# Is My Molly pregnant?



## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Can anyone tell me how I can tell the difference between a balloon molly and one that is pregnant? I have attached a photo of the one I believe is pregnant.

For some reason my photo won't upload even though it is the correct format and size!!


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

You want to look for a gravid spot. It's a dark area that should be at the backside of their belly if they're pregnant. 

If they're obviously pregnant, they should literally look fit to burst. If looked at from the top, they will almost look "square".


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

hXcChic22 said:


> You want to look for a gravid spot. It's a dark area that should be at the backside of their belly if they're pregnant.
> 
> If they're obviously pregnant, they should literally look fit to burst. If looked at from the top, they will almost look "square".


The spot often resembles a dark triangle and is easiest to see if you have a light colored molly. If it's a black molly, it might be hard to tell until just a few days before birthing.
Balloon Mollies tend to look like ... well ... balloons hehe.

Just a word of warning ...
If they are breeding, it can quickly get out of hand unless you are breeding these as feeders. My big momma molly (silver sailfin) just gave birth to about 50 babies in one birthing about 2 weeks ago. My angel and gourami enjoyed them very much. For some reason they left just one alive. Now we have a little tag along with mom & dad, it's so cute LOL.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks for the help. She is a dalmatian molly so it is hard to know if she has a gravid spot. She does look like she is about to burst. I can't tell if she is square looking from the top or not. Hopefully the photo will attach correctly.


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## Fishfrenz (Jul 22, 2011)

if you look on it's anal fin it should look like a triangle or square.
the anal fin is the bottom fin close to it's bottom.


the photo did show up!


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

That is definitely a balloon molly. But if she was bought from a tank that has males, chances are she's pregnant.


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

If you have a male with a female molly for more then 5 minutes, chances are she's pregnant. The best part is she can be pregnant anytime she wants for the next 6 months. They store the sperm. I had one female give birth to 8 broods and she was only with a male for about 3 days.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Fishfrenz, the anal fin is square. Doesn't that indicate that she is a female?


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

msclark1964 said:


> Fishfrenz, the anal fin is square. Doesn't that indicate that she is a female?


Sounds like you have a female 
Here's a lil info for sexing them:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/livebearers/sexing-mollies-17622/

But, it can be hard to tell if a balloon is pregnant.
She will get wider and eventually her skin around the belly will become almost translucent. That's about the only way I can say for sure.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

I'm not sure if she is pregnant because it has been over 30 days since she has been separated from males. I have attached a new photo of her. I also attached a photo of the new male that I have. He was in the tank with the female a few days ago for about 10 minutes and the female kept chasing him. Can anyone tell me if a female would chase a male if she is pregnant?


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Sorry for the large pics. I keep trying to make them smaller but not luck!


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

msclark1964 said:


> Sorry for the large pics. I keep trying to make them smaller but not luck!


Actully those are so small that I can barely make out the fish 
But, if the picture in your avatar is current, then I would say she just looks like a balloon to me. But without a good closeup side view, I couldn't say for sure. She would chase the male if he kept "bugging" her whether she is pregnant or not. My momma molly got so sick of the male's libido that she killed him. I tried to save him, but the damage was too much. She actually broke his spine. I was hoping it was just sick, but he never straightened out.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

I have BABIES!!!! Actually my avatar was a photo of her yesterday and my husband said she looked thinner. Then today...there are the babies!! Thanks!!


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## Fishy Freak (Jun 1, 2011)

Wonderful, you can seperate them into a breeder net or box that floats in the tank, if you want to ensure they don't get eaten, not with the mother. They will be a pain to catch. It is also easier to feed them this way. They will eat your normal food just crush it up so they can eat it.


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## Frogprincess (Jul 8, 2011)

Congrats on the babies! My molly dropped without warning, too, and I had to learn these things really fast. If you want to keep your fry alive, I suggest getting a small fish net (typically the smallest the store will carry) and a breeder net.The small catch-net will make it a bit easier to corner them. Most breeder nets come with some side-mounted plant things to make the fry more comfortable with a place to hide, and they're pretty cheap. Feed them a few times a day (I usually did 4 feedings) with powdered flake food. You can powder it by pinching some into a plastic bag and crushing it, or you can just try to crunch it with your fingers when you feed them. Don't give them too much, though, or the food will go to waste. You can also give them baby brine shrimp if they seem too small for the powdered food. 
Best of luck with the new baby fish!


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

msclark1964 said:


> I have BABIES!!!! Actually my avatar was a photo of her yesterday and my husband said she looked thinner. Then today...there are the babies!! Thanks!!


Hmmm ... I think she might have been preganant after all 
Congrats! Now be careful not too fall in love with all of them hehe.
She will be having more next month and the month after that and the month ....
She can become pregnant anytime she wants within 6 months or so. She doesn't even need a male to be present (she stored the sperm for 6 mo or so) Also, her next brood will most likely be 50% more then this brood.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks for the advice!! I'm off to the pet store today for supplies!!


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

Thank you Frogprincess!


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

I only found 4 babies total...1 stillborn, 3 were alive, but we just found that 1 died. Don't know why but it was smaller than the other 2.


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

BTW, the molly that gave birth is getting bigger again!


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

msclark1964 said:


> I only found 4 babies total...1 stillborn, 3 were alive, but we just found that 1 died. Don't know why but it was smaller than the other 2.


There should have been a lot more then that. A typical molly birthing is between 20-50. The 1st batch is usally the smallest at 20-30. Perhaps she tried to abort it, but some were too far along. Momma Mollies will often abort the pregnancy if they are too stressed or the tank suddenly got crowded, etc etc. If you have large fish in the tank with her, they probably ate the babies. My Angel & Gourami love it when it's that time of the month. Every now & then they let a couple live for some strange reason. Sometimes even the parents will eat the babies. Great Parenting! :chair:


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## msclark1964 (Jul 23, 2011)

CyberBob said:


> Congrats! Now be careful not too fall in love with all of them hehe.


I'm glad that I didn't get too attached to them since only 1 has survived! 
But I have more on their way!


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## Frogprincess (Jul 8, 2011)

Mollies retain sperm for several months, so she'll be ready to pop again in a few weeks. When she's getting really big again, Try raising the water temperature a tiny bit, or feeding her high-quality food. This will help encourage your fish to give birth, or sso I've been told. My dalmatian molly is getting plump again, so fingers crossed for both our fish!


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## platies pwn (Nov 29, 2010)

CyberBob said:


> There should have been a lot more then that. A typical molly birthing is between 20-50 :chair:


from what i heard,mollies ussually have only about 12 babies no matter what number the litter is.


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## CyberBob (Jul 22, 2011)

platies pwn said:


> from what i heard,mollies ussually have only about 12 babies no matter what number the litter is.


Maybe I had some weird Mollies :-?

My momma kept giving birth every 32-35 days. It was almost clockwork. Her first batch was 27. Her second batch was 43. Her 3rd batch was 66. I kept taking out any that the other fish didn't eat and giving them away. But after the 4th birthing of 51, I left some babies in there and let them grow a bit. She has never had babies again.

I now keep a couple of her boys with her. They keep trying to mate with mommy, but she is having nothing to do with birthing babies anymore it seems.


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