# What's going on?????



## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

Ok so I have a female gold Molly she is pregnant she isn't laying her eggs its been about 3 mounts and she hasn't giving birth is there anything I can to help her lay her eggs faster? I really worried!! I have a 10 gallon tank. Do I need anything for the babies? I have this breeding box thing and when she has her babies I'm gonna put them in there. I have a old betta fish tank should I put the babies in there? Do they need a fliter? Please get back to me soon!
ThAnkks!


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

you'll just have to wait i assume. i think mollies need some brackish water to lay eggs though. if you get a filter, be sure to get a large sponge to put around the intake so it doesnt suck them up. If not, be sure to put plenty of plants in there to control nitrates.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

Mollies give live birth. How do I get brackish water now I have another one pregnunt so need help?! I really wanna save babies want about a betta tank can I put them in there bc they probaly won't last in the plant right? Or a breeding box?


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## Mrmike (Apr 1, 2011)

The addition of a little non-iodized salt will help with the brackish part..... I'd start with maybe a tablespoon or so just so the water chemistry doesn't change too rapidly. Mollies are not real big fry eaters if well fed and the fry have some cover..... my preference is java moss, which tolerates the salt ok if it's not too strong. Something to consider... if your mollies are the sailfin type they need a bigger tank to develop those top fins when the boys mature.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I would not put the babies in a betta tank.I wouldnt put a betta in one either,they are too small for anything other than quick transport.They will need finely crushed flakes and some hatched BBS will also do them loads of good.Live plants like moss will give them a hidey as well as some more goodies.On the salt part,just add slowly like mentioned above.A hydrometer will come in handy as well so look into one and then find the specific gravity that will help things along.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

you change it by adding some marine salt in there.. slowly over the course of a week. half a teaspoon or so a day until your hydrometer (you'll have to get one and also get it calibrated with someone who has one. Mine is 0.003 off which is a big difference) reads about 1.005.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

Ok she is really hard by get anal find is that a sign


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Molly's don't need brackish water to give birth. I have raised several just by using fresh water. What they prefer is lots of plants as they like to hide in them while giving birth. After 3 months though I would worry that something else is wrong as they should give birth 28 to 30 days.

Can you post a pic of the female in question.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

If the tank was not cycled that may have slowed things down from because of the water not being clean enough.


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

Hmm. While they may not need brackish water, if you put a little salt in (and the other tank mates don't mind the salt) it might coax her a little. Sometimes little things can coax a fish into feeling like things are more ideal. Better food, more variety, more places to hide, more light, less light, is the tank crowded? Maybe less fish is the key. Fish breed when they feel like things are good, fish hold off on breeding when there's stress and the conditions aren't ideal in their judgement. Fish often breed in the spring when there's a lot of new water, sometimes more frequent partial water changes trigger breeding behavior.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

We have 4 mollies not much. Will she die??? Yes I clean the tank every 7 or 6 days is the enough


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

When you say "clean the tank" do you mean a partial water change, just taking say 10% out and putting 10% new water in, or do you take the whole thing apart and and scrub it, or what? A whole tank clean is seldom a good idea, all they really need if they've got a well established biofilter is a partial water change between 10% to 50% a week.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

I just take Out like 30 percent out or more.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

And I do put in salt


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

Good! Sounds good. 30% or more may even be more than you need, depending on what the water tests are telling you, you may be able to do a smaller change each week. Large water changes can lead to stress particularly if you are on treated water (with chlorine and or chloramine that needs to be neutralized each time) 

Sometimes females can be big around, full of eggs and not mating, and they don't drop babies because no babies are there to drop because they're stressed, because they don't like the males they've got access to, or they could be dropping babies every month and you never see them because their tank mates eat them all. With just four mollies in the tank and nobody else it seems unlikely they're being eaten. Is she the only female, or the only female that is round? With four mollies, three males and one female it is possible that she's too stressed because she has too much male attention.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

I have 2 girl and boy the other one is getting bugger and they do like eachother cuz she let's him do it to her! I don't see the babies


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

If the fish look healthy, if their skin and fins are smooth and dark and look healthy there's no reason to worry. Just keep the tank as healthy as you can, with good water changes and so on, and see if over time you can add some live plants and such, add hiding places in case the babies are being born and the babies are just being eaten, get good food for them, get them as healthy as possible, and in time you'll have results.


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## fishlover2000 (Feb 27, 2011)

Ok thanks!


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