I recently bought two dalmation mollies...one L/T,which is pregnant, one not. I've noticed that the regular dalmation has been going after the pregnant L/T mollie. They swim around and nip at eachother and I'm not sure what they are doing. What do you think they are doing? and what should I do? Thanks..
Agressive?
- Thread starter Jonathan6190
- Start date
I think that chaisng is just part of breeding. Just watch closely for fin damage. Some species nip the fins during breeding and others do not. For example, piranha almost complete remove the smaller fins of each other when breeding. Maybe someone knows more about what mollies do. But to me it seems naturual. Just make sure there is a decent amount of space in your tank.
It's an empty ten gallon tank with two correys......and maybe an inch or two of gravel. I also believe that both mollies are females..
Mollies can be sweet and gentle, or crazy bullies.
Sometimes a sweet and gentle mollie turns into a crazy bully.
A ten is really too small for them.
Look at the fins on the bottom of the fish. There are three, with the two in front forming a pair, on each side of the lower body.
The third fin, the one by itself, is a true fin in females, called the ventral fin.
In males, it is a tube, called a gonopodium. You should be able to see the difference easily.
I suspect you have a male.
If one of your fish is a male, it will probably chase the female relentlessly, for as long as they are together.
And if one is a male, and you decide to keep him, you really should think about getting a bigger tank and adding another female, so that all his attention isn't directed at one fish.
Sometimes a sweet and gentle mollie turns into a crazy bully.
A ten is really too small for them.
Look at the fins on the bottom of the fish. There are three, with the two in front forming a pair, on each side of the lower body.
The third fin, the one by itself, is a true fin in females, called the ventral fin.
In males, it is a tube, called a gonopodium. You should be able to see the difference easily.
I suspect you have a male.
If one of your fish is a male, it will probably chase the female relentlessly, for as long as they are together.
And if one is a male, and you decide to keep him, you really should think about getting a bigger tank and adding another female, so that all his attention isn't directed at one fish.
The only time I've seen my females get picky is when one is pregnant and she is usually the one who does the picking. I have one female molly that is as sweet as she can be when she is not with chhild, but when she gets a belly full of babies, she'll chase the other female away from her if they are near the bottom. I think it's an instinct thing, trying to claim birthing territory, which would explain the sweet disposition on those few days when she isn't pregnant. Sheesh, Mollies! 
I just learned something new about mollies, thanks Harlock. I have two Mollies and they are both female. I have noticed that the fat one which I think is pregnant, seems to be the bully at feeding time. I also have read that mollies are a schooling fish and the more you have the happier they are. (Feel free to visit my website, it is new but I update it often.)