i got 8 fry now! 7 in the net, and 1 runin around the tank! the new one in the net is a newborn, yet the only swordtail that could be pregnant (since the other female changed sex) isnt pregnant now! how long will it take them to be around 1 cm long so i can determine what kind they are? this whole identification system is driving me crazy!AAAAAAARGGGGGH!!!!!!!!! :argue:
swordtail fry! MORE!
- Thread starter mr.amateur45
- Start date
The time it takes to reach sexual maturity will depend greatly (and I mean greatly!) on the temp, amount of food available, quality of food available, quality of water, and duration of lighting.
I raised some baby sailfin mollies from a wild gravid female I caught in a local creek. They were put in a 20gallon saltwater refugium that had a ton of little bite-size invertebrates living in it. It was lighted 24/7 and temp was low 80's. Within a month and a half, I had pregnant females and more babies. There was plenty of live food, lots of light (ie, they never rested, just ate all day!), superclean water, etc.... Not to mention being strong stock b/c the parents were 100% wild caught.
You don't need such a "super" setup to raise the babies, though. Just expect at least a month and a half, maybe two months, before you can get a real identifiable sexual dimorphism going on.
I raised some baby sailfin mollies from a wild gravid female I caught in a local creek. They were put in a 20gallon saltwater refugium that had a ton of little bite-size invertebrates living in it. It was lighted 24/7 and temp was low 80's. Within a month and a half, I had pregnant females and more babies. There was plenty of live food, lots of light (ie, they never rested, just ate all day!), superclean water, etc.... Not to mention being strong stock b/c the parents were 100% wild caught.
You don't need such a "super" setup to raise the babies, though. Just expect at least a month and a half, maybe two months, before you can get a real identifiable sexual dimorphism going on.
Charleston, SC. Creeks are full of them (at least, brackish tidal creeks). I look like an idiot in my chest waders and hand-made, 6-foot long net in a creek next to the highway. People must think I'm crazy, whatwithall the gators and skeeters. They are *fast* and not easy to catch. The wild ones are delicate, but the offspring are tough as nails, molly speaking.
south carolina?! they're that close?! geez, i thought they were from central america or some southern country. think there are any in maryland?(baltimore region, if not, maryland?)