Dalmation Mollies?

Question

I have 7 mollies. The 4 females are dalmation. They hang out together. They are all prego. Today one of them is staying to herself and when the other females come near her she chases them away. Is it time to put her in a breeder box?
Will this cause the other 3 females to go into labor at the same time? They are all huge.

Answer 1

Hi Connie,

You are right, it's time to put her in the breeder box. Sounds like she's very close to me.

I have never seen any research that supports the idea that one giving birth would cause others in the tank to give birth os I would have to say no, her giving birth won't directly cause the others to give birth, but on the flip side, that doesn't mean it wouldn't either. Since they are huge they bear watching anyway. Best of luck with the tons of babies coming your way!

Good eye catching the behavior sign as a signal!

MM

Answer 2

Haha! I don't mean to laugh, really. Yes, put her into a breeding box! I have been through this countless times. Dalmation mollies are my favorite! I have 7 left, I think, 2 females. At one point I had maybe 20-30! They are getting older now and my Bala sharks and Tinfoil barbs eat the babies as they come out. Bad owner I know. Also becareful of the males. They tend to get aggressive towards the female in labor. They wait for the babies and will eat them also. If you do not have a breeder tank then get lots of bushy plants for the babies to hide in. Most will survive.

Congratulations and good luck!!

Also, buy a mesh cover for the filter! My first 2 mollies (both female) came home prego - they actually had babies in the bag on the way home!! My hubby and I thought the pet store tossed in some food for the ride! Nope baby mollies! Some got sucked into the filter. We had to shut it off until we could get back to the store for the mesh covers. Also had to pick out the poor babies from the filter material. This was the first of MANY advenures in the fish world for us!!

Answer 3

Most likely. When you place her in the breeder box do not be alarmed if it takes a few days the transition may make her feel uneasy and she may decide to postpone her birthing.
With the amount of babies you have coming i recommend providing lots of hiding spaces in the current tank and allow them to be free swimming (many will get eaten), or you can put together another tank for the fry. Once the fry are in existence be very diligent about checking your water levels (pH exc) because these will all change with your little additions. If you are prepared to take care of a lot of fry i suggest that use the breeders boxes or set up a seperate tank.