POWER FILTER---MOLLY FRY

[MOLLYMAN]

Hi all,
I'm new--thank u for having me.
Got lots & lots of Black Molly fry rearing ?s.
I previously had a few failures when rearing black
molly fry--none would last more than 3-4 weeks.

My suspicion is that the power filters I were using,
the Marineland & Penguin (w/bio wheels) on 2 diff tanks
(10g & 20g) were possibly too strong for the molly fry to
tolerate. By strong, I mean that perhaps the suction on the filters
created too forcful of an intake for the fry to cope with & that they
possibly died of exhaustion/fatigue from trying to fight the suction.

Anyone's comments/opinions/experiences would be most helpful
as I'm about to try molly breeding again.
thanks

[William]

Fry being sucked into the filter and thereby killed can be a problem. There are several ways to try and prevent this. One is to put a large sponge where the water intake is located. This will spread the water intake over an larger area (the sponge) and make it easier for fry to avoid getting stuck/sucked in.

[MOLLYMAN]

What I'm questioning isn't the issue of fry getting sucked-up, I had that taken care
of by putting a piece of nylon over the intake tube, it's does the force/suction of the intake tube propelled by the filter create a problem for the fry by creating
too much resistance when they are swimming.
In essence what I'm getting at is---are power filters too strong for a fry tank
because of their forceful suction which thereby creates a "counter-current".
ty for ur rapid response William.

[William]

Ok. Sorry for missunderstanding.

The fry should be able to handle the circulation (unless extreme) if you don't se any fry stuck to the nylon as long as they get enough food. Fighting the circulation means that they have to use more energy to move and this might cause trouble if they are not provided enough food.

[MOLLYMAN]

Thanks William-I shall see to it that they are properly fed a varied diet.
U also make a good point about energy expenditure---This
is something to consider.