other fish love a chance to get a free meal of some fresh fry. Lots of live plants to hide in is better for her than a breeder box or net, or moving her to another tank just before she gives birth.Thank you so much this was really helpful. I kept the fry separate with her first birth because I have angelfish in the tank (smaller ones but still bigger than a molly mouth) and, while they are super friendly to their tank mates, I wasn’t sure whether they would eat fry. This time I was planning on leaving them and letting nature take its course, as much as it upsets me. I’m hoping to get some survivors!She can become gravid again almost immediately even without mating since they store sperm. Gestation is usually around 60 days, depending on the molly species and exactly when she chooses to fertilise the eggs, but can be between 50-70 days.
You'll know that she's close to dropping them when she develops a sort of boxy, squared off look, that usually means they'll be birthed within the week. When she starts actively hiding in plants or behind things, or sits closer to the gravel a lot and is breathing hard, that usually means she's labouring, which can take a couple of days. Keep an eye out for other fish pestering her during labour;
If you want to save as many fry as possible or don't want her to give birth in the community tank, best to move her to her own tank early on, before she's too heavily gravid. Give her time to settle in and de-stress, since stress can affect the pregnancy and labour. Then once you're sure she's finished dropping her fry, can move her back to the main tank.
Some people use breeder boxes or nets. I dislike them for the mother since it can put a lot of stress on her to be put in one. But you can let her birth in the tank then catch the fry and move them to a breeder box. I don't bother since a large batch can only stay in the breeder box for a couple of weeks anyway, so since they need to go to a grow out tank or be released back into the main tank anyway, I raise some in the community, and some go straight to a grow out tank. As you can see here, plenty of fry with their mother, survive in a planted community tank
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And with the dad!
Careful plant choices will give the healthiest, quickest fry the best chance of survival. Something like a big bunch of elodea or hornwort (I use these and the fry love them) left to float near the top, and java fern or moss at the bottom of the tank, gives the fry the best hiding spots. A big tangled mass of elodoa is perfect for fry to hide in, and a big angelfish with those long fins can't dart in and out of it to catch fry, so they're pretty safe in there. When I feed, I feed the adults on one side of the tank, then put some tiny food or crushed up powdered flakes into the floating plant mass (I call it the fry nursery) so the fry don't even need to come out of hiding to eat.
Thank you again. I’m new to breeding and so don’t know a lot so this is really helpful. The fry she had the first time are in a tank I set up for my brother as there are only 5 survivors. So it would be nice if I had a few survive this time around for myself to keep
I have been told to separate them around a week before they are ready to give birth as moving too early or too close to the birth can be stressful for them. But I am by no means an expert! I ask a lot of questions myself
Where are you planning to move them to? If into another tank of a decent size, sure! If a breeder box, not even close, and I'd suggest avoiding putting a female into those at all, since they stress out the female which in't good to have during labour, but if you really want to use one, don't scoop her into it until she's actively in labour, and use a cup or the box itself to scoop her up, not a net, since a net can damage the fry and the female.
Thanks for the advice. I was planning to move them to a homemade breederbox. But I think I will wait few more days until they are ready.
They aren't that big yet, I'd say you have at least 2-3 weeks before they drop fry. I'd suggest waiting at least until they start to square off, and look up the signs of labour, then only move them once they go into labour.
I have a big community tank (around 750l) and it contains 20 guppies and 5 mollys. I dont realy have plants as such as i just got the fishes few days ago. Also my gravel is very fine (small grains) so its not possible for the fry to hide in it. I used have 5 kois before i got my guppies. I had to give my kois to a breeder as they grew really big and they didn't deserve to be in a tank anymore. Also had a hard time cleaning the tank and changing water regularly for them. Anyways i'm excited for my new fishes and they seem realy easy to manage and looks great. So that answers why i cant let them give birth in the main tank. Thanks.
The smaller one in front has quite a long time to go, the one behind is bigger and will likely drop sooner, but I can't say how soon. Bear in mind that if you put her in a breeder box and she stresses, especially if she's in there for days or weeks, you stand a chance of losing both mother and fry.
Thanks a lot. I will make sure to not stress her out.
