Question
minnow
Hi I'm new so I am not really sure how this works... but anyway the other day I purchased 2 gold dust mollies (one male one female. I just recently found out how to tell if they are girls or boys so it looks like I'm getting more molly babies ugh I already have 30 molly fry) and one female creamsicle molly. Before I added these fish I had a rainbow shark and a minnow I caught in the pond. I am 99.9% sure the minnow is called a mosquitofish. So ever since I put the mollies in the minnow has gotten very large in the stomach. So I was wondering if it is actually possible if the minnow could have bred with the male molly? And if she is carrying fry, what do I do with them when they are born? My breeding net is full and I just spent LOTS of money on a new tank, ammonia treatment, fin replacement (fin-nipping shark), gravel, plants, fish and tons of other stuff and I don't have the money to purchase another tank. I read that you shouldn't release your pet fish into the wild because they could take over other species but what do I do? My neighbors have a small like koi fish pond, but they have never bothered to stock it so all there is in there are tadpoles. There's a running little waterfall they built so there would be running water(Don't know if that helps). The pond is about 16-18 feet across. It seems to be a popular place for baby turtles as I see the little 2-3 wide little turtles on the rocks there. They probably feed on the tadpoles because the tadpoles are not very fast at all and they are quite large probably about 2 1/2 inches long so would the tadpoles eat my hybrid molly/minnow fish do you think? Sorry that was a long question! Please Help! -Emily
AnswerHi Emily,
Heh! The good news is, your pregnant mosquitofish (indeed, 100% sure you have one since they are ubiquitous) did not get pregnant by your molly. Fish don't hybridize this way - one species to another. It would be like a jackal and a Doberman hybridizing...it just doesn't happen. Mosquitofish are Gambusia affinis, mollies are usually Poecilia velifera. Guppies also belong to Poecilia, so guppies can't hybridize with mosquitofish either - but supposedly mollies and guppies can mate, although it doesn't happen very often.
The reason your mosquitofish got pregnant in your tank is that livebearers have a way of storing sperm for up to 6 months! It's why even if you just get female mollies from the pet store, you probably will still end up with fry - unless the pet store bothered to keep males and females separately (most don't).
I think it's an excellent idea to feed your excess fry to the turtles in the pond. It's exactly what I would do. You are absolutely right, you couldn't and shouldn't overcrowd your tank with excess fry. Depending on the size of the mosquitofish, she actually ought to take care of newborn fry - they are very opportunistic feeders. You should keep a close eye, because these are very feisty fish for their size and are known to be nippy and territorial. Their dull colors make them not too interesting to keep, in my experience, but if she takes care of the extra fry then she may be helpful to have around!
Rainbow sharks are beautiful fish, but they do best in 4 foot tanks, a minimum of 40 gallons. They grow quite large and as you have observed, can be very territorial. Hopefully you can trade him in to your local fish store if he gets too mean. I've had luck posting fish "free to good home" in my local online classifieds, also.
I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole
P.S. By the way, you actually sent me a picture of your family at a sporting event - congratulations on that big beautiful trophy!
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