Pregnant Silver Molly

[Emerilbrasw]

Hello. I have a silver Molly who looks like she could be pregnant. The abdomen looks large and is becoming a little square. I've seen my male Dalmatian Lyretail Molly stick his gonopodium fin out near females anal area. I also have a
Cremecicle Lyretail Molly(female)
4 Guppies(one male, three female)

 

[Wren]

She's likely pregnant. You have a male and a female... They can get quite a bit bigger than that. It just depends on how many little ones are in there.

wren

 

[Emerilbrasw]

And when should I put her in a breeder or otherwise should I add more plants?

 

[Wren]

Breeder boxes are really stressful for pregnant fish. If you put her in a breeder box, she will be really stressed trying to get out of it. She might give birth early to babies that aren't developed enough to survive. If saving all the babies is critical, then I would put her in a 5-10 gal tank filled with lots of plants (even just a bunch of java moss).

If she were my fish, I would add lots of java moss to the main tank and just let her be. Some babies will end up eaten by the larger fish, but a couple might survive. The more plants you have to provide hiding spots, the more likely you will have surviving babies. From your picture it looks like you have mollies and guppies. Are those the only fish in the tank?

wren

 

[Emerilbrasw]

Yep. Only 3 mollies and 4 guppies. I have peacock ferns and some artificial plants, but I'm thinking of adding anacharis plants and some anubius plants. One last question. When should I expect her to drop her fry and how many do short finned mollies usually have?

 

[FreshyFresh]

Emeril, that's a LOT of male/female live-bearers in a small space. Babies are going to be a constant issue for you IMO.

 

[Emerilbrasw]

I'm planning on only keeping two to three fry. The rest I'll sell or let be eaten. For Christmas or my birthday I'll get a larger tank size. Probably 20 or 30 gallons.

 

[Wren]

I can't help you much on when to expect the babies or how many to expect. I think they can drop babies about once a month. You might get a few or a lot. I would expect a small number of babies from a younger female and a bigger batch from an older female. Temperature might affect how long she carries the babies too. I would expect a slightly longer gestation in cooler water.

Get a notebook and keep some notes! Write down what types of foods you are using, your water chemistry, etc, then note when she has the babies and how many you see (you will miss those that hide really well or get eaten, but at least you will have an estimate). If your tank care changes at all, make note of that and see if it affects gestation time or number of babies.

wren