Need Quick Help About Mollies

[zarebskifish]

hi i have a rio 180 tank with a fluval 205 external filter running with the internal one
i have 10 female silver mollies and 4 silver males
there are also 3 sword tails
and 2 sailfin mollies

thats all

the silver mollies are breeding all the time but the females are not fertilising the eggs
i feed them well with frozen brineshrimp and flake food the water quality is good
ther is no fighting or stress in the tank.
it has about 5 plants and some volcanic rock
every fish in side the tank is mating even the swordtails
but the females are just not getting preggnant

thanks i need advice

 

[Betta91]

Hmm...I seemed to have the same problem with my guppies a while back. Does it seem that the females are pulling away from the males while they are mating? It could simply be that the female is not interested. Female livebearers can actually store sperm and fertilize their eggs later when they are ready to, so the mating that you're seeing could also be just to store sperm for later.

 

[lynned1952]

Oh they're pregnant all right! Female Mollies can control the births. They can stay pregnant for 3 months if they want. Last month my Mollie gave birth to 4 babies then 2 weeks later she gave birth to 15 more. So far I've had 4 fry from her, sure wish she'd give me a break, it's tough finding homes for them all.