# interbreeding



## Alicia (Apr 24, 2005)

I was wondering if different kinds of mollys will interbreed? It makes sense to me that they would, considering that they are the same species of fish really. Anyway, just wondering.


Much Love To All,
Alicia
[glow=cyan:667c7e60fc][/glow:667c7e60fc] :wink:


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Yes they will and do.


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## Hamm3592 (Apr 24, 2005)

Yes, they sure do. quite frequently.


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## doggydad38 (Jan 18, 2005)

Most of the varieties you see are the result of interbreeding between, primarily, 3 species. Poecilia velifera, P. latipinna, and P. sphenops.
Tony


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Agreed ^


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

Yep. :fun: 

Hey, does anyone know if it is possible to interspecies breed Mollies with Platies or Swordtails? I know Platies and Swordtails interbreed often, but I've heard Mollies won't do this. I'm interested because I would like to attempt it (I know there is controversy around it, since the offspring usually aren't sterile, and because they wouldn't survive in the wild. However, if you are responsible about it, and don't let them get into the wild, I don't see the huge problem. As long as you don't create a new strain of deformed animals - example: Balloon Mollies - then it shouldn't be considered bad in my opinion. I do agree that irresponsibility can happen to anybody though).


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## Alicia (Apr 24, 2005)

If my sources are correct, swords can interbreed with platys, but not mollies . the reason swords and platys don't cross with mollies is because of species. mollies are poecilia, while platys and swords are xiphophorus. In other words, I have never heard of pollys or swollys. :wink: 
Much Love to all,
Alicia


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## doggydad38 (Jan 18, 2005)

There are documented cases of Common Guppy males impregnating Molly females. Pictures were published in Dr. Axelrod's "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fishes." They proved to be infertile and developed tumors as they matured and subsequently died.
Tony


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Platies and swords and variatus will all interbreed just fine.
Guppies and mollies will interbreed as well.

Sometimes these crosses result in cancer or sterility, but as often as not they produce perfectly okay fish.

Mollies and swordtails? It has been known to happen, but it is rare indeed. 
Guppies and swords? Nope.
Guppies and platies? Nope.

Guppies can't cross with the other common livebearers very well, and they can only cross with mollies due to the same peculiarity which lets mollies cross with the swords and platies.
Mollies are a bit strange. One species of molly, the Amazon Molly, is a completely all-female species;there are no male Amazons. 
So how do they breed?
Female amazons can be fertilized by pretty much anything with a gonopodium. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. The Amazon has developed it's crossbreedability to the point where it has no need for males of it's own. Even weirder, it doesn't much matter who the father is, the fry are going to be Amazons.

Other mollies have this crossbreedability as well, but not so much as the Amazon. This is a good thing for us, because it is what has allowed us to produce the various livebearer strains we enjoy.
Personally, I'm chomping at the bit to see some new Liberty molly crosses. The very first aquarium fish I ever saw, and the one which made me think that fishkeeping would be fun, was a liberty-sailfin cross. Imagine a black sailfin with a wine-red stripe running across the top if the sail and a bright orange cresent in the tail. Now imagine it 5 inches long. 
*sigh* They just don't make 'em like they used to...


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## lain sorcer (Apr 10, 2005)

I just looked up endler's to see if they would breed with guppies, since the females look so much alilke, and found out they will. Also, the resulting fry are capable of breeding. My friend's have some endler's, though they think they're guppies.


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## lain sorcer (Apr 10, 2005)

I just read more of the article that gave me that little bit of info and found this interesting tid bit:
Note: I have observed something that is almost unreal with these fish. Being livebearers the males are very persistant spawners. They constantly harrass the females so much that the female hide in the overgrowth of Najas I have in the tank. So far no surprise. But lately I have just sat quietly in the fishroom, just sitting observing. After a while they forget you are there, and the usual food expectation wears off and they go on about their natural behavior. But the thing that is almost unbelievable is this: Sitting there I watched a small group of about 5 male Endlers suddenly act as if they had been fed, a sort of feeding frenzy. I had put no food in the tank, there was nothing there for them to be eating. But from the looks of it they had just been fed the most tastey food in the world. I was puzzled and certainly interested now. But what happened next explained it all.
The mock eating frenzy drew the females out of hiding. They couldn't resist it. And once out in the open the males were able to begin mating with them again. The first time I saw this I thought maybe they were really eating something, or maybe my immagination has gone wild. But I have since observed this ploy at least 4 or 5 times on separate occasions. I am surprised that the Endlers were able to come up with something so tricky, but I am also surprised that the females keep falling for it, every single time. 

The site is http://www.petfish.net/endlers.htm, incase you were wondering.


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## Hamm3592 (Apr 24, 2005)

thats interesting, and funny


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

Cool discoveries and observations like that are one of the things that makes keeping animals so cool.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> Mollies are a bit strange. One species of molly, the Amazon Molly, is a completely all-female species;there are no male Amazons.


just a fun fact not many know, 1 of every 10,000 amazons is male but all males are sterile. Also amazons are only asexual vertabrates and literaly clone. other males bredding with them trigger them to have babies but the male's sprem is not used


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> I'm chomping at the bit to see some new Liberty molly crosses. The very first aquarium fish I ever saw, and the one which made me think that fishkeeping would be fun, was a liberty-sailfin cross. Imagine a black sailfin with a wine-red stripe running across the top if the sail and a bright orange cresent in the tail. Now imagine it 5 inches long.
> *sigh* They just don't make 'em like they used to...


I saw one on the net not long ago it was one of the coolest mollies i've ever seen. i think mollies lost alot of the dignety when the balloon molly was bred


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

Is there any such thing as a green molly?


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## doggydad38 (Jan 18, 2005)

The wild color of Mollies is "green," sort of. You must understand, though, that "green" in terms of wild coloring does include shade of blues and green.
Tony


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## FishGuy1564 (Oct 18, 2005)

Do you think a guppy will breed with a balloon molly? If so how rare is that?
I have two male guppies and two female balloon mollies and I got babies that already had color only on their tails (the spot where the tail connects with the body) on the second day they were born, but some also have plumper bellies than others. I am sure these are a mix, because I've grown guppy babies about 7 times, and I have molly babies that had their colors as soon as they were born. And that proves that I know how to tell the differences between males and females.


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## tahoechica1 (Mar 26, 2006)

*I think so*

I have 2 female balloon mollys and 2 fancy male guppies. one of my mollys just droped fry so I put her back in the main tank one of male guppies became very attentive to her and followed her around, rubbed up against her ect. Then about to days later I noticed she had a very dark gravid spot. I'm not sure whether she is pregnant again or this left over dark. I bet he knocked her up.


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