dalmation molly

[maigen]

i'm a tad perplexed & no one at my local fish store can provide me with an answer other "than it happens". i have a male dalmation molly who used to be nicely spotted but has now turned almost completely black......why?????

also, i have recently added a female balloon molly to my tank & he will not leave her alone. he is constantly chasing her with his mouth up her anal fin, but there are none of the other mating signs going on. she doesn't seem to be exhibiting any signs of stress but she's got to be tired from trying to get away from him all day long ;-)

[OrionGirl]

Dalmations are a cross between other colors--silver and black, I think. Since they carry the genes for each, sometimes one color will dominate in the adult fish.

As for the chasing--that's what males do. You may want to consider adding 1-2 other females, if there's room. This spreads the aggression out amongst them all, and gives each a bit of peace.