sexing balloon mollies

Question
hi,
i bought 2 balloon mollies and they couldn't tell if its a male or a female.. i've read that males have larger dorsal fins than females.. but i'm still not sure, i've also read that females may have pregnancy spot bu i don't know where the spot is located..

Answer
Hi Audrey;

It's actually easier than you may think and is the same in  guppies, swordtails and platies too. The place to look is the anal fin. It's the single bottom back fin right behind the belly and behind the pair of pelvic (bottom) fins. In the males the anal fin is pointed. In the female it's fanned out. Here are two links to pictures of them;

http://tinyurl.com/25wb7t

http://www.fishforever.co.uk/livebearers.html

In baby fish they all look like females until they mature. The little males' anal fins start to narrow out after they are anywhere from 3 to 6 months old.

Have fun! ;-)

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins