how old would Molly's be when you can tell if there going to lyre or not?

Question

I raise baby molly's and would like to know how old they would be when they get their full tail.

Answer 1

Depends on how they are raised. Mollies raised in a large tank with very clean water, filtration, and heat should start to show signs at 2-4 months. Mollies raised in smaller, cooler, dirtier tanks take longer to develop, 3-6 months.

Answer 2

They pretty much always have it, but it's less developed and hard to see early on. The trait tends to be recessive, which makes it hard to breed. Molly will breed with any type of molly, and stay impregnated for about 3 births. If they were kept in a mixed tank the next couple of birth could all be non lyre tailed.