By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. I hate betta bowls, but he’s pushing my buttons! Go to your local pet store and pick male and female fish. Sexing Molly Fish – Male or Female. Anyway I am telling you this because of my black mollies. She is a 7 year old Pomeranian. I have 2 silver Mollies one is looking a bit boxie, "Very educational. Or no? Both of the fish in the pictures are female Mollies that are full of babies, and they should release their babies soon. Aggressive Female Molly. After reading the information on spawning, I discovered I'm, "I bought a new aquarium, but I had no idea about how to care for the fish. unlocking this staff-researched answer. The common male Mollies have a colorful tail (like bluish or greenish color) having a larger dorsal fin, and is usually thinner (viewed from top) than the females. You don’t want them to think the mollies are food. If they both male and female are mingled, a male has the chance to harass female fish. Female platy is likewise known to be fatter than the male. The male has a fin under its belly that looks like a stick. Prepare your tank and yourself beforehand, and breeding mollies should be a breeze. It told me everything I needed to know. Support wikiHow by People don’t take things seriously then I’ll joke right with em. So far we have had over 200 fry. Do not introduce the water from the bag into the tank. How do you differ a male molly from a female molly? This article has been viewed 230,642 times. Pet shops often sell Mollies in pairs. The body size of female platy fish is larger than the male platy fish. Learn more... Mollies are an ideal choice of live bearing fish (i.e. I have seen two males in a tank at a chain pet store before, it was awful, they were tearing each other apart. I’ve had at least 20 in my lifetime and never had one THIS aggressive. It is best to separate a pregnant female so that the male cannot eat their young. The aquarium should be planted as densely as possible or have a thick algae mat. Just throwing it out there it’s 2018 guys. Remove the female from the aquarium before birthing begins. But usually, the male’s body and fin color is sharper and more intense as compared to female platy fish. "I found out that when a female molly is pregnant to separate the male for about half a year before putting them, "Thank you, very helpful. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Members of the molly family do not have good parenting skills. Is there a diagram I can use? Male molly have a gonopodium, a long stick-like fin used to fertilize the female, on his lower half. Thanks. The main difference in Molly Fish sexing is the fin differences. This page helped me a lot. Adult molly fish are able to live up to two weeks without food. Nacho48. Try a different type of snail. By using our site, you agree to our. Ensure that the fish won't overheat, or the water freeze when you are taking the mollies home. The fema… 4) FINS When you notice a female fish with a bloated belly, transfer it to a different tank before it gives birth to protect it and its fry. I observed two mollies together. I added 3 snails, he killed ’em. Females tend to look larger and rounder than males. Purchase your mollies. The sailfin on his back is not because of the pond, but this is a genetic thing. I usually put snails, a pleco, and neon tetras with them, but this guy just wants to be alone I guess. Molly are very easy fish to take care of and are very diverse in colors and patterns. CNZ Aquarium Aquascape Artificial Plastic Plant, 10-inch x 8-inch, Green, Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp Cubes, Aquatic Foods Freeze Dried Tropical Fish Foods … 1/4-lb. maybe you have same sex attracted fish. How can you tell the difference between male and female black molly fish. Molly fish often cannibalize their babies. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. You see mystery snails have large antennae and a betta fish thinks they are worms and will attack, some snail don’t have antennae as long as mystery snails. See the Molly … This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. #2. The main difference in Molly Fish sexing is the fin differences. ", back together. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Another good way to tell if they’re safe to interact with the other fish is if they are too big to fit into the other fishes mouths. But they are stressed and clamping fins. If the “nurser” tank is not possible, consider using an aquarium net breeder, which is essentially a mesh cube with plastic edges, to protect the mother and baby fish. An aquarium heater will probably be necessary. I don’t think I’m going to attempt something so bold, but apparently He isn’t the first to do this. Thank you so very much. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Generally, they can mingle with each other. Most mollies are solid black in color. Anyone have a betta they can’t house with anything? Looking at getting fish for my son. It helped me a lot in. I saw a few discussions here about this but didn’t really get an answer out of them and my situation was different than the others I’ve seen. You can tell by the anal fin. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. ", Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow, http://aquariumfish.net/information/raising_baby_fish.htm, http://www.myaquariumclub.com/an-in-depth-look-at-molly-fish-1524.html, http://www.algone.com/substrate-for-aquariums, http://www.afae.it/pages/tematica/articolipoecilidi/The_great_molly%20salt_debate.htm, http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=954, http://www.livescience.com/249-endowed-fish-girls.html, http://www.hartz.com/how-to-introduce-new-fish-into-your-aquarium-tank/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Also the top fin has nothing to do with gender it is just a diffrent variaty of molly My dad picked one up with his hands and moved it to another tank then went nuts at the manager. Some males will have elongated dorsal fins, but this is not seen on the females. Danios, guppies, platies, etc…just not my cup of tea. Female Lyretail Mollies have a rounded caudal fin (anal fin), and they also have a pregnancy spot. Caring for the young. 