Pecking order Needs Reorder

[derail]

I'm attaching three pictures to this, in hopes of getting some support here. I've recently purchased a female molly to even out the ratio that was in my tank previously (had 1 male and 1 female.) The golden one, pictured first, has grown aggressive toward the other fish, particularly during feeding time and when scavenging for food at the bottom. I'm assuming the gold one is female, silver is male (which I can tell by his gonopodium unless I'm mistaken), but it's starting to seem like I have two males now due to this. Is it normal for the female to push other fish around? I'm thinking she may not be female since when she clamps her anal fin (which was insanely hard to get a picture of since she usually only does it when she's swimming quickly), it looks like the male's anal fin.
Any ideas as to what I can do to stop this insane amount of rudeness?

On a side note, it's really weird to see this particular pecking order since when I actually acclimated the new fish and netted them into the tank (the gold one and two girl guppies), the existing male molly and guppy went insane trying to breed with them, so I was expecting these guys to own the tank. Heh, guess I was wrong.

 

[absolutangel04]

What size tank, and whats all in it?
Also, at least on my computer, your pictures didn't show up.

 

[derail]

Ok, there was my problem, I posted the thread before the pictures had finished uploading haha. Ok, sorry, the tank is 30 gallon, with three mollies, three guppies, three ghost shrimp and a CAE. Hmm, thanks absolutangel04, you seem to be the one that quickly responds when I have issues

 

[stingrays4]

Hi yes mollies can be quite boisterous. I would add some more décor, especially bushy type plants. From the photo's they look like three females??
ps first time i read this thread the photo's were not showing

 

[absolutangel04]

Well, you certainly have a big enough tank IMO, so I guess you just a jerky molly. It happens. Some mollies can be rather aggressive. You can try adding some more plants (real or fake) to break up the line of site and reduce confrontations.
Judging from the picture, I'm pretty sure the gold one is a female. The females can fan and retract their anal fins, but the males don't. I know thaat can make it confusing. I have mis-gender-identified mollies before when I purchased them because of this.

 

[derail]

Judging from the picture, I'm pretty sure the gold one is a female. The females can fan and retract their anal fins, but the males don't. I know thaat can make it confusing. I have mis-gender-identified mollies before when I purchased them because of this.

I appreciate that clarification, and I'm going to agree with stingrays4 on they're both female; because the silver one I've identified as a boy can fan out the anal fin.
So by this, the gonopodium does NOT fan out, yes?
Does this mean that what I thought was mating behavior, (the silver one was nudging at the back end of the new gold molly when I first introduced them and moving all around her) could have just been a show of dominance?

 

[stingrays4]

Hi yes probably sorting out the 'pecking' order A male will constantly chase the female hence why suggesting adding more décor to break up the line of sight as said by absolutangel04 Also the gonopodium will stay narrow so to speak,and not 'fan' out.

 

[absolutangel04]

Right, the gonopodium does not fan out. Good catch stingrays4. Truthfully, I couldn't really tell the gender of the silver one very from the picture, but it did look male to me. If you have seen it fan out that fin however, its not a boy. The gonopodum is still quite flexible, but it always stays looking like a tube (since thats what it does).
When livebearers flirt, the male swims in front of the female and displays for her continually. The tend to "herd" the females around. They try to swim next to the females and reach their gonopodiums over toward them, then go back and show off more.

 

[derail]

Yeah I know what you mean, the boy guppy has been doing stuff like that non-stop to the female guppies, turning his body near her, angling his tail like he's about to pop her with it. it's rather entertaining as the females don't seem to care.

Thanks for the help, friends.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi your welcome. Hope it all sorts itself out I am guessing you get some fry if the fish are always mating?

 

[derail]

Hi your welcome. Hope it all sorts itself out I am guessing you get some fry if the fish are always mating?

To be honest, they're all relatively new for me, but one of my guppies, Isis, is definitely pregnant. I currently have 10 Molly fry, but unfortunately the balloon bellly mother that gave birth to them died.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah I know what you mean, the boy guppy has been doing stuff like that non-stop to the female guppies, turning his body near her, angling his tail like he's about to pop her with it. it's rather entertaining as the females don't seem to care.

Thanks for the help, friends.

No prob. Yeah, my mollies acted the same way while mating as the guppis do. The platys do it too. I love how the females just try to swim arounf like nothing is happening while the males are going crazy trying to get their attention. Talk about "the silent treatment!"

 

[absolutangel04]

To be honest, they're all relatively new for me, but one of my guppies, Isis, is definitely pregnant. I currently have 10 Molly fry, but unfortunately the balloon bellly mother that gave birth to them died.

Having fry is really hard on the females. I have had a few livebearers die from complications just before dropping or else just after.
I may be off-base here and I am only bsaing this on my observations and experience, but I don't really think the balloon mollies are generally as healthy. They have been selectively bred for that deformity and I am not convinced that it doesn't come with complications.

 

[derail]

I may be off-base here and I am only bsaing this on my observations and experience, but I don't really think the balloon mollies are generally as healthy. They have been selectively bred for that deformity and I am not convinced that it doesn't come with complications.

I actually agree; the balloon belly I had always had trouble swimming, her dorsal fin was really short for even a short finned molly, and when I fought with Ich in that tank, she had it worst of all, had it first, and was the last to finally be rid of it.