Is Molly Pregnant? Or Just A Fatty?

[oneinamillionkel]

I have the special box for when she drops, but i don't want to leave her in it in case she's not even pregnant!! So if someone could tell me what they think that would be the greatest. Is she prego or not? When should i separate her into this handy little gadget that will keep mama's babies safe??

 

[theotheragentm]

It's hard to tell from that picture. A picture from the back is normally best so we can see how wide she is, because when she looks almost box-like from the rear, you can definitely tell she is pregnant. I don't like those breeding traps as they cause unnecessary stress on the fish, causing them to abort fry many times. A separate birthing tank or just giving some place for fry to hide in a main tank is my preference.

 

[oneinamillionkel]

ok well have a divider in the tank- what if i just put her on her own side for a while and see what happens? I'll try to get a better picture

 

[theotheragentm]

A divider would work and give her more room and causing her less stress. Picture aside, if she looks like she is about to explode, she's about to give birth. There's not much more to it than that. Good luck with the fish either way.

 

[Lynswtgurl2]

hey I was wondering if you all could tell if my molly is pregnant. Any help would be appreicated! She goes and lays in the back of the tank like shes nesting or something.

 

[theotheragentm]

It's hard to tell from that picture, and because she is black in color, it will be hard to see a gravid spot. First off, it sounds dumb, but are we positive it's a female? It is hard to tell from the picture as the anal fin is collapsed down. If she is indeed a female and there are male Mollies in the tank, she is most likely pregnant. The easiest way to tell is took at her from behind and she should be huge, almost box-like.

 

[snowyangel]

Basically most livebearers are pregnant from the get go, even when you buy them, so it just depends how far along they are and if you are able to catch the babies before other adult fish eat them. I agree the black molly looks like a male from those pictures. The white molly def is pregnant, has about a week or less before delivery imo. Ofcourse different factors effect the pregnanacy too like temp, water conditions, etc. I too don't personally like bredding trap. Females are less stressed and best left to give birth with plenty of space but have dense floating plants(moss is perfect) for the babies to hide in.

 

[Lynswtgurl2]

It is soo hard for me to tell the difference in just if the fish are male or female. I figured since this one was so plump that it was a she and pregnant. Here is another photo that i found that shows the back side alittle more. Thanks for all the help!

 

[theotheragentm]

That fish looks female. Look at the anal fin. It is the fin on the bottom, closeset to the tail. It looks more "normal" like the other fins. Males have a tube-like fine. She looks pretty fat in that picture. Off a guess, I would say yes.

 

[Lynswtgurl2]

That fish looks female. Look at the anal fin. It is the fin on the bottom, closeset to the tail. It looks more "normal" like the other fins. Males have a tube-like fine. She looks pretty fat in that picture. Off a guess, I would say yes.

Thanks! I am new at all this! So I would have to see an actual pic to tell the difference. I have been doing the same with my Tetras, trying to figure out male from female. I have googled my computer to death!

 

[theotheragentm]

That fish looks female. Look at the anal fin. It is the fin on the bottom, closeset to the tail. It looks more "normal" like the other fins. Males have a tube-like fine. She looks pretty fat in that picture. Off a guess, I would say yes.

Thanks! I am new at all this! So I would have to see an actual pic to tell the difference. I have been doing the same with my Tetras, trying to figure out male from female. I have googled my computer to death!

See the anal fin on the male in black vs. the female in white?

 

[Lynswtgurl2]

That fish looks female. Look at the anal fin. It is the fin on the bottom, closeset to the tail. It looks more "normal" like the other fins. Males have a tube-like fine. She looks pretty fat in that picture. Off a guess, I would say yes.

Thanks! I am new at all this! So I would have to see an actual pic to tell the difference. I have been doing the same with my Tetras, trying to figure out male from female. I have googled my computer to death!

See the anal fin on the male in black vs. the female in white?

I think I must have all female! Cause they all look like the female on yours. I also noticed that the tain fin is different too. It sort of extends, like a little hump. I am trying to find the right words to what i am trying to say....I hope its understandable!

 

[theotheragentm]

There are a lot of different variations on the shapes of Mollies, but the male anal fin is mistakeable once you know what you're looking at there. It's hard to tell in some young fish sometimes, but older fish should be pretty easily distinguishable. If you bought your Mollies from a pet store, chances are they were already pregnant.

 

[kribensis12]

The first mollie looks like a lyretail and from my experience, dont breed whatsoever. But good luck. I would also give her another week and if she looks bigger, put in a tank divider. The dalmation mollie looks huge! I am going to say that she is pregnant.

 

[theotheragentm]

Fish are crossed so much these days it's hard to tell, but both those Mollies look like pretty common breeds of Mollies. Lyretails do breed, but like with any hybrid, including Balloon Mollies, it is more difficult often times for them to breed.