Ballon Mollie and Sailfin Mollie Hybrids

[Vam]

Back in April I noticed there were fry swimming around in my 40 gallon. At the time I had two ballon mollies and a couple of sailfin mollies. I wasn't observant enough to notice which one was pregnant but I suspect it was the sailfin mollie because she was bigger when I got her from the LFS and she was smaller after the fry appeared. A couple of weeks later that mollie died due unexplainable reasons but the others are living happily =)

So, I bought a 2 gallon tank with filter and put the baby fry I had collected in that tank. I fed them fry food, flakes and brine shrimp. Two months later a friend of mine gave me a 5 gallon tank which I cleaned out and transferred my mollie fry to that tank. I think the mollies are growing slowly, I was told they would be adult size by 3 months but I think the person was wrong, I think they are sexually mature at 3-4 months not adults!

Three days ago I looked in my 5 gallon and what do I see but baby fry! The 5 month old mollies had fry of their own! So I netted those fry and I've moved to their parents original home.... I collected 4 fry, I suppose the others were eaten.

The parents have both sailfin and ballon features.

I wonder what their fry will look like? =)

 

[lee_an]

congrats.Suppose these 2 species interbreeed

 

[willywonka099]

Congrats on the fry

You were correct on your observartion they are sexually mature at around 3 months not full grown ....... Experiance is the best tool usually for things like this forty sexually mature fry in a 5 gallon ??? That is pushing it ..... For some reason when I see sailfin balloon mixes they look exactley like the balloons (short and fat) except with beatiful sailfins !!! Are you sure they can't go in the main tank yet or by 3 months they can possibly be sold to a lfs or givin away

 

[balloon molly]

yes mollies do sexually mature quicker then physically mature.my baby mollie jaws didnt even wait until his gonopodium finished growing before he tried to use it

 

[Da_Oz]

The Balloon Molly is a hybrid variation of Poecilia latipinna,the Sailfin Molly. The fish that look like BB's are sold as BB's the ones that don't are sold as asorted mollies. Some times in stores like wal mart you will find sialfin mollies in the assorted molly tank and for only $1.99 is not a bad buy. Even thoe I really don't like getting fish from wal mart.

 

[Vam]

Congrats on the fry

You were correct on your observartion they are sexually mature at around 3 months not full grown ....... Experiance is the best tool usually for things like this forty sexually mature fry in a 5 gallon ??? That is pushing it ..... For some reason when I see sailfin balloon mixes they look exactley like the balloons (short and fat) except with beatiful sailfins !!! Are you sure they can't go in the main tank yet or by 3 months they can possibly be sold to a lfs or givin away

Oh sorry for not clarrifying.

Originally, I collected 7 fry from my main 40 gallon tank which I had put in a 2 gallon and then a 5 gallon a few months later. They are still in the 5 gallon tank where I found the 4 new fry 4 days ago. These new fry are in their parents original 2 gallon tank for now!

I hope th 5 gallon doesn't stunt their growth, I heard that if you keep fry in a small tank they will not grow very big? Truth?

I suppose the original 7 could go in the main tank but two of them seem too small for the bigger fish that I have in my main tank. I'm concerned that they will get eaten!

 

[willywonka099]

I would get a 10 gallon with a simple sponge filter or even a large clear tub will work .... split them up into 3 tanks that should be plenty yes some fish's growth can get stunted .... add some gravel from the main tank to help the cycle process bi-daily water changes