How can i tell if my mollies are pregnant?

[alseddy]

Hi to everyone......and can anyone help??

Am a newbie on this site after finding it through trawling through what seemed like zillions of other sites just to find some info on pregnant mollies....and there was hundreds but none that really helped me.

I'm quite a novice on the tropical fish scene, have had my 30 gallon tank for about 8 months so its well established. I have a mixture of community fish but most of them are mollies (silver & dalmation) and fantail guppies both male and female.

Recently I have noticed that one of the silver mollies and the other dalmation (female) molly have rather expanded bellies, in fact they look huge but it never crossed my mind that they were pregnant because as fas as i am aware there were no other male mollies in the tank until 2 days ago.
Since the male silver molly was introduced he has been harassing these two fat mollies, constantly chasing them and nipping at their anal fins but has not continued these actions with any of the other female mollies who remain skinny.

I have also noticed on the silver molly that by her anal fin inside her belly there seems to be some dark areas, the skin here is quite translucent which is why i noticed the dark patch.............could she possibly be pregnant??

Any advice or info would be most gratefully appreciated

 

[Annastasia]

I'd say they sound pregnant. The one you were describing sounds like she has a gravid spot.

Pregnant fish also release pheromones, so that may be why the male is picking on them.

I'd expect babies soon!

 

[terrorist_124]

they are definately pregnant if they have the dark spot near the anal fin.
be prepared for the fry

 

[alseddy]

Thankyou sooo much for replying to my question so quickly...ur all too kind

Got kinda scared when the almost definite possibility of them being pregnant came up.....havent got a clue what to do!!!
How will I know when they are about to give birth???..Do they provide any specific behaviour?
I have a seperation tank already (the plastic ones which have the shelf in with the small holes for the fry to fall through....is this any good and would u recommend it???
How long do i keep them in here?? I have read that if you put the mother in too soon she can abort....have read loads of things but could anyone tell me some basic important factors that i need to do to keep my females happy, healthy and the same for the fry??

TY

 

[alseddy]

OOpps...sorry, forgot to add about the "Gravid Spot"...may I ask what it is??

The dark area inside the larger mollies belly looks like a dark inner belly (if that makes any sense...like a black sack...is this what you are referring to??? (sorry to be a pain!)

 

[Annastasia]

When they are very close to giving birth, they may get moody, and hide in a corner and chase other fish away. They will also look like they are about to explode!

Here is an article about Livebearers. At the bottom, is a whole section about fry. See if that helps at all.

 

[Annastasia]

OOpps...sorry, forgot to add about the "Gravid Spot"...may I ask what it is??

The dark area inside the larger mollies belly looks like a dark inner belly (if that makes any sense...like a black sack...is this what you are referring to??? (sorry to be a pain!)

Yes, that's what I am referring too. It's actually the fries' eyes.

And don't worry at all about being a pain, we're here to help.

 

[alseddy]

annastasia...thankyou so much...you have given me so much info already!!!
The livebearer tag was really informative as well...felt slightly stupid after posting my bit about the "gravid spot"..and now i know all about it!! THANKYOU!!

So now i can see this gravid spot should i seperate her, if not, when would be best to do so?

 

[Annastasia]

Seperate her to where?

I wouldn't put her in a breeding trap. I personally don't like them. What I think would be the best to do, is either;

A) Get a Breeding net for the babies. Let the females have babies in the main tank, then scoop out the fry as you see them, and raise them in the breeding net.
It helps to have lots of plants, rocks, or caves in the tank, so the fry can hide in those until you catch them. That gives them a bigger chance of survival.

Or B ) Set up a small tank for the fry. You can put the mother in there when she is very close to giving birth, then pull her out soon after she gives birth. That way she can't eat too many fry.

 

[alseddy]

Me again....

I have a plastic floatable breeding trap.....this is the only thing i have acquired just incase any got/were pregnant.
I dont know about any other methods...i havent got a seperate tank and am not clued up on breeding nets.

I have also been told by a shop assistant at my local aquarium where i get my stock, that females should give birth in the main tank and the fry should just be left there..nature will take its course as its a process of "survival of the fittest"...this i find quite harsh as they arent in their natural environment and i believe that any fry should be given a chance of survival.

 

[Annastasia]

Okies, well, this is a breeding net:

As you can see, it hangs on the edge of the tank, a lot like your breeding trap did. It's good for fry, because it has netting, so it allows the water to be filtered, but the fry can't get out, and no fish can get in. This is what I use for small batches of fry. You can't keep too many in here, because it will get very crowded once they start growing.


Keeping them in your tank is another option. Usually some will survive, as they are smart little things! Again, having plants, rocks, and caves helps a lot. Of course, you don't usually get many fry. I'm with you...I think it's also sort of harsh.

 

[MissD]

I used a plastic breeding trap, similar to what you've described, and had nothing but hassle with it. I found the mother fishie got really stressed out being in such a small compartment, and then when the fry were born they swam straight through the slots in the bottom and a couple got eaten.

I like the breeding nets, too. I got mine from a friend, but as far as I know they aren't too expensive, so I would advise you to invest in one of those just to be on the safe side!

Good luck, and let us know if/when you have babies!

 

[alseddy]

Thanks again to all have replied to my post and given me so much info and advice.

With regards to what now seems "heavily pregnant molly"...i introduced a male into the tank 3 days ago (i presume the molly was pregnant at the time we purchased her).

There are in the tank 3 other female mollies but this one male is continually harassing my mum to be. He never stops chasing her, nipping on her underside, nudgin her...he's really bugging her out...i feel stressed and annoyed just watching him let alone what the mother thinks.

Will he severely stress her out with this behaviour? I have heard that if the mother gets too stressed prior to birth then she can abort them...i cetainly dont want this to happen.
The male just isnt interested in any of the other females and just persistantly bugs the mother. I was even contemplating putting him in the breeding net just to give her some peace!

Any Advice???

 

[Annastasia]

Well, it's probably because pregnant fish have pheramones they secrete into the water. Males and other fish get attracted to that.

I think putting her in the breeding net too soon, is a much bigger risk of her getting stressed out and aborting. Is there anyway you can seperate the male?

 

[alseddy]

Unfortunately I only have that plastic breeding trap....this is the only method of seperation I have at the moment.

I am intending to purchase a breeding net tomorrow from my stockist. Could i put the male in here or would it be worth putting the female in??.I dont when to put her anyway because i dont know when the birth will be eminent.