Balloon Molly Pregnancy

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I have a 20 Gallon aquarium which has 2 balloon mollies along with other fish. Last week i noticed two babies at the top of the tank. I got a breeding tub thing and put the babies in one side and the mother (who still has black markings on her big stomach) in the other side. I was wondering when the rest of the babies will be released.. its not been a week.
ANSWER: hey,
normally, all of the babies are born in two hours tops from the start and finish of birth.

what probably happened was the mother gave birth to babies and most of them were eaten, and she's just pregnant again. female mollies are almost always pregnant unless they are never with a male, but they can have up to six litters from mating once. a lot of the time, mollies are already developing a second litter before they give birth to the first litter, so she will probably be having the next litter in a few weeks or so. you cant really tell though, it could be whenever. normally, litters are about a month to a month and a half apart, but anything is possible, thats just the norm. it could be two weeks or two months as well... you just gotta keep watch until you figure out the individual fish's births.

good luck with the new babies! i hope everything goes well!
best wishes, chelsey

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

QUESTION: Thank you for your response,

Just one more question... i do believe that she is pregnant again so is it ok to leave her in the breeding container by her self so the babies dont get eaten? (i put her in the tank with the other fish to se what would happen but the black mollies i have are chasing her behind)

Answer
as long as she doesnt seem stressed out in the breeding container she should be ok.
it depends on the individual fish, some like to be out in the tank and try to get out of containers and slam into the wals, and others would rather be away from other fish and in the net.
as long as she isnt stressed, keep her in there so the babies dont get eaten. but if she is hurting herself by being in there from stress, then she would probably die if left in there too long. normally mollies dont get this stressed, but i have a few females who are and i have had some who died flat out from stress.

she would probably be better off in the net because of the others chasing her anyway, she should be fine. Just make sure to feed her alot so she doesnt starve and to make sure her container stays clean (clean out any fish flakes that sit on the bottom for too long). brine shrimp are a good treat for pregnant mollies, and (just for future reference) brine shrimp will encourage breeding in mollies, so feed some of them and you will have babies pretty soon.  ;)

good luck! <><
--chelsey