and java ferns, which are all excellent choices that will survive under most conditions, including low light levels familiar in tanks with fry. Take care not to plant too many, though, or else there may not be enough oxygen for all of them at times.
What To Do When Molly Fry Reach Their Full Size?
On average, an adult Molly fish is about four to six inches long. So when your fry reaches this size, they are adults start to continue with their life cycle (however, there are some exceptions).
When Molly fish reach their full size, you can also move them into a breeding trap. A breeding box is a home to the fry while they grow and develop in an entirely different environment than your main tank. It’s important not to put too many molly fish fry in one box, as this will ruin the space and cause stress for some younglings (killing others).
Install A Breeding Box In The Main Tank
Install a breeding trap in your main tank and allow the fry to acclimate for an hour before moving them over into the box.
Use A Net To Transfer The Fry
The best way is to use a net or spoon (with holes), so you can gently scoop up all of the young mollies. Take care not to overcrowd, as this could cause some fish fry stress. Try transferring only two or three at a time without squishing each other around too much!
Give The Fish Fry In The Breeding Box An Hour To Acclimate
If you move them right away, they might feel stressed out by their new environment and die from shock. So give Mollies about an hour in their breeding boxes first before releasing them.
When you choose to move the fry back into your main tank, give them some time of about a week or two. Besides this, introduce the fry slowly. Give Mollies some time to acclimate when their many fish in the breeding box once the fry gets familiar with the environmental condition. They will live more comfortably.
Transfer Only Few Molly Fry At A Time
Once they’re big enough, these mollies should stay put -there’s no need for frequent moves. Take care not to overcrowd when moving them over either; try transferring only two or three at a time without squishing each other around too much. If all goes well once they’ve adequately acclimated, take note of any changes in behavior as an indicator before releasing most of the younglings from the trap.
Some FAQs
Why Do Molly Fish Die After Giving Birth?
Molly Fry died after giving birth for several reasons, the two most prevalent being poor water conditions and stress caused by their environment.
What is the Best Food for Molly?
The best food for molly fish is high-quality pellet foods, live and freeze-dried brine shrimp. You can also give frozen bloodworms as a treat every once in a while. Some people also use mosquito larvae to feed their Mollies. There’s no one answer on what everyone should feed their mollies as there are many opinions and fish have different needs.
Can Molly Fry Survive With Saltwater Fish?
Molly fry can survive with saltwater fish, but they will not thrive in the same aquarium. Take special care to make sure your saltwater tank has proper chemistry parameters, filtration, and temperature regulation for freshwater fish.
Molly Fry Take Longer to Grow than Goldfish Take?
Yes, Molly fry takes longer to grow into adult fish than goldfish do. It usually takes them about six months or more before they develop into an adult, depending on the size of their parents and whether or not you have ideal conditions for them in your aquarium.
Why Does Molly Fry Take So Long to Grow?
They take so long because they are fastidious eaters. You do not want them eating crap. Also, they are nocturnal fish and prefer darker tanks as well as calmer waters. Usually, this is when many people love watching their molly fry swim around as they sleep during the day.
Conclusion
Molly fish are very easy to take care of and will be an excellent pet for any fish tank. Take your time when choosing which molly fry you want so that it’s perfect for your aquarium. If you have any other questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below! Thanks for reading!
