Breeding Mollies

[SlateSpider]

I want to breed mollies when I get the space, but I need to know a few things. I have already had a successful birth in my tank, but the mother was bred in the store. What exactly do I do to breed them? Do I just put a male and female together and wait for babies? I have 2 black mollies that might be pregnant, but I have done nothing. Anyone have any thread or can you explain th process? Any help would be great!

Thanks!

 

[Thyra]

Let us hope your mollies are smart enough NOT to breed in the crowded conditions you provide for them. Sometimes nature does take care of such things, but I doubt it in the case of mollies - they are usually very prolific.

 

[OrangeCones]

Other than providing a proper aquarium setting, and using a ratio of 1 male to 2 or 3 females (to prevent any one female from be bothered too much by a male), they breed quite easily. If you want more fry to survive, you need to provide lots of hiding places for them to escape the adults. Lots of rocks, driftwood, and plants (mosses especially make a nice place to hide).

Clean water, lots of hiding places, and good ratios of males to females, and you will have more fry than you can ever find homes for.

 

[Hanna87]

First of all you need a bigger tank. Right now I have a 55 gallon with about 15 mollies in, 4 of witch are males and I'm to the point where I'm thinkin about separating the males from the females. I'm scared I'm gonna have more fry than I know what to do with or have room for. I'm pretty sure I've seen the males breed with every female in there in the last two weeks. Someone had fry a couple nights ago in there, I found one lone fry.

A bigger tank and the right water conditions and theyll breed. But I wouldn't until you know what your gonna do with the fry. For me, I can trade them in for credit at my lfs when they get big enough.

 

[SlateSpider]

For me, I can trade them in for credit at my lfs when they get big enough.

Do you think I could do that at Petco?

A ratio of 1 male to 2 or 3 females

I have 2 female Black Mollies, and one male gold dust!

Let us hope your mollies are smart enough NOT to breed in the crowded conditions you provide for them.

Yes, I agree. I don't want any more fish in the tank I have, or my tank will be WAY overcrowded! At the moment, my tank is fine because I do weekly water changes (occasionally more often, when it looks more dirty), and the fry are still small, but let's just hope that the black mollies are NOT pregnant...

 

[Hanna87]

I'm not sure if you can do that at Petco, but the only way to know for sure is to go in and ask. My lfs isn't a big chain store like Petco.