Is this a female molly and uf so is she ready to give birth.

[Tracy83]

Hi ,, always thought I just had male Molly's,, but have just noticed the one pictured looking very square and hiding alot,, is it a female if so is she ready to give birth?

 

[itiwhetu]

Looks like a male to me

 

[emeraldking]

It's a male. But it looks as if he's got dropsy. His scales are open.

 

[carligraceee]

Hi ,, always thought I just had male Molly's,, but have just noticed the one pictured looking very square and hiding alot,, is it a female if so is she ready to give birth?

Definitely a male molly. You can tell by the pointiness of his anal fin. Females have rounded anal fins.

He could just be well fed but watch for any signs of overfeeding. Livebearers, ESPECIALLY mollies and platys, have a tendency to over eat whenever they can. This can cause bloating and further issues like swim bladder malfunction and dropsy (which seems to be a current verdict by another response).

 

[Essjay]

The photo seems to show its scales raised where they show against the background. Look down on the fish from above - do its scales stick out like a pine cone? That is the classic sign of dropsy.

Dropsy isn't a disease itself, it is a symptom of an underlying disease. The difficulty is working out what the underlying disease is. But when a fish gets dropsy it is often too late to treat the underling disease.

 

[emeraldking]

In the photo you've shown, is clearly shown open scales. Look at the top and the bottom of the body. It's dropsy for sure.

 

[FishFinatic77]

It looks like a male with dropsy.

 

[Tracy83]

It's a male. But it looks as if he's got dropsy. His scales are open.

What do I do for that plz ,, him and another molly constantly fight to ,, should I stop feeding for a couple of days ,, is that contagious?...

 

[Tracy83]

Update ,, mr molly died this morning ?? is dropsy contagious x

 

[Essjay]

I'm sorry to hear that


It depends what the underlying disease was. It could have been bacterial, viral or even protozoan. Dropsy occurs when the underlying disease affects the fish's kidneys and fluid builds up in the body. Keep a close eye on the rest of your fish and if they start to look or behave even slightly differently, let us know.
For now, I would do extra water changes which will remove a lot of any disease organisms which might be in the tank.

 

[emeraldking]

Update ,, mr molly died this morning ?? is dropsy contagious x

Sorry to hear...
Mostly if they're having dropsy and looking too bloated already, you're not able to safe them.

 

[Tracy83]

I'm sorry to hear that


It depends what the underlying disease was. It could have been bacterial, viral or even protozoan. Dropsy occurs when the underlying disease affects the fish's kidneys and fluid builds up in the body. Keep a close eye on the rest of your fish and if they start to look or behave even slightly differently, let us know.
For now, I would do extra water changes which will remove a lot of any disease organisms which might be in the tank.

Thanks so much x