Who is mating with my single Red Sunset Molly

[Mammy]

I have a weird situation here. I have a single Red Sunset Molly that has given me fries. What?!?! I know that there are more newly hatched fries now because I was able to catch one last night and put it in the nursery tank. I placed a fish net over the entrance of the decorative bell to protect the other fries until I can catch them.

With My Red Sunset Molly I have 3 Glowfish, 3 Zebra Danios and 3 Black Phantoms. I used to have with them a 5 year old Pleco but it died last month.

So my question is, who is she breading with her? The fries really look like Red Sunset Mollies.

 

[Aiken Drum]

How long have you had the fish? Gestation period for mollies is 60 days and they can hold onto sperm for months and fertilise eggs without a male.

 

[Mammy]

Thank you

Thank you Aiken Drum! Wow I’m flabbergasted!

She was a birthday gift, end of August 2020. She came with two more Red Sunset Mollies that unfortunately died in November.

So if I understand you correctly, there will be only a few more fries to come in the next week or so.

 

[Aiken Drum]

"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy".

I think a couple of additional spawnings can happen. So i would take that to be 3, the original spawning and possibly 2 extra? This will probably the first if you have had the fish since august and the potential mate died in November. Between 10 and 60 fry per spawn is typical. They will be mixed sex and will go onto breed themselves if they survive. Be ready for a population explosion if you keep the fry.

 

[Mammy]

Ok gear! I’m ready. I added marbles around and in that decorative bell so the fry should be safe until I can transfer them into the nursery.

I’ve had that aquarium for more than ten years now and always had a Pleco in it and never had fry before or should I say, they never had a chance of surviving the Pleco.

Tapadh leat Aiken Drum,

Mammy

 

[Aiken Drum]

Tapadh leat Aiken Drum,

Mammy

Ha ha. I had to Google that, because despite the user name, im not actually Scottish. Aiken is from the novel "the many coloured land" rather than the scottish rhyme but being the man in the moon is also cool, a hat made of cheese is very impractical.