I have a clear/white Mollie and a black Mollie. A month or so ago her belly started growing so I thought she was pregnant. I put her in a breeding net, but still no babies. Its been awhile and her belly has gotten bigger... Now her back looks arched and her belly looks kind of square at the bottom, but since it has been so long I am wondering if maybe I was wrong and should put her back in with the other fish. Anyone have an advice? I don't know much about fish so please don't be technical!
2007-06-06 21:45:00 · 6 answers · asked by Tomi 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Tomi, I love your description. It's perfect!
And yes, she's pregnant and she's getting close to dropping her fry (this would be the same as giving birth, fry are baby fish). She could start anytime now but my guess is a few more days. It also might take a couple of days for her to finish depending upon how many she has.
Now, what you need to know. Since you have her in a breeding net, I assume you want to keep the fry. When so starts birthing, be sure to feed her to help prevent her from eating them. I know, it sounds gross but it's normal fish behavior. When she is done (she won't look pregnant anymore) remove her from the breeding net but keep the fry in there.
Now, what to feed your new fish? I think the best if Sera Mikrapan Stage 2 MicroFlake food but you won't find that at PetSmart. You have to go to a fish specialty store that carries Serra fish foods. What you can do is take tropical flake food and grind it into a powder and feed that to them. The liquid stuff tends to make a larger mess in your tank. You have to be careful to not feed them too much with either the liquid or the solid food. Only give them a very little bit and feed them 2 or 3 times a day instead. As soon as they can eat the larger food, you should give that to them instead.
Be aware that your molly is going to be pregnant again immediately, even if you keep her away from the male. Mollies take longer to give birth than other liver bearers so in another 1.5 - 2 months you are likely to be going through this again. But by that time, you will be a pro and know exactly what to do. :-)
2007-06-07 01:41:53 · answer #1 · answered by ibewhoever@yahoo.com 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had a pregnant Molly, and she got HUGE. She looked all deformed and stuff, too. We could eventually see the babies through her skin. I left her with the other fish too long, and she had the babies (a BUNCH of live babies) in the tank and I had to separate them into a different tank, which was difficult. If you're not sure she's pregnant, maybe ask someone who can look at her, or take a pic of her to a local fish shop and ask....
If I were you, I would also find out what to do to take care of the babies, because unfortunately mine all gradually died even though I fed them the special liquid food....
Good luck!
2007-06-07 04:55:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Other than showing signs of a full, different, box like belly, the female will have a dark spot, near her rectum. This is called the gravid spot, and it's a sure sign you've got fry on the way.
Sometimes, depending on the color of the fish, you can actually see the eyes of the baby fish, pretty neat.
2007-06-07 07:54:38 · answer #3 · answered by H3yd00 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Twenty eight days is the AVERAGE length of the pregnancy, but that doesn't mean it'll be 28 days exactly till she gives birth. Now that she's got the square appearance, it's getting close to when she'll drop the babies. I'd give her a few more days.
2007-06-07 05:00:16 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your Molly is pregnant when its belly is fat, and it has swell marks, they tend to swim slower then the other fish, and stay in the same spot for a while.
The big one is, if your Molly has a fat belly she is pregnant.
2007-06-07 09:44:05 · answer #5 · answered by Tunish305 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take her to an ultrasound if there is nothing in the womb, then guess what?
no baby
2007-06-07 04:54:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