Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Creating a favorable breeding environment for mollys
• Part 2 of 3: Taking care of the leg
• Part 3 of 3: Make sure you have the correct setup to grow molly's
• Tips
• Warnings

Mollies are an ideal choice of viviparous fish (they do not lay eggs) for placing in an aquarium or fishbowl. Mollies are generally easy to grow. One female can produce more than a hundred live baby mollies, also called fish fry, during one delivery. They come in a variety of colors and can coexist with many other fish species. Prepare the tank and yourself in advance, then growing mollys should be very easy.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Creating a favorable breeding environment for mollys

1. Let the fish mate. Molly's are hierarchical fish. The male with the largest fins and brightest colors leads the way. This means that one male is the most ideal composition of males and females for several females.
   • You may see the male below the female; this is how the fish mate.
   • If mating is successful, the babies are born after 3-5 weeks.
2. Remove the female from the aquarium before giving birth. Place the female in a separate aquarium if possible. The males often chase the females, with the desire to mate again, causing stress for the pregnant female. You can tell that a molly is pregnant with a very distended belly.
   • If a separate aquarium is not possible, consider placing a leg net in the aquarium. This is basically a plastic mesh cube and will protect the mother and babies.
   • Taking the mother out of the aquarium also serves to protect the leg. Molly's often cannibalize their own babies.
   • Do not wait to long. Stressed mothers are more likely to have natural abortions and stillborn babies.
3. Return the female to the main tank. The female can also eat her own young, so for the safety of the leg it is best to put her back with the other fish after giving birth. However, the mother may need to be set aside once a month, as female mollies can retain fertilized eggs for up to six months.

Part 2 of 3: Taking care of the leg

1. Feed the paw. Use ground fish food, the same kind you give adult mollys. Use fish flakes as the basis of the diet. Supplement normal meals with different types of more compact foods.
   • Different types of worms are good for mollies. Enchytraeus buchholzi, brittle mudworms, and bloodworms are good choices.
   • Brine shrimp, live or frozen, are a preferred food source.
   • Mollies eat algae themselves, which is their primary food source in the wild.
2. Wait for the fish to mature. It will take almost 2 months to distinguish the males from the females. Once they have doubled in size, it is probably safe to place them in the primary aquarium with the rest of the fish.
   • Another way to determine if the leg can be safely put with other fish is to determine if they have grown too large to fit other fish's mouths.
3. Separate the males from the females. Once you know the sex of the molly's, you need to make sure there are no mating again. Mollies have no problem mating with their siblings. Try to separate the males and females before they are 8 weeks old, at this age they reach sexual maturity.

Part 3 of 3: Make sure you have the correct setup to grow molly's

1. Buy an aquarium. You need an aquarium that can hold 56-113 liters of water. Generally, mollies do better in a large tank, with more room to swim around. Smaller aquariums can pose several problems:
   • Less space to swim away from aggressive fish causing stress.
   • More difficult to clean, which can lead to illness.
2. Place decorations in the aquarium. Choose decorations such as rocks, air filters and decorative gravel. In general, mollies should have enough space to swim around freely, but also have enough objects to hide from bullies. The less aggressive fish need space to hide from aggressive fish. If there are not enough hiding places, fish can become stressed.
3. Anchor freshwater plants in the substrate. The substrate should form the basis of your tank, but also contain possible nutrients for any plants in the tank. In general, the substrate should consist of two layers:
   • The top layer should consist of 5 cm of something solid, such as sand, stones or gravel.
   • The bottom layer should consist of 2.5-5 cm of nutrient-rich material.
4. Fill the aquarium with water to just below the rim. Up to 4 cm below the edge is ideal. The water should be warm, 25-27 ° C, so that your mollies feel comfortable, as they would live in tropical waters. Do not overfill the tank or fill it with cold water.
   • An aquarium heater may be required.
   • Change the water on a fairly regular schedule. It is recommended to change a little or weekly up to 30% of the water.
5. Avoid aquarium salt. Some mollies are brackish water fish, which means they require varying degrees of salt and salt water. However, there is disagreement as to whether they need aquarium salt in the aquarium. Some experts argue that most mollies have never seen salty or brackish water, making it unnecessary in aquarium water.
   • Some sources state that 1 tablespoon per 20 liters of water is good.
   • The addition of salt can have a purifying effect on water that is slightly dirty.
   • When buying an exotic molly, it's good to check with an expert to make sure you don't need to add salt.
6. Install the filter according to the instructions. Ultimately, the water should have a fairly neutral pH value, between 7 and 8. Some experts recommend raising the pH slightly to 8.4. After the tank is filled, adjustments to the filter and water may be required.
7. Run the tank before adding the fish. It is best to run the tank as the water lacks good bacteria. This makes the fish susceptible to diseases.Keep a close eye on your tank if you can't wait to add the fish.
8. Decide how many molly's you want. In general it is good to put a few molly's per 20 liters. They need plenty of room to swim around and, if you get pawed, to hide from aggressive fish. If you want more than just a few, you should get a larger tank as recommended.
9. Buy your molly's. Go to the local pet store and choose male and female fish. Although there are different types of mollies, they are very easy to breed because all colors belong to the same species and all males and females mate with each other. Some people recommend buying the same subspecies of mollys for faster breeding. You can ask the employees in the store for help or find it out yourself.
   • Male mollies have a gonopodium, a long, stick-like fin used to fertilize the female, on their underside.
   • Female mollies have a softer, fan-shaped anal fin. This is also located at the bottom of the body.
10. Put your fish in the tank. Place the bag of fish in the aquarium for 10-15 minutes to allow the water to warm up. Use a net to remove the fish from the bag and release them into the aquarium.
    • Do not put the water from the bag in the aquarium.
    • Feed the other fish before adding the new mollies. They shouldn't think the molly's are food.

Tips

• Most females are already pregnant when you buy them. The tricky part is keeping the paw away from the hungry parents.
• Use a sponge filter for baby mollies. This will prevent them from being sucked into the filter.

Warnings

• Make sure that the fish do not get too hot or too cold during transport. Do not leave them in the plastic bag for too long before releasing them into the aquarium.
• Never take two males for a small aquarium, they will fight.