pregnant black molly being attacked by other mollies

[M4rppp]

We have three black mollies, one gave birth awhile back
And we have one little fry as a result

However she is still pregnant, but hadn’t given birth again I think because the other males are attacking her and won’t leave her alone. her two eyes are now swollen and she seems stressed and sick. Should I get her a isolation net?

 

[SaraB]

That will stress her out more, unless you are planning on netting the males. A separate tank would work best.
What's your male to female ratio?

 

[BBradbury]

Your Molly

We have three black mollies, one gave birth awhile back
And we have one little fry as a result

However she is still pregnant, but hadn’t given birth again I think because the other males are attacking her and won’t leave her alone. her two eyes are now swollen and she seems stressed and sick. Should I get her a isolation net?

Hello M...

Mollies are territorial. They'll drive off any fish that comes into their part of the tank especially when they're driven by the need to reproduce, which is all the time for males. These fish require larger tanks and the surface needs to be heavily planted to allow for privacy and a hiding place for the fry. Livebearing females will hold off dropping their fry until they feel water conditions are right for fry survival. These fish require especially good water conditions, so if you're not in the habit of removing and replacing at least half the tank water weekly, you need to gradually move in that direction. Mollies are really brackish water fish and need a little standard aquarium salt added to their water. When you do your weekly water change, add a teaspoon or two to every five gallons of new, treated tap water. If the tank will allow, add a few female Mollies. The higher ratio of females to males the better.

B