gollies...or maybe muppies??

A

alphabetta

AC Members
Feb 24, 2004
54
0
0
Kansas
Visit site
i've got to ask this : can mollies and guppies interbreed?? my sister in law says her molly is having babies, and the only other fish in the tank is male guppy. There used to other moliles in the tank but they were all female. The last one of those died maybe a month ago. She's not the most educated fish keeper (grrrrrrr).

So i was just wondering if these live bearers interbreed.
 
Guppies and Mollies are members of the same genus. Since the species concept doesn't seem to hold up reliably in aquaculture, there is the possibility that members of the same genus but different species can interbreed. My guess would be that the resulting animals are sterile..

Also, female mollies can store sperm for a number of months after spawning. Depending on how long your sister-in-law has had these fish, this may be a more suitable explanation.
 
we purchased a fish at petsmart not too long ago that they said was a "test tube fish" that looks like a cross between a platy and a guppy. It has the basic body shape of a platy and coloration as well but it is about half the size of a normal platy and has the necked down tail of a guppy (not quite as small but inbetween). It is a wierd looking fish but I'm not sure of it's exact roots. Kyle
 
Yes, Mome Rath is right.... Mollies and swordtails can carry sperm from multiple matings for about two or three months. I had a swordtail that gave birth to fry two months after the male died. I know mollies can do the same....
 
Similarly, my girlfriend bought some sort of black and white molly (insert common name here) and two weeks later we had 5 tiny black and white mollies. It's not uncommon.
 
They are probably just mollies, since as previously mentioned mollies can store enough sperm packets for several additional litters. Mollies and guppies are also capable of interbreeding. There is mention of it in several old editions of Inne's Exotic Aquarium Fishes along with a couple photos.
 
Ok thanks for the replies guys. I'd bet money they are just molly babies, most ppl dont seem to think they will interbreed. You're just about the only one dapple...but thats ok, maybe its cuz you read Douglas Adams :laugh: so youre more willing to accept the bizarre :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom