Can Mollys Change Sex

[Dudfield]

i ask this as when i brought my 5 i asked for females

the clerk checked they was all female and the i checked to

they all acted fine and got on great for 3 months and then they all started to get preggers and noticed that one was now male and is always going around and pushing the females around which wasnt happening before


just wondering if its possible or i was really not paying much attention for 3 months

 

[fluttermoth]

They can't actually change sex, but some males don't develop until much later than others.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

^ What fluttermoth said .

I've seen the same thing happen with my swordtails. I've been raising swordtails now for the last 8months or so and with the eldest ones, they were clearly different sexes by 6months of age (some of the males started developing as young as 3months old). I thought by 8months old they would definitely be all set in their genders! But even just 2weeks ago one of the "females" is now definitely becomming a male.
I've now decided that unless the fish is pregnant, then its definitely a male or male to be lol . It does seem to be a phenomemon much more common with swordtails & mollies though- i never got the same issues with guppys & platys.

 

[Dudfield]

ahh that makes more sense, shame as i only wanted females, now got one randy male and lots of pregnant mollys....

 

[fluttermoth]

That's the exact reason why I don't have livebearers any more