A tank of all male balloon molly

Question
Hi Brittany,

I managed to raise 15 balloon molly into adulthood (which I am still very proud of my work: 15 out of 23 survived!) They are now 4 months old, very healthy and active. I used to keep all of them in a big tank. But now, I guess I have to really keep them following the molly rule - 1 boy for 3 girls.

Out of the 15 fish, 9 of them are boys, and 6 are girls. In the tank, I also have 2 adult female balloon molly.

Well, guess you can picture the chaos in the tank: the 9 boys keep competing among themselves over the girls, going around harrassing other 6 girls, chasing after other guys.... on and on. So I must separate the guys out.

I've asked the local pet shop whether they will want my male, they gave me a look and said "well, let's see..." dah! So mean.

Right now, I'm keeping the girls and ladies in the big tank, and put the boys (except 2) into small tanks by themselves. The 2 boys are my favorite so they get to stay with the girls. Although the bigger male (I nicknamed him "King") still chases the smaller male if the smaller one nips a girl in front of the King. (But If I put other male in, the King will chase that him around non-stop).

Anyways, my first question is: how many boys can I keep in the tank with 6 girls and 2 grown up ladies?

My second question is: Can I keep the boys together in a big tank with no female fish? Will they fight each other even if there is no female insight?

I feel sorry if they have to be all by themselves for the rest of their lives. And I'm not going to get another 7 x 3 = 21 female for them in a super big tank.

Thank you in advance. Have a wonderful day!

- Azusa

Answer
Hi Azusa,
Every fish is going to be different, so it's really hard to tell until you actually try it. I'd say your best bet is to experiment and see what works out. You may end up with all females in one tank and all males in the other. Although if you have a large enough tank, and enough foliage/hiding places you may just be able to keep them altogether - unless you are afraid of ending up with too many babies.