Breeding Sword-Molly hybrid

Ok, so I was in another thread where Aquarium Newb mentioned they have a sword Molly hybrid. So I wanted to know, how could I breed them? I'm planning on breeding some type of livebearer hybrid soon and I'd love a Molly sword, or a Swolly. Aquarium Newb, could you post a photo of your guy if you have time? Thank for any help and all replies.

 

Molly and swordtails actually can't interbreed. Althougth they are a part of the livebearer family they won't be able to breed with each other. Mollies and guppies are a part of the Poecilia family, while platy and swordtails are a part of the Xiophophorus family. So a molly swordtail hybrid wouldnt be able to happen.

 

See that's what I thought was strange, then I looked it up, and although rare, I see some who have them. It's primarily guppies and mollies though.

 

Yea a majority of hybrids are molly/guppy hybrids. Some people may think they have a molly/platy or molly/swordtail hybrid but its not possible due to them being in different families

 

They're not in different families at all, they're all in the same family, Poeciliidae. They're in different genera. This doesn't necessarily prevent fish from hybridising, but afaik Mollies and Swords cannot hybridise.

 

Poecilia and Xiphophorus are Genera, both of which are in the Family Poeciliidae, but they cannot interbreed on their own due to structural differences in the gonopodium. I have never heard of a dependable report of Swords and Mollies crossing, or even being artificially crossed. I don't know that it's even been attempted.

Most such claims are a pregger female in a tank with a male of the other species, and the owner does not realize that the female can have several batches of young from an impregnation that may have been as much as a year previous.

Ninja'd by the Hamp again!

 

Now I've got another question... Several reports are of a female Molly being kept with only swords for two years and her having a batch of Swollies. How would this be possible if there weren't any other male mollies in the tank?

 

Now I've got another question... Several reports are of a female Molly being kept with only swords for two years and her having a batch of Swollies. How would this be possible if there weren't any other male mollies in the tank?

A female black Sword that they thought was a Molly?

 

It's not. Sperm storage is not strictly limited by time, but by the number of batches a female has. If she held back from having young due to environmental conditions, she might start again, even two years later.

Or the person doesn't actually remember how long she was in there - or they are flat lying. That is more likely than a sword/molly hybrid.

jEdit: He did it again, but came up with a better answer than mine!

 

I knew I wasn't explaining it correctly lol sorry for the wrong explaination. I was trying to get it across that way but I couldnt get the right words

 

Most hobbyists don't know the different names used in classification. You don't really need them to keep the fish healthy, though they can help in researching a new fish.

 

There are various similarities between theapppearance of swords and mollies, seems like if th color were similar it could simply be a mistake

 

Very true, at least now I know how to properly explain it in the future if needed.

 

Edit: He did it again, but came up with a better answer than mine!

You won the Fruit Bat race, but only because I forgot to post.

Really? Two years? I didn't know that.

 

@chromdome52 Wow I didn't know they could hold it for so long. hampalong and Plecomaker I'm not sure if it was a black female sword, but I imagine it's probably a misunderstanding with all the answers on here. KingD, no worries, you still got across that they can't breed, better than some of the responses I've given... Hehe. I didn't think they could breed that's why I got excited when I heard they could. Guess I was right the first time. Well that was a short lived dream, like an hour... Hehe. I'll probably do platy sword hybrid instead. Thanks for all the advice and help, it's greatly appreciated! And thanks for all the super quick responses.

 

Spermatophores are inert until the female's body releases the enzymes to open them. I am not 100% sure, but I believe JI'm Langhammer had some research that showed them to be viable even after 3 years! Hammer did a program that I saw with all the mechanics of livebearer reproduction, including closeups of the hook patterns on gonopodiums. These are unique to each species, and are often used in descriptions to identify closely related species.