Pregnant molly!! Urgent, updated - more help needed!

As long as she has little to no experience fish keeping, just don't tell her unless she asks. And if she asks, just tell her parts of whats happening like 'Oh, the male and female have been mingling, so she might have eggs at some point'

 

At this point it seems like you'll have to do what she says, but it sounds like all the fish might be getting stressed through all the chaos going on (and you sound like you're getting stressed too).
The fry might be fine or they might not be, but don't worry too much about them. It's okay to relax, you will get a bigger batch of fry next month and by then your tank will be ready with plants, you'll be more prepared with knowledge and equipment, and the fish will be in better condition, and you'll have a smoother experience with the birth.

 

Thats a sucky situation. If your mom is prone to anger, perhaps just don't tell her whats going on in the future. The female should be okay in the net I think. If the babies do die though, she will get pregnant later. Perhaps write a paper about molly breeding, so she understands,

So, she is the one who drives me around or orders things for me, so if I need something she needs to know what and why I need it. I can try and write a paper.

As long as she has little to no experience fish keeping, just don't tell her unless she asks. And if she asks, just tell her parts of whats happening like 'Oh, the male and female have been mingling, so she might have eggs at some point'

The thing is, she didn't have any experience, but when I got my fish, she researched them like crazy. So, now she knows how it all works...

At this point it seems like you'll have to do what she says, but it sounds like all the fish might be getting stressed through all the chaos going on (and you sound like you're getting stressed too).
The fry might be fine or they might not be, but don't worry too much about them. It's okay to relax, you will get a bigger batch of fry next month and by then your tank will be ready with plants, you'll be more prepared with knowledge and equipment, and the fish will be in better condition, and you'll have a smoother experience with the birth.

I'm going to do just that.. and try to stay calm. I know that this should get easier as it goes along...

 

Thanks for tagging me! Try to persuade her slowly, maybe by telling her why you want the fry so badly.

 

Are they her fish or your fish? It sounds like she is being posesive and thinks she knows what she is doing, even if she doesnt. Also, you said she did a bunch of researach. Kindly suggest doing research on raising molly fry/breeding mollies. Also, tell her to make a fishlore account and talk to people about this.

 

Hello again! Thanks for tagging me! So I totally understand the situation with your mom, but there's really nothing you can do about it without unsetting her off if she's like that all the time. Putting your female in the breeder isn't completely dangerous, I've done it myself very successfully on several occasions. Just don't put her in there until she is about to pop. Leaving a fish in a breeder for several days will stress your fish out. Also DO NOT PUT YOUR FISH IN A NET. That will freak them out, and you're more likely to have fin injuries or other problems, especially if your fish is about to give birth. The best way to get your fish in a breeder I've found, is to simply use a net to chase the fish into a breeder. In order to make your fish more comfortable, and give your babies a better chance to survive, place a place for hiding at the bottom, like a plant or some sort of vine thing. I suggest fake plants, I tried fake rocks at one point but that took up way too much space. Also, if you put food in the breeder for the mom as she's giving birth, then she's less likely to try eating the babies and just go for the food that isn't moving. In general it's not a life ending thing to have a female in a breeder, it just takes some more work and care. As for your male. I get it. Earlier someone suggested to keep him in the tank and put him in a sort of "time out" if he starts doing things you don't like. I think it's on like page two of this post. It's really good advice that keeps your male out of extended isolation but also keeps your females as safe as possible. However, if this guy doesn't stop I'd suggest just trading him in at your LFS.

 

Help! Big concern... Joyce, my pregnant gold dust molly... She's been in the 5 gallon all day today and doing pretty well besides being a bit frantic. I just noticed that she is frantically swimming around the tank, and has very labored breathing. In other words, breathing very heavy!!

She is normally in the big tank with 3 other mollies, but I isolated her because she looks close to birth.

This is my first time breeding any fish!

Someone, I need advice. I don't want her to abort the babies, but if I put her back in the big tank and she gives birth the fry will all get eaten!!

When will molly drop her fry? | Breeding Fish 452649

I was super excited and saved all of my first 3-4 fry drops that I could catch out the tank - that was only 6-8 fry per birth... unfortunately then due to lockdown I can't give them away and I have tons and tons! Most fry survive in a fry net or separate tank (I have had 90% living to adulthood and I kept them in a not-that-great tiny 12L tank for a long time), so be reassured it will probably be very easy!

 

Ok.. update.