3: How long can molly fish survive without food? Look at the anal fin – if there is a fin, it’s a female, if it’s a narrow “tube” it’s a male. I recently bought a male and female silver hifin molly, and another female that is just a silver molly. You’ll be able to tell the molly is pregnant by a very distended belly. Then, purchase male and female molly fish so you have no more than 2 fish per 10 gallons of tank space. A single female can produce over one hundred baby mollies, also called fry, in one live birth. None. And what to feed my baby fry when I get them. I’m so mad right now. They're live-bearers, which means live birth. Feed the other fish before adding in the new mollies. You are lucky to have one sailfin molly. Molly fish even eat algae, which is their primary food in the wild. Lookds like a sword kinda. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The body size of female platyfish is bigger than the male platyfish. I have a 20 gallon tank with about 100 fry from same mother. Female molly have a softer, fan-shaped anal fin, which is also on the lower half of the body. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. ", "The best helpful webpage for aquarium and fish guide.". The second the fry are completely outside the body, she gets pregnant again because during the time she was carrying the babies, she was also carrying fertilized eggs which were not yet growing to form babies. I promise betta fish no matter what will behave like a betta fish, I promise these two are no different. In all live bearers they should really be housed 2 or more females per male. Male molly fish can stress out females with their constant pursuit. I’ve owned some of the most exotic fish you can get, including a snakehead before they were outlawed. Pictures: on top to the left is a 2" male Dalmatian Molly and below is a female. Thank you for sending us pictures of your Mollies. I want to start breeding my fish and selling them for profit. % of people told us that this article helped them. ", "It is a very nice article. The female has a fan-shaped anal fin. The addition of salt may act as a healing attribute, a way to overcome slightly dirty water. Hi there, I’m new to this group and had a concern in my tank. It is best to separate the mother whenever spawning ends. The male sex of the fish will have more of a pointed anal fin. I know more about the fish. Use a sponge filter with baby mollies. While there are several varieties of molly fish, they are extremely easy to breed because all colors are the same species, and all males and females breed with one another. Female have bigger anel fins … 7 years ago. People aren’t willing to learn or admit defeat so why not make jokes. Wythori. & my two guppies I bought as a “pair” haven’t reproduced either… kind of weird? Molly Fish Types and Appearances Molly used to be in a group of a minimum of four. The male fish often chases around the female, wishing to copulate more, and this could cause stress on the pregnancy. Every 30-40 days you'll have 50-100 live fry. Look at the anal fin – if there is a fin, it’s a female, if it’s a narrow “tube” it’s a male. In general, however, a fish stomach is similar to its eyeball size. First picture is a male, second picture the fish at top with a full view is a female. It depends on the size of the pellet. This will prevent them from being sucked up into the filter. ... View pictures. If their mating is successful, their babies should be born in about 3 to 5 weeks. They look Male. "My neighbor gave me some baby mollies, one day old. To breed molly fish, start by setting up a 15-30 gallon tank for them that includes decorations, a substrate, and freshwater plants. I wasn't sure how to take care of them, so I read your article. 7 years ago. Mollies are active and social so they enjoy schooling together. You sex the males by the gonopodium -"modified anal fin of male fish that has been converted into a genital organ". I'm really hoping to get some breeding action in my fish, but I haven't seen any! I've had them in my 26 gal tank for three days, and so far they are the only fish in my tank because I have just set it up cycled it for about a week. "All the information was helpful, and some of the questions that I would have asked were answered in the article. Feb 13, 2013 - Feel Free to Ask any Question Relating to Tropicla Fish and Aquariums, I will Answer Within 24 Hours if Possable! Size: The size of platy fish is 4-6 cm. Grindal worms, black worms, and blood worms work well. A female will produce approximately 60 fry per brood and can become pregnant again within a matter of weeks. *Awarded Answer River Rock Large Stone as Aquarium Gravel? Yep they both look like males to me… although their fins are clamped the dorsal fins on both are large and show the nodule and thickens spinal Ray used to raise their fin when displaying. Once you give a betta a tank to itself…he claims that whole tank as his. It’s easy to spot personalities in active fish like these. Female platy is also known to be fatter than the male. Also go on google.com and type in the word gonopodium you will see a ton of pictures. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. I don’t know the technical term but if the fin on the belly is straight down and comes to a point it’s a male. Be careful about male to female ratio. Place her in a separate “nurser” tank, if possible. So very helpful. However, the Lyretail Molly has a pointed caudal fin (anal fin) which is larger on the male than it is on the female. Removing the mother from the main aquarium is also to protect the fry. Don’t wait too close to the birth date. In the wild Mollies shoal in their hundreds, and the ratio of males to females is one to two. Creating a Beneficial Breeding Environment for Mollies, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4d\/Breed-Molly-Fish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Breed-Molly-Fish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4d\/Breed-Molly-Fish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid5638223-v4-728px-Breed-Molly-Fish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"