Just got a molly but it is pregnant! Help!

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Violet92

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
Messages
35
Hello everyone! Im violet and i just bought this black balloon molly fish but shes pregnant!! I am not ready for this and its 4am. I just so far put her in a seprate tank than all the others. I am clueless help!!!!
 
Welcome to AA but anyways I would get a breeders net. She hues live birth and will try to eat her kids so watch out! Not as much as others but she will try. I don't know maybe put her in different tank or something.
 
I did put her in a seperate tank i just dont know what to do from here.. Do i just wait till the babies are here and then take her back to her original tank or what? Im so confused
 
Violet92 said:
I did put her in a seperate tank i just dont know what to do from here.. Do i just wait till the babies are here and then take her back to her original tank or what? Im so confused

I would also add some hiding spots to your tank so she doesn't eat the fry. She will usually have a batch every 3-4 weeks maybe 3-4 times I would put her back in if you want to but when it gets close time then take her out. What size tank is she in right now?
 
Welcome to the forum.

I keep my livebearers in the main tank, I don't separate them out to give birth. If the fry survive, great, if they don't, I don't lose sleep over it. I didn't get into fishkeeping to be a baby momma. ;)

If you really want to raise each and every fry, then you would need to set up a separate grow-out tank. If you don't want to get involved in all that, or it's too soon in the game for you to do so, then just relax and let nature take its course.
 
@lynda did some of the fry live? In the main tank i have 1molly 1sucker fish and 1crab and then the one other pregnant molly.. I have them in a 10gallon tank with lots of room and hiding space..
 
Fishie said:
I would also add some hiding spots to your tank so she doesn't eat the fry. She will usually have a batch every 3-4 weeks maybe 3-4 times I would put her back in if you want to but when it gets close time then take her out. What size tank is she in right now?

There in a 10gallon tank right now but i took the mama out and put her in a tank thats half the size of a 10gallon tank because thats all i have
 
@lynda did some of the fry live? In the main tank i have 1molly 1sucker fish and 1crab and then the one other pregnant molly.. I have them in a 10gallon tank with lots of room and hiding space..

I'm concerned about your stock. Please respond to the questions in the above post.

Yes, the fry lived. Fry are very resiliant and have a very high sense of self-preservation. They hid in the java moss until they knew the adults wouldn't eat them.
 
Yes the sucker fish is exactly a plecostomus and its a red claw crab.
 
I went to petsmart and the helped me with everything and im hoping they didnt mess up because the guy did tell me that the molly lays eggs but come to find out they give birth to LIVE babies!! Please help! I do have a filter in the tank should i be worried?
 
Ok, try to calm down, you sound really frazzled and that's not what fishkeeping should be about.

We all know that the majority of chain store employees don't have a clue about fish, sadly, so don't go there for advice.

I've never worried about my filter with my fry. In fact, I've had my krib fry sit on the filter intake to eat micro organisms and then they swim away. These are days old fry.

You can worry if you want to, but honestly, there's no need to.

Since you're not prepared, physically or emotionally, to do a whole "grow out fry tank" thing, keeping in mind that even if you just purchased a new fry tank it has to be cycled before you can stick fish in it, why don't you just leave her alone right now and whatever happens, happens.

Did you know when you purchased this species that they give birth constantly?
 
Sorry im just kind of shocked that they informed me with false information. Im 19 with 2kids and didnt plan on my daughter wanting to watch fish eat baby fish.. And no i have no idea about them reproducing a lot.. How often do they go through this? I have one male and one female.. How long does a cycle take?
 
LyndaB said:
You'll have bunches of new babies once a month.

Oh wow! So if i let nature take its corse will there still be some fry that make it?
 
Violet92 said:
Oh wow! So if i let nature take its corse will there still be some fry that make it?

I believe so. I would give them lots of hidding spots.
Also Welcome and congrats!
 
LyndaB said:
Yes, a manageable amount, most likely.

How will i know shes getting ready to have her babies? So im prepaired...
 
Hello everyone! Im violet and i just bought this black balloon molly fish but shes pregnant!! I am not ready for this and its 4am. I just so far put her in a seprate tank than all the others. I am clueless help!!!!

Welcome to AA! :welcome:
 
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