Help! Pestering Fish

[Lauraa]

Can any one tell me what the problem with on of my fish
My tank been set up for about 3 - 4 months now and all was going well I've got 1 balloon molly & 2 lyretail mollies but just recently one of the lyretail's is constantly pestering the other lyretail and swims around it's bottom
Can any1 tell me whats up with them?

 

[mattbleasby]

Is he nipping at the Lyretail? or just following it around?

 

[Essjay]

Which sex are the mollies? It is very common for males to pester females - which is why it is advisable to have more females than males. That way, each female gets a rest while the males chase another one. Or just males or just females.

 

[Lauraa]

Is he nipping at the Lyretail? or just following it around?

He doesn't seem to be nipping just following very close

Which sex are the mollies? It is very common for males to pester females - which is why it is advisable to have more females than males. That way, each female gets a rest while the males chase another one. Or just males or just females.

I don't know the sex of the fish, how do you tell the difference?

 

[Essjay]

Look at the anal fin of the fish. In a female is like a fan, the same shape as you get in other types of fish. In males, it's different, more like a rod shape, called a gonopodium.

Have a look at this thread
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/357157-fish-pic/
The silver fish in post #3 is a male molly, you can see the gonopodium. The black and orange fish in post #8 is a female, and you can see the fan shaped fin (it's actually a platy, but the fins are the same as mollies)

 

[Lauraa]

Look at the anal fin of the fish. In a female is like a fan, the same shape as you get in other types of fish. In males, it's different, more like a rod shape, called a gonopodium.

Have a look at this thread
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/357157-fish-pic/
The silver fish in post #3 is a male molly, you can see the gonopodium. The black and orange fish in post #8 is a female, and you can see the fan shaped fin (it's actually a platy, but the fins are the same as mollies)

Yes by what I can see and my lack of knowledge of fish gender I think the lyretail that is constantly following the other is a male, so what do you suggest I do to help or will they be ok?

 

[Essjay]

So you have a male and female lyretail molly - what is the sex of the balloon molly you mentioned in your first post? Mollies don't care what variety they are, a male molly will mate with any female molly.

Male livebearers are very pushy when it comes to mating. That's why you should always have at least two, preferably more, females for every male. If your balloon molly is male too, your poor female will be chased by 2 males. The best thing to do is get more females.

Also, males become very interested in females just before they give birth. It's so they can mate with her as soon after the fry are born as possible, to increase the chance that the next batch of fry will be his.

 

[haylz]

changing the subject slightly... but I have 2 female mollies and one chases the other... not really aggressivly, but just follows her most of the time. They are both definately female and were bough at the same time. It's not really a problem I'm just curious

 

[Lauraa]

So you have a male and female lyretail molly - what is the sex of the balloon molly you mentioned in your first post? Mollies don't care what variety they are, a male molly will mate with any female molly.

Male livebearers are very pushy when it comes to mating. That's why you should always have at least two, preferably more, females for every male. If your balloon molly is male too, your poor female will be chased by 2 males. The best thing to do is get more females.

Also, males become very interested in females just before they give birth. It's so they can mate with her as soon after the fry are born as possible, to increase the chance that the next batch of fry will be his.

I think the balloon Molly is also a male be he doesn't seem bothered with the female what I have noticed though is if the male lyretail is pestering the female the balloon Molly nips the other male. Will another 1 or 2 mollies be ok adding to my 30litre tank I have nothing else in the tank with them?

 

[Essjay]

Will another 1 or 2 mollies be ok adding to my 30litre tank I have nothing else in the tank with them?

Unfortunately, 30 litres is too small for any mollies. Depending on the exact genetic make-up of the lyretails, they could grow to 4 inches, which is way too big for your tank. Is there any chance of you getting a bigger tank for them? Something more in the region of 100 litres?
If not, you'd be better off seeing if you can fnd a shop that would let you trade them in for smaller fish. 30 litres is 8 american gallons. There's a thread here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=116208 for fish suitable for a 10 gallon tank, and most of them should be OK in yours.