Encouraging Breeding?

[Kerri Gronow]

So, I got a new 4ft fish tank!!

It is all cycled etc and all my fish love their new home!! On saturday I decided to get a new mature dalmation sailfin molly (male) to see if I can have any luck on breeding my mollies! (I have another male but he didnt seem to do much )

Anyway is there anything i can do to encourage them to breed?!

Thank you

 

[OldMan47]

I have found that simply introducing a female to a male in a tank will cause plenty of breeding activity. The fish must be healthy and well fed, but that is a given for any breeding program, livebearer or egg layer.

 

[Kerri Gronow]

Thank you oldman47.

All my fish are well fed (twice a day) and temperature is 24.

So have I got the right conditions for them to breed?!

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

OM47 is the expert!

I'd stick a few Barry White tracks on as well!

 

[OldMan47]

If you have had a mixed pair of mollies since Saturday, chances are fairly good that they have already been breeding.

 

[Kerri Gronow]

Yay! thats good, I really hope they do as I have been so desperate for it to happen! I hope in a few weeks I will have little fry swimming about! lol

Thank u

 

[OldMan47]

You can expect the first drop at 4 to 6 weeks after the breeding with a mature female. For a youngster female, they could just be practicing for when they mature.

 

[Kerri Gronow]

Thank you!

I have 2 mature females in my tank so hopefully in a few weeks there will be some fry!!

A mature female silver molly and a mature female dalmation molly!

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Once they start you will hopefully have loads of fry!

Have you decided whether they are gonna stay in same tank or not as they will need hiding places.

My mollies have produced beautiful fish. Some pics in one of my posts.

What other fish do you have? Post the details as OM47 will be able to advise you whether the other fish will leave the fry alone or not. Other mollies will try to eat them as well if they fit in their mouths and mollies have big mouths!

 

[Kerri Gronow]

well i have loads od cover in the tank such as plants ornaments etc but also angelfish and red tailed shark (other fish but they are the most likely to eat the fish!) I also have a few breeding traps but i know they are not the best to use.

so there is either survival of the fittest or breeding traps??!

 

[OldMan47]

The angels are really good predators. Red tailed sharks also deserve their shark name. I would guess that you will never see any fry in that tank. I have kept many female platies in a 120 gallon tank that had 3 angels in it. After over a year, I had spotted just 1 young fry. The other hundreds that my platies produced in that year were never seen, even on the days that they dropped.

 

[Kerri Gronow]

awwwwwwww... poor platies!

well i think i will just use the breeding traps until i can afford another tank escpecially for fry! (unless there is any other suggestions?!) i would just love some expeience on breeding mollies and raising fry!

thank you OM47