Male Won't Leave My Preg. Mollie Alone. Is It Okay?

[mishkismom]

Okay.. I know it is okay for PEOPLE to "mate" while pregnant but what about fish? I have a Mollie with the obvious "spot" in her belly and she is getting fatter.. pregnant.. The 1 male I have in the tank WON'T LEAVE HER ALONE! They came in a group (2 females and the 1 male then I got 2 other females later..) he ignores the 2 newbies but can't stay away from the 2 he came with. Is she going to be okay? Will the fry be okay? His other girlfriend had fry a week and a half ago and I think she is still carrying some but I am not too worried about her.. should I move him? Should I move her? I have a 5 gallon tank for a few fry (I only have 5 right now) but have 2 10 gallon tanks I could set up as well..
Thanks for any advice!

 

[davefish]

Mollies don't really get an obvious "spot" like guppies do, they just get really fat. They look almost square from behind.

It's common for a male to still go for females when they are pregnant. However, it is possible for a Mollie to "abort" if she is stressed. So there is a chance she won't give birth. You could move her, but that would also stress her and risk her not giving birth. You could move him, but you are likely to always have pregnant fish with your set up, so you might find yourself moving him back and forth all the time if you are going to do that. Don't put them with any fry otherwise they will eat them.

My guess is that she will give birth, but probably have a small brood (around 10). What you do depends on how much you want the fry and how many you want. Personally I would leave them this time to see how things go. But if your spare tanks are cycled and you really want the fry then you could move him or her.

You are doing the correct thing really in having 4 females to a male so one isn't hassled all the time. It's just a shame he seems to have a favourite. Maybe he'll start to like the rest more in time.

Good luck

 

[FishAddict99]

I would probably separate the male from the pregnant female. I had bought a dwarf platy pair, the female was obviously pregnant. In the tank, the male wouldn't leave her alone. She delayed giving birth for months. Finally, I put the male in another tank and a week later the female felt comfortable enough to give birth.

 

[jennakid]

how long have the other mollies been carrying a few?
cos thats what i thought once my guppies had them.
but now i think it's just cos there bellys got streched?
lol.
and mine look like there still carrying some, but dont think she is.
umm
maybe seperate the male and female so the female can get some rest. and not get too stressed from the male being around her all the time.
xo