Molly questions

[Linsay]

my son just got a 10g. tank and we purchased 4 mollies. 2 black lyretail, 1 white lyretail and one white sailfin.

How do you tell the sexes between the fish? The sailfin is pretty obvious but I have no clue with the lyretail. Obviously one is a female because we have 4 little fry swimming around!

Will the white sailfin mate with the white lyretail (if the lyretail is female of course ) ?

I am really enjoying watching these and you can just imagine my son's excitement with the fry (who are now safely placed in a net breeder)

 

[Fluff]

They are actually pretty easy to determine sex. The males anal fin is modified into a gonopodium which is always pointed and much thinner than the females anal fin. They aren't particular about who has a sailfin or who has a lyre tail. They will breed either way.

I would like to throw this out there also, while four mollies doesn't seem like much in a 10 gallon tank, the mollies you've chosen get quite large. 5-6 inches each. That's alot for your tank, then add in the fry, it's gonna get real cramped in there. Just a heads up.

 

[Linsay]

thanks for the warning -- I didn't realize they got so big! We will have to see what happens and maybe upgrade!

 

[RoK]

Hm, if you just started the tank and got all those fish at once you will realize either soon or later on that it wasn't such a good idea. Mollies are big eaters and poopers, they can create a lot of ammonia. You need a good filter and if the tank isn't cycled yet the ammonia will kill all the fish. :?
How long has the tank been running?

 

[Linsay]

I tested just the other day and ammonia was up. I cut up my filter from my established tank and stuffed it in there! Hopefully that will help! We have only had the tank a week or so. I was thinking I was being conservative with the 4 fish LOL

 

[RoK]

There are ammonia remover pellets you can get to add to the filter media, if it doesn't have them already.

 

[kukerdan]

the mails lyretail tips are noticably more drawn out than the females

 

[Linsay]

Looking at my fish I am pretty sure all of the lyretails are female and just the one male sailfin. of course who knows about the fry!

 

[RoK]

Do you still have all of them in that new tank?

 

[Linsay]

yup - I did a 50% water change today and I have a bacterial bloom starting. That plus the fact that I added my old filter into the tank --- I think they will be ok for right now. They are looking really good. Not stressed so......I am just going to have to figure out what to do when they grow bigger!