Black Molly in distress?

[TF Keeper UK]

My Black Molly has been dropping tiny gold balls! IS she aborting?

 

[Annastasia]

Gold balls? If they are lightish colored then yes, I would say she is aborting. Do you have her in a breeder box, or have you moved her around? What are your water params, and what other fish in the tank?

Sorry to hear it, though.

 

[TF Keeper UK]

didn't realise she was pregnant. wasn't fat enough. water params; ammonia, nitrate, nitrite all 0ppm, pH 7.6 temp 27.5C. platies, guppies and corys

 

[Annastasia]

Hmm. That's strange. They usually abort because of stress.

Do they look like eggs though? Or something else?

 

[TF Keeper UK]

they are round and yellow in colour. she may have been stressed when i was catching the 6 Red Swordtail fry.

 

[Annastasia]

Yeah, they sound like aborted eggs. So were you chasing the Swordy fry around today? And knowing how that is, I'm guessing the tank got kinda mussed up, and moved around! That may have been it, as that sounds the most likely.

 

[TF Keeper UK]

i only noticed the swordy fry when i was using the gravel cleaner. i usually take out all the fixtures & fittings when i do this.

5 of the 6 fry were in the gravel cleaner tube and the other one was lurking by the filter.

 

[Annastasia]

Well, something must have stressed her out. Do you have male Mollies? Because sometimes they can pester them, and then stress them out so they can eat the fry when they abort...only in this case, he may have started a little early...

 

[TF Keeper UK]

No male mollies. She's on her own. Had her since birth! Her fry would have been 2nd generation in my tank.

 

[Annastasia]

If she's on her own, and she was born in your tank...how did she get pregnant?

I am baffled as to why she aborted, but it sounds like she did, unfortunatly.

 

[TF Keeper UK]

Did have 2 male black mollies. But they died. I'm asssuming she got pregnant by one or both of them. either that or the guppies have been naughty! )

She survived the night!

She's got her 'in ur face' attitude back!