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How does molly fish breed?
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Mollies are hierarchical fish. Whichever male has the biggest fins and boldest colors leads the way. This means the ideal combination of male and female fish is one male for multiple females. You may see the male under the female; this is how the fish copulate.
The female molly can produce up to a hundred eggs and give birth as frequently as every month.
How do molly fish become pregnant?
Molly Reproduction
The male molly internally fertilizes the female, who can store the sperm for use in multiple pregnancies. The fertilized eggs develop into fully formed fish within the female. When the babies are ready, the female molly gives birth to free-swimming fry.
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. When a molly female is near her time to give birth, you will need to separate her from the rest of the tank.
How long after mating do mollies give birth?
The gestation period for pregnant mollies is about 60 days.
One example is the Dalmatian molly fish, which births young ones come out ready to live like adults.
How long do molly fish stay pregnant?
Molly fish have an average gestation period of between 20 to 40 days. However, this heavily depends on which variety of Molly you have. For example, dalmatian mollies can stay pregnant for up to 70 days before giving birth.
How often do molly lay eggs?
The gestation period of a molly fish is around 60 days. Female mollies can store sperm for months and may fertilize eggs as often as every 30 days, even when no male is present in the tank. Mollies may release 10 to 60 live fish at a time.
What do you do with a molly baby?
To take care of molly fry, buy a tank between 5 and 20 gallons, and set up a foam or mesh covered filter to keep your fry safe. Additionally, add broad-leafed plants to your tank, heat it to 72 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, and hang a breeding trap along the side of the aquarium.
Mollies have different anal fins. The female mollies have wider and slightly longer anal fins that move freely in the water while they swim.Males display a thorn-shaped fin that never opens wide, like in the case of females. That’s because the male’s anal fin is actually a gonopodium.
How do I know when my molly will give birth?
When can you tell if a baby molly is male or female?
As they are mature in about eight weeks, it’s likely the female mollies you buy from the store are already pregnant. Male molly fish tend to be smaller than females. They are easily recognizable by their long, specialized anal fin that is used to deposit eggs in females.
How many mollies should be kept together?
How many molly fish should I have? As with many livebearers, mollies love to breed, so we recommend getting at least two to three females for every male.
Can you keep male and female mollies together?
To avoid breeding, you should keep only males or only females. Males and females can be differentiated by the shape of their anal fin. Males have a anal fin that points backwards. Females’ anal fin looks just like the rest of their other fins.
Can mollies reproduce without males?
How can they do without males? They can’t entirely. Amazon mollies reproduce through a process called sperm- dependent parthenogenesis (gynogenesis). They produce diploid eggs without meiosis and these eggs are pseudo-fertilized by the sperm of males of different, related species.
Yes it’s normal, it could be that they are breeding too. Mollies sometimes chase and attack other mollies while feeding but they will not cause that much harm. However if you have a tank too small and the fish getting bullied is not getting any food at all -> It might die from stress and sickness.
Can a guppy and a molly mate?
Guppies and Mollies can easily create hybrids if they are kept in the right conditions. There are two names for two types of hybrids. A hybrid fry from a male Guppy and a female Molly is called Golly, whereas a fry from a male Molly and a female Guppy is called Muppy.
How big do mollies get?
Four to four and a half inches is the normal size range of a full-grown molly. This length is rather manageable, and allows them to be kept in reasonably small aquariums. Sailfin varieties can get even bigger. They will often reach lengths that are closer to five or six inches.
Do mollies eat baby guppies?
Mollies are semi aggressive fish, and they will most likely not attack guppies. They might do it, but under some circumstances like defending their pair or their fry, other than that, they are peaceful.
What fish can mate with mollies?
Which Fish Can Live with Mollies? Choose molly fish tank mates that also enjoy hard, alkaline conditions. This includes other livebearers like guppies and platies, tank raised tetras and barbs, danios, and even african cichlids (so long as they are peaceful species).