Molly Knocked-up??

[guns286]

OK, here's my problem. As I've written in another thread, I woke up about a month ago and found 3 molly fry hiding in my tank. Since I've never experienced one of my fish having babies before (as far as I know) I was very excited. Make a long story short, only one made it and he's swimming around in a 5g nano right now.
I've read that mollies can be very polific so I was expecting to see more swimming around. Its been awhile and I have'nt seen any. I have 2 female mollies and I've thought they were pregnant a bunch of times. I realize that the other fish in the tank will eat them, but I cant imagine that not one has survived. I recently ordered a nursary/breeder tank so I can put one of the pregnant mollies in it and give the fry a better chance at life. Is there any other way to tell when they are pregnant, other then a fat mid-section? I really cant believe that every time I've thought they were pregnant they had the fry but the fry were eaten.

 

[tlkng1]

Hi Guns

Gestation is about 45 days for mollies, give or take a few days. If they have gone longer than that, I would say you do not have pregnant fish.

Be careful with a breeeder..it actually stresses the mother out more. A smaller tank would be better, with leafy plants to protect the fry. Penn Plax puts out a plastic grassy type plant that is specifically for the fry...called Baby Hide-Out. I have a fry tank set up specifically. Two of the plants are anchored n the gravel and the other two are floating upside down (grassy area down) or the fry to swim up to.

Depending on the age of your mollies, you may not be getting as many fry as possible. Younger and older fish are not going to produce the 50-100 that is common. Many years ago I had a molly give birth to only one fry.

 

[Hucklebuck]

I had part of that problem to ,I had 7 babies and 6 adults ,1 adult died then another now something happened and all babies died and tank test ok yesterday now looks like crap did water change and moved fish to my other tank till this tank cycles more

 

[mgamer20o0]

OK, here's my problem. As I've written in another thread, I woke up about a month ago and found 3 molly fry hiding in my tank. Since I've never experienced one of my fish having babies before (as far as I know) I was very excited. Make a long story short, only one made it and he's swimming around in a 5g nano right now.
I've read that mollies can be very polific so I was expecting to see more swimming around. Its been awhile and I have'nt seen any. I have 2 female mollies and I've thought they were pregnant a bunch of times. I realize that the other fish in the tank will eat them, but I cant imagine that not one has survived. I recently ordered a nursary/breeder tank so I can put one of the pregnant mollies in it and give the fry a better chance at life. Is there any other way to tell when they are pregnant, other then a fat mid-section? I really cant believe that every time I've thought they were pregnant they had the fry but the fry were eaten.

i can believe it. its free fish food.

Hi Guns

Gestation is about 45 days for mollies, give or take a few days. If they have gone longer than that, I would say you do not have pregnant fish.

Be careful with a breeeder..it actually stresses the mother out more. A smaller tank would be better, with leafy plants to protect the fry. Penn Plax puts out a plastic grassy type plant that is specifically for the fry...called Baby Hide-Out. I have a fry tank set up specifically. Two of the plants are anchored n the gravel and the other two are floating upside down (grassy area down) or the fry to swim up to.

Depending on the age of your mollies, you may not be getting as many fry as possible. Younger and older fish are not going to produce the 50-100 that is common. Many years ago I had a molly give birth to only one fry.

i think its more like 4 weeks.

 

[guns286]

Tks. I also recently ordered some driftwood that I was planning on attaching Java Moss to (I'm trying to get some live plants into the tank). I was also looking at Frog Bit as a floating plant. Do you think that those would be good hiding places for the fry? I could always put some of both into my 5g nano also, and put the mother molly in there when I think she's pregnant.

 

[mgamer20o0]

java moss is great for fry. it gives them a place to hide and will be able to eat the micro organisms that lives on the plants.