I keep mollies with my BN so the tanks don't look empty from a distance. Generally this is fine, but every once in a while there will be a molly that is a fry eater (other than their own fry). I've had perhaps 3 of them over the years that were fry eaters. I have just discovered another rouge molly feasting on my newly emerged albino BN fry! Needless to say, she has been removed.

Just a reminder to be vigilant if you keep anything at all in the tanks with your BN and want to raise the fry.

I have been fore warning people about mollies for years.... and posted a few times on this forum regarding the issue...

they can often eat their own fry as well as other fry, they just love Bristlenose fry and guppy fry...

so always watch closely when fry are in your tank and these greedy little pesks are about....

you will often find molly are always hungry, they have a insatiable appetite

When I started fishkeeping there was a shop called Jebi's aquatics here in Dublin run by an old man who if he didn't like the look of you wouldn't let you into the shop I got on well with him and even sold some home bred Gouramis, Bettas and Swordtails to him.

However One time my brother in law asked me to get him some Mollies while I was there and when I asked for them the owner turned on me "Mollies- I wouldn't have them in the shop, most unpleasant fish. Are they for you? I thought you had more sense"

It was only when I assured him they weren't for me that he let me remain as a customer

It put me off Mollies for life

I had the mollies before the BN as they were a fish that liked our local hard water and I am not of a mind to fight my water. Up to now it's been OK, but the albino male let his fry out of the cave at a younger age than my brown does and that did not work out well, ... so I am reconsidering the mollies. What would you suggest that will thrive in hard water, and not eat BN fry excessively?

If you really did not want to part with the mollies you could, in future, move the albino male and cave to a fry saver or another tank before he releases the fry.