So. My mom isn't ordering a breeder as of now. She got mad at me again because I was worrying, and threatened taking the whole tank away. She said we will most likely need to give the male away, so we don't have more babies after Joyce drops hers. My silly self decided that it was a good time to tell her about how mollies reproduce. That resulted in more anger and yelling from her and tears on my part.

She has decided for me that we will be keeping the male separate indefinately so we don't get more babies after about 5 months.
She says that she can't deal with all the stress of the fish, and she isn't going to deal with it anymore. So at least, theres that.

I'll be going to Walmart soon and buying a breeder myself, just to put surviving fry in.

 

Well you did a better job keeping your cool than I would have. If she can’t deal with the stress of fish, tell her to let you take care of the fish. They are yours after all. Or maybe just wait and see what happens.

 

Yeah, Imma have to agree with Canacullus on this one. Awesome job at keeping your cool with your mom, idk if this is a normal thing for you or not but it sucks either way. I really hope your fish are ok even with your mom being stubborn. I also agree that if your mom can't deal with it, and just let you take care of your fish.

 

Even if you get rid of the male, the female will keep making babies for another few months so you can still look forward to them.
I guess it can't be helped that you're at the mercy of your parents for now since it's their house, but once you move out you can get a 125g tank or whatever you want!

 

Yeah, Imma have to agree with Canacullus on this one. Awesome job at keeping your cool with your mom, idk if this is a normal thing for you or not but it sucks either way. I really hope your fish are ok even with your mom being stubborn. I also agree that if your mom can't deal with it, and just let you take care of your fish.

Sadly, she does get mad at me quite a lot, especially because I worry so much. I'm just gonna keep doing my best

Even if you get rid of the male, the female will keep making babies for another few months so you can still look forward to them.
I guess it can't be helped that you're at the mercy of your parents for now since it's their house, but once you move out you can get a 125g tank or whatever you want!

I wanna have a 150g It's gonna be densely planted with a lot of driftwood. And yeah, at least I still get babies!!

Lil' update: Bought a breeder net today to put the babies in once they're born.

 

Sadly, she does get mad at me quite a lot, especially because I worry so much. I'm just gonna keep doing my best

I wanna have a 150g It's gonna be densely planted with a lot of driftwood. And yeah, at least I still get babies!!

Lil' update: Bought a breeder net today to put the babies in once they're born.

WOO! You go! Keep planting and breeding and doing! You got this!

 

WOO! You go! Keep planting and breeding and doing! You got this!

Thank you It's a tough situation, but I'm just gonna keep going!! Giving up isn't an option

 

So... It's been about 4+ weeks now of her being pregnant. I'm worried as she looks pretty big, and it's almost been 5 weeks... No behavior changes, still eating well and very active.

 

They won't drop all there fry at once. After a week-2 months she will drop the rest

 

They won't drop all there fry at once. After a week-2 months she will drop the rest

She hasn't dropped any yet...

 

well, they can delay birth. She is probably looking for a spot to do it. Forget she is pregnant and just one day you will spot fry in your tank. Maby she gave birth but all the babies got eaten

 

well, they can delay birth. She is probably looking for a spot to do it. Forget she is pregnant and just one day you will spot fry in your tank. Maby she gave birth but all the babies got eaten

I'll keep an eye out, but the fry most likely weren't born/eaten. I have clumps of floating anacharis everywhere and lots of hiding spots...

 

So... It's been about 4+ weeks now of her being pregnant. I'm worried as she looks pretty big, and it's almost been 5 weeks... No behavior changes, still eating well and very active.

In my molly-breeding experience, the female seems to stay pregnant forever and gets F.A.T. before suddenly popping the fry out, usually around dawn for some reason, so you're doing fine so far! The two queues I watched for which told me to put her in the breeder were:
1. Swimming around less, hovering in sheltered/dark areas
2. Cloaca/anus becomes a distinct white spot. Pretty easy on a black molly, I've not bred any other color.

Once *both* of those signs appeared, I would put her in my floating breeder and within a few days I'd have fry! Only once did I see the actual birth. Usually I would check on her one morning and there'd be 12-18 fry in the bottom of the breeder. Then I'd put mom back in the main tank, give the fry a marimo moss ball to hide in/munch on, and begin the raising process. Be sure you get some *very* small food for the babies and grind it up in your fingers when you feed them.

If you miss the mark and the fry are birthed in the main tank, they will retreat to the corners but usually hang around near the surface (check especially near the filter since it's nice and dark). They'll be fine so long as the bigger fish don't eat them, but I still scooped them into the breeder for safety/easier care. But they can be hardy, I had one baby get sucked into my cannister filter (didn't know), and when I opened it up for cleaning a month later he was alive and growing just fine in the dark!

