Pregnant molly

[Mathew1991]

Is this molly pregnant there is also a another molly chasing it around and going right up beside the back of it

 

[fish48]

yes it's pregnant

 

[Mathew1991]

What should I do next

 

[10 Tanks]

Is this molly pregnant there is also a another molly chasing it around and going right up beside the back of it

Hello. If you get females from the LFS, then females are always pregnant. Males and females are raised together. This is why you never want to buy male live bearing fish. Just buy the females. You'll have plenty of males when the female drops her fry. If the female is close to giving birth, you'll want to increase the number of water changes and make the new, treated tap water a bit warmer than normal. The flush of pure water and warmth will encourage the female to drop her fry. Also, start feeding the fish a little more and more often. I've found that well fed adult fish show little interest in the fry.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[emeraldking]

Is this molly pregnant there is also a another molly chasing it around and going right up beside the back of it

Pregnant or just well fed...

The flush of pure water and warmth will encourage the female to drop her fry.

It simulates the rainfall in free nature which triggers fish to court, breed and drop fry. But it doesn't have to be warm water, btw. Even colder water will do the job.

 

[Colin_T]

What should I do next

Leave her be. Have lots of plants in the tank and she will give birth when she's ready. You can get a breeding net and have it in the tank. When the babies appear, use a small plastic container to scoop them out and put them in the breeding net so the adults don't eat them. Put some plant/s in the net for the babies to hide in.

 

[10 Tanks]

Pregnant or just well fed...

It simulates the rainfall in free nature which triggers fish to court, breed and drop fry. But it doesn't have to be warm water, btw. Even colder water will do the job.

Hello. The slightly warmer water has a calming affect on the fish. The tank water isn't really warm by our standards, but the slight increase in water temperature is really closer to the more tropical water in the areas of Mexico where the fish originate.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[emeraldking]

Hello. The slightly warmer water has a calming affect on the fish. The tank water isn't really warm by our standards, but the slight increase in water temperature is really closer to the more tropical water in the areas of Mexico where the fish originate.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

I've got the same effect with my mollies overhere when I use colder water instead of warmer water. Also when it rains in Mexico, it's not always warm rainwater what I know from experience. Also in tropical countries, rainwater can also be cold. But it's more the movement from the top from the falling rain in the water that stimulates the fish to court, bred and drop fry. And this is what we simulate when we add water to the tank.
Btw, mollies don't only occur in Mexico, tbh. In Mexico, only the Poecilia latipinna, Poecilia velifera, Poecila latipunctata, Poecilia petenensis, Poecilia sphenops, Poecilia formosa and the Poecilia mexicana occur in Mexico. There are also molly species that are "endemic" to other countries. But the P.formosa also occurs in the southern part of Texas, Poecilia sphenops also occurs in Colombia and the P.mexicana also occurs in other countries as Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, southern Belize and Panama (and these weren't introduced by men but just have a wide spread area. But again, there are also other molly species in other countries besides the ones mentioned.