Sailfin Silver Mollies

[30tooo]

On Monday last I awoke , went downstairs and peered into the tank only to see some frantic goings on . It was almost like they had just been fed but obviously hadn't . On investigation I thought a Silver Molly may be giving birth , so I caught her and put her into a breeding trap . 2 or 3 minutes later , a couple of (I presume) yellow eggs appeared and then wham . 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 etc . This went on in spats every 2 or 3 minutes or so . Anyway the missus lost count after 50 !!!! It totally amazed all of the family seeing such a spectacle .




The question though is this . Some were dark and the others do actually look silverish . Is this a way of telling the sex of them when they are so young and if so which is which ?

I intend to put them into a 2 footer until I can find lots of homes for them , and if I can sort previous , it will stop the randy little blighters giving us even more !!! Any suggestions as to filters etc ?


I would attach a picture , but the camera batteries have gone duff .

 

[theotheragentm]

You're going to need 2-3 months to sex them. Smaller tanks suffice until more room is neccessary. Just remember to provide good filtration and heat. If you have a filter with an intake tube, try putting a stocking over the intake to prevent the fry from getting sucked up.

 

[30tooo]

I have them in my 5 footer at the moment , in a breeding net . Someone has offered the 2 footer to me for nothing . It has an internal fluval I think and heater etc . I would have thought the fluval would be to powerful for the little blighters at the moment though .
Getting back to the fish though , do you know why they differently coloured at the moment ?

 

[helterskelter]

Internal power filter's are far to strong for young fry, you can easily get air powered sponge filterws which will be perfect and once the fry get to 6 weeks then a IPF will be fine.

As for sexing, the first males usually sex out from 3-4 months, and then the last has been known to take a year to devlope, but the last males is generaly the best.