 

My platy gave birth in a similar tank of 13 fry and only 6 made it through the night

 

my guppy fry escape the slits inside the hatchery boxes so be careful! i bought a hatchery/breeding net off amazon to stop them escaping, and it gives them more room.

 

In my molly-breeding experience, the female seems to stay pregnant forever and gets F.A.T. before suddenly popping the fry out, usually around dawn for some reason, so you're doing fine so far! The two queues I watched for which told me to put her in the breeder were:
1. Swimming around less, hovering in sheltered/dark areas
2. Cloaca/anus becomes a distinct white spot. Pretty easy on a black molly, I've not bred any other color.

Once *both* of those signs appeared, I would put her in my floating breeder and within a few days I'd have fry! Only once did I see the actual birth. Usually I would check on her one morning and there'd be 12-18 fry in the bottom of the breeder. Then I'd put mom back in the main tank, give the fry a marimo moss ball to hide in/munch on, and begin the raising process. Be sure you get some *very* small food for the babies and grind it up in your fingers when you feed them.

If you miss the mark and the fry are birthed in the main tank, they will retreat to the corners but usually hang around near the surface (check especially near the filter since it's nice and dark). They'll be fine so long as the bigger fish don't eat them, but I still scooped them into the breeder for safety/easier care. But they can be hardy, I had one baby get sucked into my cannister filter (didn't know), and when I opened it up for cleaning a month later he was alive and growing just fine in the dark!

Ah thank you so much! I've been very worried for my girl. She is a gold dust, which means her rear side is black, so hopefully I'll be able to see the white spot.

I'm going to cover my filter intake soon and I'll keep my eyes open, luckily I have A LOT of anacharis in one area on the surface, so they can hide. I also have a lot more plants that should be arriving today!

You've been a big help, thank you so much

my guppy fry escape the slits inside the hatchery boxes so be careful! i bought a hatchery/breeding net off amazon to stop them escaping, and it gives them more room.

Yeah I figured that could happen, so I'm starting with a net breeder lol.

My platy gave birth in a similar tank of 13 fry and only 6 made it through the night

Ok... I'm expecting for a few to not make it, as it's only natural.

 

Ack! Update! Today I was feeding my girls and noticed that Joyce's anal area is white!!! I'm watching carefully for when she isolates herself, then I might put her in the net.

LightBrownPillow

 

Ack! Update! Today I was feeding my girls and noticed that Joyce's anal area is white!!! I'm watching carefully for when she isolates herself, then I might put her in the net.

LightBrownPillow

Exciting stuff! How big is your breeding net? If it's got enough room for her to move around in, you might go ahead and switch her over. I had my molly in the breeder (floating in the tank itself) for 2 days once before she birthed and there were no issues.

 

Exciting stuff! How big is your breeding net? If it's got enough room for her to move around in, you might go ahead and switch her over. I had my molly in the breeder (floating in the tank itself) for 2 days once before she birthed and there were no issues.

It's actually really big, like, massive for a breeder.

 

Then it won't stress her. good luck

 

AHHhhHH!!! Everyone!!!!

Today Joyce had 4 babies!!!!!

I have them in the breeder net!

I don't know if I missed any or if any got eaten, but 4!!

She still has a bit of a belly... I know that this can mean

A. She hasn't dropped all of them
B. She's just pregnant again

But either way, eek!! I'm ecstatic!

 

Congrats fish-mama!

 

Congrats fish-mama!

Thank you!! I can't wait to watch them grow and color up... I may be able to keep the girls!

 

Quick question-
Are mollies more prone to have more male or female babies? Or do the tank conditions determine that? Is there a way to make more of them develop female?

 

Quick question-
Are mollies more prone to have more male or female babies? Or do the tank conditions determine that? Is there a way to make more of them develop female?

When I look at the babies now... at least 2 appear to already have some form of a fan-analfin? Like, a small visible fan?

 

Quick question-
Are mollies more prone to have more male or female babies? Or do the tank conditions determine that? Is there a way to make more of them develop female?

All my molly batches had more females than males, which is a little sad for me because I want one with a big sailfin like daddy molly. You can't sex them until they're several months old though, they all start out looking female.

 

All my molly batches had more females than males, which is a little sad for me because I want one with a big sailfin like daddy molly. You can't sex them until they're several months old though, they all start out looking female.

Alright, thank you! I hope the majority of mine are female, because then i can keep them~

 

wow. Finally. You got some pretty fry