Did my black molly fish aborted her fry?

Question

This is the second time she gave birth, but the first time she did it was in the main tank. This time I moved her into a 10 gallon breeder tank 2 days after she became pregnant (I had to because the male kept on harassing her). It's not even a month and I see her popping out babies. The babies don't instantly hid and swim, and they still have egg yolks. Her mouth is a little white (not really sure if she is sick from columaris, can't confirm yet).

Oh yea, the breeder tank still has 3 pregnant guppies, 7 one month old mollies, and 3 three week old baby guppies. Is she too stress out? Or is the fry suppose to have egg yolk (my first time seeing in action of her giving birth)?

Answer 1

The fry are probably OK. It's not too unusual for them to be born with yolk sacs still visible. 28 days is the low end of the Molly gestation period,so every thing is most likely OK. Just keep the water parameters at their best and don't disturb the system. The fry don't need food,since they are still living on the yolks,and the female probably doesn't feel much like eating. If she did, she would probably be eating the fry.

Answer 2

I have had very few mollies deliver babies with egg sacks attached. Is interesting to read where so many have. When I was selling, just about every shipment of mollies I got in, the bag wiould be full of babies. The stress of shipment caused it.

Mollies are temptramental about deliverying. I learned what I am going to tell you now when I was about 10 years old from an old man at the local feed and seed store that sold tropical fish. This was way before discount stores came to be. I think maybe Woolworth's 5 & 10 may have had fish.

Anyway, we had a10 gallon aquarium at home. It was night time and we were watching our pregnant molly. She had one baby. We netted mama out and put her into a "maternity ward" hanging in the tank. She was about to explode, but was not having babies. After about an hour, the mother fish starting gasping for air at the surface which we know doesn't work. Then she started floating "freestyle" all around. My mother called the fish man at home. He came over to our house which was only a few blocks away and said the mother molly evidently had a baby clogged up in the birth canal and would soon die. What happened next was super cool and something I have done on several occasions since. He took a razor blade and carefully started cutting down the underside if the fish, a little at a time. All of a sudden we could see the bag of babies! He held the fish over the maternity ward and cut through the membrane and 22 babies plopped out into the water. They were exceptionally big for baby mollies, indicating they were "overdue" but too big for the birth canal. I had experienced my first Caeseaian Section on a fish. Unfortunately, you are sacrificing the mother.Like I said, I have done it several times through the years, even on other type fish in trouble, but is is not always successful. You have nothing to lose, however, because the mother fish is going to die anyway in most cases.

Didn't mean to ramble so long and I hope I helped you. Hapy fishing!

Answer 3

I've had molly fry with egg sacks before unfortunately within 48hrs mine all died. My other healthy batches of fry never popped out with egg sacks though I'm no expert, this is just my experience.

Answer 4

Females have a much rounder body and can grow larger;
Male has a gonopodium and will hound females into breeding;
Female is fertilized and then gives birth after around 45-60 days;
Can store sperm and produce multiple broods from one mating;
If stressed, they can re-absorb the fry or may result in a still birth;
Fry are free swimming and grow rapidly;
Feed crushed flake food.