Q&A for How to Breed Molly Fish

Yes, it is common for molly fish to eat their own young shortly after birth.

While it varies depending on the type, molly fish usually live from 3-5 years.

Yes. It is best to separate the mother whenever spawning ends.

The second the fry are completely outside the body, she gets pregnant again because during the time she was carrying the babies, she was also carrying fertilized eggs which were not yet growing to form babies.

The male has a fin under its belly that looks like a stick. The female has a fan-shaped anal fin.

You’ll be able to tell the molly is pregnant by a very distended belly. Remove the female from the aquarium before birthing begins. Place her in a separate “nurser” tank, if possible. The male fish often chases around the female, wishing to copulate more, and this could cause stress on the pregnancy.

It depends on the size of the pellet. In general, however, a fish stomach is similar to its eyeball size. Get one stomach-full per feeding.

None. They're live-bearers, which means live birth. Anywhere from a few to over a hundred could be born.

Yes, this can sometimes happen.

Mollies live well with tetras, guppies, platys, glofish and possibly gouramis if they are calm.

Yes, as it provides better breeding and they will have a higher grow rate with warmer water.

It won't induce the birth, but it's a very healthy, protein-rich food option that will help the fry to grow.

No, you can do a random tank structure, about 3-5 gallons, then put the mom back and simply change the water.

They should not attack each other, and they are known to be able to cross breed.

She could be pregnant or sick.

Yes.

There are a variety of reasons the fish may have died. They could have been attacked by other, larger fish. The water in the tank may have bad Ph levels or bacteria. Start by analyzing the water and introducing some new water into the tank.

It just happens to every live bearer, including us humans. If it's happening frequently, your molly might be too stressed. It could also be a lack of protein in her diet, meaning she needs more live food and algae.

The gestation period of a molly is around 60 days. Female mollies can store sperm for months and may fertilize eggs as often as every 30 days, even when no male is present in the tank.

She will go to the corner of tank and swim back and forth. She will start panicking and this happens a few days before the birth of young frys.

They do this to make the female weak and tired for easier breeding. It may look like she is struggling and helpless, but that is just the nature of their mating ritual, it's nothing to worry about.

Yes, however it is best to breed a female molly with a male guppy because female guppies tend to have a high mortality rate when bred with male mollies.

Since they have the same genes and DNA, their children will most likely have mental or physical deformities.

It sometimes happens to animals. Most short-living animals die after they've bred. It's a natural phenomenon.

Molly fish are actually livebearers, meaning their babies are born as living fish and not eggs. Their gestation period is about 4 weeks.

Yes, it is possible. They are are called Muppies but are normally infertile, meaning the babies won't reproduce.

Gouramis are only sometimes compatable Mollies. It may be better to separate the fish as they may cause more damage to each other.

Yes, you can, assuming the pond's conditions are ideal.

You may simply have all males/females, or the fish will need time to adjust to their new tank. Livebearers are extremely prolific breeders, and it will not take long for the females to become pregnant.

You will have an increased risk of defects/imperfections.