turtleblue8
- #1
In May, I got three balloon mollies, asking specifically for three males (I wasn't interested in breeding them). Once I got home, I realized that they had given me two males and a female, so I put the two males in my 20 gal tank with my other male fish, and I put the female in my 10 gal with the other younger females (two female platy fry and two adult female platies).
After about a month, I moved the female molly to the 20 gallon tank because she kept nipping at the other females' fins and chasing them away from food whenever I fed them.
Eventually, I moved the female platies to the 20 gallon because I figured that they would be happier with more space, and that the fry were big enough that they wouldn't be picked on too much by the other fish.
I wasn't planning on doing anything specific to try to help the molly fry survive (asides from having denser plants and lots of hiding space), but my cousin and my sister's friend expressed that if my fish was going to have fry, that they would want to have a few, so I moved my (approximately 3-4 week) pregnant molly to the then empty 10 gallon tank. I figured that there were better plants for the fry to hide in, and less fish that would try to eat them than if they were in the 20 gallon, and that she would be okay on her own for a week until she dropped the fry.
It's been about two weeks since I moved her, and she still hasn't dropped the fry. I had guessed that she was at the very least two weeks gravid when I moved her, because her stomach was at least twice as big as when I got her. I don't know if my timing was just really off, or if she's been gravid for a long time.
Do you think that I should keep her in the 10 gallon for a few more days, or put her back in the 20 gallon? I was under the impression that balloon mollies would be gravid for 4 weeks, but I could be totally wrong about that.
TL;DR: My balloon molly has been gravid for at least 4 weeks, and she hasn't dropped her fry yet. Should I put her in my 20 gallon tank with the rest of my fish, or keep her in the 10 gallon alone until she drops the fry so that they'll have a better chance of survival?
After about a month, I moved the female molly to the 20 gallon tank because she kept nipping at the other females' fins and chasing them away from food whenever I fed them.
Eventually, I moved the female platies to the 20 gallon because I figured that they would be happier with more space, and that the fry were big enough that they wouldn't be picked on too much by the other fish.
I wasn't planning on doing anything specific to try to help the molly fry survive (asides from having denser plants and lots of hiding space), but my cousin and my sister's friend expressed that if my fish was going to have fry, that they would want to have a few, so I moved my (approximately 3-4 week) pregnant molly to the then empty 10 gallon tank. I figured that there were better plants for the fry to hide in, and less fish that would try to eat them than if they were in the 20 gallon, and that she would be okay on her own for a week until she dropped the fry.
It's been about two weeks since I moved her, and she still hasn't dropped the fry. I had guessed that she was at the very least two weeks gravid when I moved her, because her stomach was at least twice as big as when I got her. I don't know if my timing was just really off, or if she's been gravid for a long time.
Do you think that I should keep her in the 10 gallon for a few more days, or put her back in the 20 gallon? I was under the impression that balloon mollies would be gravid for 4 weeks, but I could be totally wrong about that.
TL;DR: My balloon molly has been gravid for at least 4 weeks, and she hasn't dropped her fry yet. Should I put her in my 20 gallon tank with the rest of my fish, or keep her in the 10 gallon alone until she drops the fry so that they'll have a better chance of survival?
