Breeding Black Mollies

[nicolem143]

i finally got my 20 gallon tank going, and its going great! i was told by the petstore where i got my fish that if you put the mollies together, they will breed, that it is easy. how true is this exactly? i have 2 males and 1 female and they have been together in the tank for a week now. i currently only have 5 fish in it, 3 mollies and 2 corys. i tried breeding platties and gups with no luck at all. i have had a female and a male platy together since november and they have not reproduced. any help or suggestions would be appreciated!!

 

[theotheragentm]

All livebearers should breed that easily. What problems did you have with Guppies and Platies? If there really were problems with the other livebearers, you might have them with Mollies too. Mollies need brackish water or immaculately clean water as they are susceptible to a lot of fish diseases in freshwater that its not very clean. The Cories won't survive in brackish water though. Also, Cories should be kept in groups of four as the like to school.

 

[nicolem143]

the water is very clean and clear, ive been testing it regularly for nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, etc and eveyrhing is perfect. ive never had any probs with platties, except they wont breed. i seem to have a hard time keeping guppies, they die on me! i did notice this morning that my female molly is starting to get a little belly on her though. so im pretty sure she is prego!! i do have 4 cories, but 2 are albino, will they do ok with the other 2 cories?

 

[theotheragentm]

Mixing different varieties of Cories is okay. The will sometimes school with different varieties. Panda Cories are my favorite so I just got all Pandas.

 

[leanne_129]

Mixing different varieties of Cories is okay. The will sometimes school with different varieties. Panda Cories are my favorite so I just got all Pandas.

i have 2 mollies inj a newer tank of mine! i now have 8 fry and she looks preggy again haha!
i hope manage to get a few its awesome watchin them grow! i had mine kept in a small fry tub for 2 months now they are in the big tank they are growin so fast i cant keep up with them! there all changing colours and shape and size! there a joy to watch

Good luck

 

[DarkShadow435]

i would put a few more females or take a male out. Males dont like to share one female. Once the female is pregnant, i'd remove the male. My female black molly just had her fry. I took the male out and left the female in. After a few days, i saw she was pregnant again, and removed her from the tank with the fry. Be warned though, a female can use the same sperm given from the male for up to 7 pregnancies.

 

[nicolem143]

yep, she is definately pregnant! she is getting huge! but im not sure what to do as far as her having the babies goes. i have read that breeding nets are bad, but i dont have the option for a seperate tank, or the time to set one up for that matter. i do have a net, but i dont know what to do lol. i dont want her giving birth in the openess of the main tank and all the fry getting eaten. should i use the net? or no? if i should use the net, when do i put her in it? i just want as many of the fry surviving as possible!! any help would be appreciated, i dont know how much longer she has til she has the little cuties!!!

 

[theotheragentm]

I completely understand your desire to save all the fry on your first batch. I'm sure everyone who has had a few batches of fry here will tell you, try not to be overly protective. Yes, having fry being eaten is a way of life for these fish, and being your first batch you'll want to save them all. I advise you save yourself the headache. Add plenty of hiding places for the fry in the main tank and when she gives birth, find the fry and put them into a breeding net. Giving enough hiding places, your fry will survive in time for you to come net them up into a breeding net. You'll save your sanity and you won't put any unnecessary stress on the mother fish. This is what I mean by a breeder net. Fry can grow up in these, as long as there aren't too many, to a size safe enough to rejoin the main tank. Be patient. You will have plenty of fry in the future.

Hiding places include gravel substrate, fake plants, real plants, and any ornaments. The fry will hide in between cracks and near decorations. It doesn't have to be overkill. The fry will find a place to hide if you have these things in your tank.

Unless you have plans to expand and grow your tanks, which you said you don't have time for, I would advise against trying to save all of the fry. You will end up causing more harm to the fish in the long run.

Hope this helps. Ask questions if you have them.

 

[nicolem143]

thats great advice! i was thinking about it and i totally agree with that! i do eventually plan on expanding, but the apartment i live in wont allow me more than what i have already. we eventually are going to start a 125 gallon. and we also thought about a saltwater in the future. i would like to add real plants, but what are the most hardy? what are the easiest ones to maintain? i have fake ones, but they look way too cheesy lol!! ive seen many pics on here with real plants and they look so neat! thanx for the input! ill definately post pics of the little babies when they arrive!!

 

[theotheragentm]

Plants require CO2, light, and different elements in the water. If you see a heavily planted tank, most likely you are seeing someone's tank that has special equipment and care behind the plants. Some hardy, low light plants that require little care are Java Moss, Java Fern, and Amazon Swords. Check it out at Plant Geek. Make sure you get truly aquatic plants, as non aquatic plants will rot. PetCo and PetSmart sell what they call "aquarium plants" some of which are aquatic, and some are not and will rot in your tank.

 

[nicolem143]

Thanx! I will definately check into it!

 

[FishySarah]

I highly recommend java moss. IT's great for fry to hide in, and it grows like a weed. Very easy to care for- I know nothing about plants yet it thrives in my tanks. Just make sure it stays in clumps as stray strands can clog your filter.

 

[nicolem143]

ok i was wondering about how long it will be before she has the babies?? its been 27 days since my first post on this topic, and i saw them mating the evening after i posted lol. she is getting pretty huge. also, will she give any signs that she is about to give birth? will i know its gonna happen? i have a net ready for the babies, but i have 3 bottom feeders and just want to be able to get to some of them before they get eaten LOL.

 

[lilfishie]

about 4 weeks so any time soon with you only having the mollies and cories in the tank i think the fry would be fine in there, mollies don't tend to eat there own fry (in my experience anyway) as long as theres plenty of hiding places they'll be safe. keep us updated.

 

[nicolem143]

I cant wait to see the little guys!!!! thanx a bunch for the info!! ill definately keep everyone updated. ill let ya know when she has the babies!!