Sailfin Mollies And Swordtails.

[tetraman]

I was wondering if I could breed a sailfin molly and a swordtail together to make a swordtail with sail. Could I? Has it been done before? Which breed should be which gender?

 

[Annastasia]

Technically, they cannot breed since they are in different genuses.

When hybridizing Livebearers, you usually want to use the female of the larger species, so you don't have a female carrying larger fry then normal. Though sometimes this won't work, because of aggression or because of technicalities. But it's a good basic rule.

 

[vancouver]

I've heard of guppies breeding with mollies, but never molly X swordtail.

 

[three-fingers]

I've heard of guppies breeding with mollies, but never molly X swordtail.

WTF? Really? Where? Sure they weren't winding you up? I wouldn't have thought that to be possible . If it is im sure the offspring would be sterile, hence you dont see them in the shops.

 

[Annastasia]

Yes, they can breed, however it is an extremely rare cross. If you actually cross them, the fry are usually very weak and do not survive long, hence why you hardly ever see them.

 

[vancouver]

I did talk to someone long ago that had guppy X mollys..

They basically look like mollies with guppy tails.

 

[three-fingers]

Cool! I'd like to see some of those.....*goes off to google image search*.
Thanks .

 

[dizzied]

If you cross a guppy with a molly, do you get a muppy or a golly?

 

[Annastasia]

I did talk to someone long ago that had guppy X mollys..

They basically look like mollies with guppy tails.

Are you sure they were Molly/Guppy crosses? Did they actually breed them themselves, with a virgin Molly and a Guppy?

The reason I ask, is because there is a species of Molly that can sometimes look like a Molly Guppy cross, when it is in fact, pure Molly. Poecilia Sphenops, or the Short Tailed Molly. This is the species a lot of the common Mollies belong to, but it can also produce fish that look like crosses.

An example of a P. spenops, that looks like a Molly/Guppy cross:
http/swampriveraquatics.com/db2/00160/sw...s/untitled3.JPG

 

[~T~]

If you cross a guppy with a molly, do you get a muppy or a golly?

 

[vancouver]

I guess it could have been one of those... the person just had lots of livebearers together in a huge tank.. I did see pictures and it didn't look exactly like that, but I can see how the 2 could easily be confused

 

[tetraman]

Cool! Maybe I'll try muppys and gollys.

 

[Annastasia]

Don't count on anything happening. The cross is extremely rare, and you could very well spend your whole life waiting for it to happen. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but it's not something to count on.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Mollies and guppies are at least the same genus, which makes it more likely than mollies and swordtails. Swordtails are the same genus as platies, and these do frequently interbreed.