15 ballon molly fry! But who's the mom?

[Auratus]

I looked over at my tank and WOW!!! fry!!!!!!! I think she had already had them all. I got 8 the first night and last night I got more and ended up with the magical number of 15! But I don't know who the mom was. I have nine females so I can't tell. Gold spotted was laying at the bottom of the tank and she still is.... I don't know if she was the one though. How can I tell who the mom is? And how can I tell ahead of time so I can put the expecting mother in the breeder so I don't have to catch all those fry again, which wasn't very fun!!!!

Also, my male is a black balloon molly but the top of his head is white like it got skinned off or something.... I didn't notice when I got him but now it's like that. He is like that around his gills a little too. He is still perfectly healthy. Could it be a wound from before I got him and now it's healing? He is the only male in the tank so he can't be fighting with any others. would the females be aggresssive towards him? I never see him persuing the females like I thought he would. He just kind of goes up to her and if she swims away he gives up. He doesn't even try.

 

[007stu]

Get that male outta of the tank ASAP.

He probably has fungus, but whatever makes him look weird and lathargic will undoubtedly spread in such a crowded tank.

Add some salt, too: 1 tsp. for 2 gallons.

As for the mom, with black mollies you can't see the gravid spot, but the tired one may be the mom; shouldn't take her long to recover or it might mean that she's infected, too.

 

[Auratus]

The water is brackish.

The male doesn't have a fungus and it has been almost 2 weeks since I noticed it. I think it's just a battle scar. The female that was laying at the bottom of the tank died, but she was really fat. I think she might have passed trying to give birth.

I lost one fry but the other 14 are getting big and eating bigger pieces of food everyday! Messy messy though.

 

[ruffmeister]

wow balloon fry could you please take a picture of th fry and send me it as i would love to see what they will look like when mine finally decide to have some

 

[aernympha]

his tank isnt over stocked but i would put anymore fish in in anaywyas u need some room for ur fry!!! i would wait until they develop there coour then u can a have wild guess of which feamle look the most like them perhaps introduce another male as there are alot of females!!!!!!!!!! perhaps u have amale form ur fry so that u dont have to spend any money but then again that would lead to inbreeding anyways if u get another male perhaps the knewone will be more keen