Breeding sailfin Mollies for live feed

[Kronos26]

HI

I was just wondering how do Sailfin Mollies breed, I mean how long does it take do they look after there young or do they eat them?

I they do breed do I take them out immediately or do I leave them in with the parents?

 

[GODZALLA]

molly breed after 4 to 6 weeks ...

and the may and may not eat their fry

so best way or best tank is a tank with net above 10 cm from the bottom or lotts of plants or some big rocks over each other in a corner or any thing fry can hide in

if u gonna make that as a source of food for a long time then i prefare to make in on the right way :

bare tank ..

sponge filter and heater

more salt

a small tank inside the main tank with glass all over except from bottom instead of glass piece make it a net layer so that the fry dropped down away ..

if u gonna make it in a tank = L 100 x W 50 X H 50

i gonna make a small tank with L x W x H = 50 X 50 x 50 ( all in cm )

the side glass is 50 x 50 and the front and back is 50 L x 40 H so that u ll have 10 cm away from the bottom to allow the fry get away and the side glass will be much like with extra legs for the small mothers tank ..

got the idea ???

by that i can net fry any time u wish to feed ur Monsters ..

 

[Brooklyn Tom]

A good breeder will have live birth every 27 days or so, you will get anywhere between 12 and 25 fry. The young take a few month to get any size on them. The parents will eat their young if left with them.
Photo of 3 week old molly fry, in my tank, mother is outside of the breeder.

 

[Kronos26]

OK so what you guys are telling me is that I have to make a divider for the tank so that the fry fall through or I must put in a breeding box to keep the fry in?

Because my Mollies have just had there first lot today, I saw them when I went home for lunch so I think by the time I go home tonight the fry will be all gone.
I have a few plants in the tank where the fry can hide away but I think it is not enough.

I did hear that if you leave the fry with the parents and there are plants then the parents get used to the fry and stop eating them is this true?
I know that works for guppies.

 

[Brooklyn Tom]

in my experience, as long as the fry are small enuff to fit in their mouth they will become lunch. they do take some time to grow big enuff to become feeders for any monsters.

My platty gave birth 1 month ago and the fry are only about the size of 2 week old brine shrimp.

 

[Kronos26]

O ok thank you. So I will have to wait about 4 to 6 months before they will be big enuff to feed to my monster fish.

Is it a good idea to do this or am I just wasting my time?

 

[Kronos26]

How can you tell when you your Mollies are pregnant?
and is it possible that one male can make 2 or 3 females pregnant?

 

[Wulfonce]

How can you tell when you your Mollies are pregnant?
and is it possible that one male can make 2 or 3 females pregnant?

I find it difficult to tell when they're pregnant so I wont even go there.

Yes its possible for a male to impregnate more then 1 female

 

[cap3]

I have tried this method of raising feeders, using a 29gal with lots of floating plants and a divider. I used both swordtails and mollies, the females spawned about once a month 10-20 fry. The fry would immediatley hide in the floating cover, then I would just net them and put them on the other side,waited bout 6 weeks then put them back with the adults, from there It took 4 months for them to reach 2". It is much easier to tell if the females are pregnant if you get light colored ones then just watch there midsection to develope a dark spot. overall It worked ok and I was able to use them as a suppliment in my preditors diet, however the system would be more productive with a very large tank.

 

[Kronos26]

I have tried this method of raising feeders, using a 29gal with lots of floating plants and a divider. I used both swordtails and mollies, the females spawned about once a month 10-20 fry. The fry would immediatley hide in the floating cover, then I would just net them and put them on the other side,waited bout 6 weeks then put them back with the adults, from there It took 4 months for them to reach 2". It is much easier to tell if the females are pregnant if you get light colored ones then just watch there midsection to develope a dark spot. overall It worked ok and I was able to use them as a suppliment in my preditors diet, however the system would be more productive with a very large tank.

Thanks I will try that and I am going to put them into a bigger tank soon so that I can divide them and I am going to try and breed sword tails as well.

do you think it will be a good I dea to put guppies with them as well or not?