justin5150

Ok so i bought this female molly and a mail of the same colour at the pet shop today, and im unsure as to whether she is pregnant or not. She was from a mixed gender tank so im inclined to believe that she is. If so, what is my next course of action, as ive never bred any fish before now.

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Chief_waterchanger

http://www.fishlore.com/WaterChemistry.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

You first need to familiarize yourself with the nitrogen cycle and do daily waterchanges of 25-50% until your tank is cycled, to prevent the fry from dying of ammonia/nitrite poisoning.

Yes, she is very pregnant.

justin5150

Not just a little bit pregant?lol yes my tank is well cycled and the water quality is very good. But should i move her? or would that cause her too much stress? im not sure what to do with the fry either...

Chief_waterchanger

We have the tankspace, in our fishhouse, to pull the fry and give them a tank of their own, but I understand that many people do not.

If you pull the female it will stress her, but it is up to you on whether you want to take your chances on catching the fry before the other fish in the tank eat them. (We have guppy grass floating in most of our livebearer tanks for the fry to hide in until we find them. (With 160 tanks and full time jobs we don't check every tank several times a day.)

justin5150

How long more roughly before she gives birth could anyone tell me?

COBettaCouple

I think her back end will start to look squarish when she's very close to dropping the fry.

justin5150

what do you mean by that?

COBettaCouple

Around the anal opening, the livebearers tend to get a bit of a square angle when they're about to drop..

justin5150

it tends to potrude a bit? i have noticed that! so maybe in a day or two

COBettaCouple

Yea, I think it sounds like it.

justin5150

Cool! i thought that maybe she had aborted the pregnancy. I just put her into the breeding box, the male keeps on trying to break in! would it be a good idea to put him in with her, or would that be too much?

COBettaCouple

It's best to lower her stress, so the male would only harass her.

justin5150

its been nearly 2 weeks, somehow she has managed to get even bigger, but no fry, is this strange? she seemed heavily pregnant before. you should see her now!