male molly query

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RexDarr

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
23
Hello everyone!
Yesterday I purchased 4 mollies. Unknowingly I accidentally bought 2 males and 2 females. I placed all 4 in the tank before noticing the two males. One is orange with black eyes and the other was a dalmatian. The dalmatian wasted no time getting jiggy with the two females but he wasn't the male I wanted to breed so I returned him. When I returned with another female I noticed the orange one "sniffing" one of the females. She turned around and started chasing him. The other female soon joined. Once I acclimated the 3rd female to the tank she did her own thing them started chasing the male too.
Sometimes the females chase the male aggressively and other times they let him almost brush right up to them.
He hasn't made any attempts to mate since being chased. He seems mature and swims around minding his own business but never makes his move or establishes dominance.
Two of the three females are fully developed and possibly pregnant. The dalmatian molly was getting jiggy with them yesterday so why isn't the orange one?

My tank is planted (all live) and the water test yesterday showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Should I return him or will he eventually make his jiggy moves?
Why are the females harassing him? He shows no signs of sickness and eats very well
 
You have to give them time to get used to each other. It took about 3 months for my male to start breeding with my females.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!
 
Live bearers can be a little aggressive towards one another sometimes but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. I've seen similar with my platies but its never resulted in any kind of injury


Sini's my personal bucket lugger.. I mean.. Husband..
 
The male I returned was making sexy time with all the females but the one I kept shows no interest.
Not to sound like a creep but I enjoy watching them court. I get excited and anxiously wait for fry. I know one of the females is probably pregnant. She's bigger than the rest and seems to be looking for places to hide. The other 2 females and male group together and frolic around the tank.
Would adding more salt or increasing the aquarium temperature make him want to breed with the females?
 
No, it just takes time. And mollys take a month to gestate, they are not pregnant from the male you returned.. Like people every fish is different. Let them settle for a week or two and im sure he'll be more frisky


Sini's my personal bucket lugger.. I mean.. Husband..
 
Would adding more aquarium salt help calm the fish down? They don't seem stressed and go about their day exploring the tank and grazing on the river rock and such.
The male and two females were frolicking last night together (no mating tho) and the biggest female was hiding in a cave. I think shes ready to drop fry.
What about raising the temperature to 80 or just above? Would that make the male want to mate?

I've tried playing Barry White, lighting candles, and placing rose pedals everywhere but to no avail :(
 
Na...

Time and patience is all you need. If it's getting rough you can separate the troublemaker.


Caleb
 
aquarium salt is good for the fish though, as long it will not be bad for your other fish, just let them be, and finding joy watching them isn't creepy, we breeders do this all the time, i find it interesting watching the behavior of the fish, that is what makes the difference between a fish keeper and an aquarist, we like to watch behavior, in the fish, see how they act and do other things.
 
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