Mollies are livebearer fish
which means they do not lay eggs but rather gestate their young and give birth to them live. You will not need to do much to get mollies to breed as long as you have males and females in the same tank.
How often do black mollies reproduce?
The gestation period of a molly fish is around 60 days. Female mollies can store sperm for months and may fertilize eggs as often as
every 30 days
, even when no male is present in the tank. Mollies may release 10 to 60 live fish at a time.
Do black mollies have live birth?
Black mollies are a live bearer fish
, and unlike most other commonly kept fish, they don't lay eggs. The fry develop inside of the female, and they are born fully formed and swimming. Because of this, they generally have a very high survival rate, though some adult fish may still eat them.
Do black mollies lay eggs?
Mollies belong to a class of fish called livebearers.
They don't lay eggs
; their young come out swimming. And they are prolific breeders as well.
How long do black mollies live?
General Care and Lifespan
They do best with a bit of salt added to their water to simulate their preferred environment in the wild. If properly housed and fed black mollies have a lifespan of
about three years in captivity
.
How big do black mollies get?
Size:
6 to 15 cm (31⁄2 to 6 inches)
. Preferred Water Chemistry: Hard, basic fresh water to brackish or marine. Mollies are euryhaline, meaning they do well in fresh, brackish, or marine systems, but they do not thrive in soft water.
How do you tell if my mollies are mating?
Distinguishing between male and female black mollies is fairly simple.
The males will have the gonopodium instead of a normal anal fin
. Females tend to look larger and rounder than males. Some males will have elongated dorsal fins, but this is not seen on the females.
How do you tell if a molly is pregnant or fat?
One of the most obvious signs that your Molly is pregnant is
if she is looking a bit more chubby around her abdomen area than usual
. You'll notice rounding when she is close to giving birth. It's necessary to move the Molly to a separate tank to allow her to give birth in peace and to protect her babies.
How many babies do black mollies have at a time?
Gestation and Birth
They can give birth to
between 40 and 100 fry
. Mollies that are young or are having one of their first few pregnancies will tend to give birth to a smaller rather than larger number of fry. When a molly female is near her time to give birth, you will need to separate her from the rest of the tank.
How many black mollies should be kept together?
What is this? Black Mollies are generally a peaceful community fish, but multiple males kept in the same tank can become aggressive, and females which are outnumbered by males will tend to be harassed. The optimal ratio that we recommend is
3 females to each male
.
What do black mollies eggs look like?
Molly fish eggs are
tiny yellow balls that almost look like egg yolk but miniature versions
. If you see a molly laying eggs, it's most likely the underdeveloped egg was aborted or miscarried. That's because mollies don't lay eggs.
Do molly give birth all at once?
After an average of 30 to 40-day pregnancy,
it will take a molly approximately a day to give birth to her fry
. Many mollies can actually store sperms for months at a time, fertilizing their eggs themselves every 30 days. They can birth anywhere between 20 and 100 fry at a time.
How do I know when my molly will give birth?
There are some signs to look for that indicate that a molly fish is about to give birth.
Her belly will grow and begin to square off, her gravid spot will turn opaque, she will eat less, and she will hide away in dark corners more
.
How can you tell if a black molly is male or female?
Males and females can be differentiated
by the shape of their anal fin
. Males have a anal fin that points backwards. Females' anal fin looks just like the rest of their other fins. More than one molly can be kept in a tank together, however, they have been known to nip the fins of others in their tank.
How long is the pregnancy of a molly fish?
As I've mentioned above, mollies are usually pregnant for a period anywhere from
20 to 40 days (average 30 days)
. Of course, that would be how long they'll last from conception to birth. But before this period, there is usually a courtship period between the male and female molly, which can last another couple of days.
Why do my black mollies keep dying?
There are 3 main reasons mollies die unexpectedly, they are
poor water quality, low oxygen levels, and diseases
. Another reason mollies die suddenly is low or high water temperature following a heater failure. How Do You Know Your Aquarium Water Quality Is Poor?
Are black mollies schooling fish?
Mollies are not schooling fish
and do not need to be in a group to thrive. The notion that Mollies are schooling fish might stem from the fact that these fish are livebearers and thus should be in a ratio of one male to several females. They're always in a group of no less than 3 fish.
Do mollies clean the tank?
Indeed,
Mollies can help you keep your aquarium free of algae and relatively clean
. They do so by picking and eating the algae that naturally grow on the rocks and plants of your aquarium.
Are black mollies Hardy?
The Black Molly is also known as the common Black Molly, is
a hardy fish
that is well suited to beginners. It does well in water between 68 and 82-degrees Fahrenheit and prefers a tank that is larger than 30 gallons. Black Molly's like when you keep the pH between 7 and 7.8.
How many mollies should be kept together?
At least three or four mollies
should be kept together. Mollies are shoaling fish, which means they're more comfortable living with fish of the same species. While you should keep several mollies together, be sure not to overcrowd the tank.
Can black molly live with Betta?
Some of the main things to remember when adding mollies and bettas together are:
Mollies survive better in slightly brackish water
, while you may think bettas wouldn't like this the international betta congress approve of using aquarium salt as a general preventative and believe it's also beneficial to bettas.
Can black and white mollies mate?
Albeit there being several varieties of molly fish,
they all can be mated
because regardless of the color or fin configuration, they are the same species, and any male will readily fertilize with all females.
How do black mollies mate?
Why does my molly look bloated?
Grossly Swollen Belly
A fish with dropsy will appear like it is ballooning and about to explode, or it has a pot-bellied appearance that makes it seem like it's suddenly getting very fat. This happens as
fluid accumulates in the tissues and cavities of the abdomen to create the swelling of the area
.
How big do Gold Dust mollies get?
General info about Gold Dust Molly
Poecilia sphenops is also known as the “Common Molly”, this species of Molly is the smallest of the three species,
males will only reach 3 inches while females will reach 4 inches
.
