# fry not moving



## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

My balloon molly just had 31 babies about half an hour ago. they look alive... like big, and they don't particularly look dead, but they aren't moving (a couple have uncurled and occasionally wave their tails, but that's all).
ARE they dead?


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## ryan999 (Mar 31, 2006)

most likely no, baby fry always rest on the bottom after birth


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

yeah, it seemed like the last time she had babies (4 weeks ago, exactly) they seemed to lie around for a while. I thought they were all dead. But it seems like they've been there an awful long time, 40 minutes or so.


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## ryan999 (Mar 31, 2006)

was she stressed in anyway before birth because sometimes stress can result in stillborn babies. are yours curled up right now? how many are there? balloons are weird when it comes to birthing babies too one minute the babies are fine another they are dead.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

nope, she wasnt stressed. i noticed she was having babies so i took her out and held her in a large net while she gave birth and let the babies fall to the bottom of the container she was in - last time she ate like 10 of them.
They are 31, about half are uncurled. when i poke them a little they swim around. i guess they are just taking their time?


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## ryan999 (Mar 31, 2006)

i dont know really what to say maybe they are deformed....just keep us posted


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Well they haven't done anything yet... they are still lying at the bottom. i'm going to give them till tomorrow morning, then it's flushsville!


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## ryan999 (Mar 31, 2006)

thats too bad, i once had baby balloon mollies.... one day they just out of the blue dropped dead...water parameters were fine everything was fine and they were very healthy so keep us posted


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

yah they are pretty dead this morning. ah well. it's not like i had room for 31 more babies!


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## ryan999 (Mar 31, 2006)

dang thats too bad....sorry


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Sorry to hear this. Perhaps instead of you holding her in a net, next time you could just drop mucho plants in the tank and just remove her after shes finished (Since you left the babies in that tank anyway). I've had good success with my guppies this way. I tried one of those plastic floating breeders once and got aborted babies.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

That's a good idea Christine but I'm not really equipped to do that... all I have it a 10gal and a little 2 gal that hold some month-old mollies and platys... I daresay that I don't particularly try to save the babies from certain death at the hands (and mouths) of their mother's tankmates, but when I am there and she is about to have babies I can't help myself.
But I think that i dea - I'm movng on the 20th may and perhaps i'll set up like a 5 gal planted tank for just that purpose.

Danke for all the help, better luck next time eh!
Ta


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