How can you tell if a molly fish is pregnant?

Female mollies will gestate their young for about 60 days. They can give birth to between 40 and 100 fry. Mollies that are young or are having one of their first few pregnancies will tend to give birth to a smaller rather than larger number of fry.

What do mollies look like before they give birth?

Dark Gravid Spot

Livebearers have a gravid spot right close to the anal vent. This spot grows larger as a female is about to give birth. In the beginning, pregnant molly fish have a blackish mark on their gravid spot. As time progresses, this mark becomes more evident, especially in lighter-colored mollies.

Why is my pregnant molly shaking?

Shimmying is a symptom rather than a single disease, and an indication that a fish no longer has proper control of its nerves and muscles. It occurs when fish are under severe stress, most often because of environmental problems. The classic scenario is when mollies are kept in soft or acidic water conditions.

How do you know when a fish is about to give birth?

The Eyes of the Fry and Signs of Impending Birth

A few days before delivery, she develops a bulge below the gills, her outline becoming fairly square in this region, while the gravid spot has enlarged its area.

How long does it take for a female fish to give birth?

Fish pregnancy can last anywhere from 3 weeks to 3.5 years depending on the species. Fish pregnancies usually last between 3 weeks and 10 months. This huge range is due to the differences between various fish species. Aquarium fish like goldfish or guppies are at the lower end of the spectrum.

Do mollies reproduce quickly?

The female molly can produce up to a hundred eggs and give birth as frequently as every month. Unfortunately, mollies will also eat their own babies and there isn’t anything you can do about that, other than removing the adults to keep them from eating their fry.

How long does fish labor last?

Guppies that are more stressed out may take up to 12 hours to give birth to their young. There are also births that take longer than 12 hours – these are considered extreme cases.

What does it look like when a fish is in labor?

Do you have to help fish give birth?

Ideally, pregnant females should be placed on their own in a separate aquarium with lots of feathery plants where they can give birth in a stress-free environment. Then again, once she releases the fry she is returned to the main tank and the fry can be grown on separately.

How do you tell if a fish is going to lay eggs?

Pregnant female fish often develop a “gravid spot” on the abdomen near the rear vent. This is typically black or bright red, and grows more pronounced over the course of the pregnancy. Some fish always have this spot, but it will typically grow brighter or darker during once the fish is pregnant.

Which month fish lay eggs?

In the springtime, the female lays up to 250 eggs near the bottoms of rivers and lakes. The male guards and fans the eggs. After about a month, the eggs hatch and the young begin to swim.

How do you take care of baby mollies?

Feed your fry small amounts of food, about a pinch at a time, several times a day. To make it easy, feed the fry immediately before or after you eat. Clean any uneaten food from the tank. Use a net or a skimmer to get powdered food off of the surface of the water.

Do pregnant fish stay at bottom of tank?

One explanation for seeing a female guppy fish hanging out at the bottom of the aquarium is that she’s pregnant and in labor. If you’re keeping both female and male guppies, chances are very high that they’ll reproduce and that the female will give birth to fry.

Does a pregnant fish look like?

As your female fish becomes pregnant, she will grow a bulge at the back of her abdomen. This typically appears over the course of 20-40 days. Does your fish have a red or black spot? Sometimes, when a female fish is pregnant, she will develop a “gravid spot” on the abdomen.