Is my molly pregnant

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I bought a molly two days ago and am not sure if she is pregnant or not.

She is a balloon molly and her colour is a pale orange and a very light almost white looking orange stripe at the top. Around her belly is a very vibrant orange though, but there is no black spot. She is not really moving around much and all the other fish in the tank have been following her around and it seems to be stressing her out. Ive never had balloon mollies before and am just not sure if she is pregnant or sick or just extreamly round in the belly.

She is also trying to hide away from the other fish.

I have put her in a breeding net just in case but am really unsure if she is pregnant or not.

If you could help it would be much appreciated.

Thankyou kindly.

ANSWER: Hi Leanne,

First things first, remove your molly from the breeder at once.  These breeders cause extreme stress in mothers and are even known to cause spontaneos abortions from stress.

It's very hard to tell with balloon mollies if they are pregnant or not because of their natural shape.  However, if you see her increasing in size and start to square off in look from the side, she will deliver within a day or two of the square appearance.  They are usually pregnant about 28-30 days and if she was in a tank at the LFS with males chances are that she is pregnant.  All of my females mollies came home pregnant.

It is very normal for the tankmates to check out a new member and even peck at her or bother her and swim around her for a couple if days, it's all part of the process and it's very normal for a new member to hide.  They are just settling in.  I am not sure how you acclimated her but I would always suggest the following to minimize stress on a new fish:

Keep the bag covered while transporting the fish home.  Dim the lights in the room and turn off the tank lights.  Open the bag and let it float on the water 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes add half a cup of the tank water to the bag every 5 minutes until the bag is full.  Empty the bag halfway and then add a half a cup of the tank water again every 5 minutes until it's full.  Then carefully net and release the fish into the main tank and keep the lights dim and the tank light off for at least 4-6 hours.  Don't feed for 24 hours.  You will see a completely different, stress free fish when you finally do turn the lights on.

What kinds of tank mates do you have, how many and how large is the tank?  Sometimes if they are incompatible or if you are overstocked the bullying won't stop and you'll need to take corrective action immediately.

Good luck : ) April M.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, Thankyou for your advice I have taken her out of the breeding net and she is now hiding.

I have a 3 foot tank which holds just over 150Litres. I have 2 dalmatian Mollies, 2 balloon Mollies, 4 platies, 3 guppies and 3 blind cave fish.

Answer
Hi Leanne,

You are definitely not overstocked, you certainly have plenty of room for her so it's just a matter of settling in.  As soon as she sees that she has plenty of room to roam and she is in a tank with fellow mollies she'll settle down.  Sometimes they hide when they deliver too and the move could've sparked immediate delivery, even if she wasn't ready.  Just keep an eye on her and make sure your water parameters are in check (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-20 ppm nitrates) and she'll swim with the pack in a few days.

Good luck : ) April M.