Topic: Can a Molly and a guppy breed together? Or cross breed? Anyone have any luck with guppy molly hybrids? One of my male guppies had a sexual encounter with my female balloon molly.

*Awarded Answer
Posted by Daniele N: It’s fun breeding fish and possibly selling them to other fishkeepers and stores. I’ve been breeding fish for almost a decade and learn new things everyday. Lets answer your question now.

Guppies Crossbreed with Mollies?

Guppies can technically crossbreed with molly fish but they usually don’t. The fry tend to die right after birth, or during birth or are still born. Few make it to adulthood and if they do they are sterile. Generally the fish themselves don’t allow the pregnancies. 

Mollies can hold onto multiple pockets of sperm for upwards of a year after being with a male once. They can get pregnant when they choose to during that time. So if the molly had been in the same tank with a male at any point prior, then it could of been then. They are sexually mature pretty early. 

If they were tiny tiny newborn fry, then count yourself one of the few lucky ones to have a muppy and hopefully it grows.

Thank you for the help. I like to breed guppies for the colors and usually sell them to lfs’ so I have guppy fry all the time. But these guys. They look like the mollies did when I first got them. I was super surprised.

Hey, if you have some muppies then definitely count yourself lucky. They are rare, which is a shame as they sure are pretty! Good luck!

Technically, yes guppies and mollies can cross as they are both Poecilia. However, the offspring do not make a new species because they are almost always sterile. With balloon mollies, this would be particularly fortunate because of the severe spinal deformity that has been kept in them. I would not encourage mixing and breeding with such a generic fault.

Thank you for the reply. I wasn’t aware of what causes the balloon molly shape. Definitely will be keeping that in mind when I add males to breed with the female guppies.

Certain types of ‘new’ variations are really just crooked, shortened or bent spines. Probably most that are labeled ‘balloon’ type. We see it with bettas as well, in Doubletails, though usually not too bad (if lucky, just a shorter spine, not crooked or bent).

If i wanted to breed molly cross guppy would i need a male guppy because the fry would be to big for a female guppy. Would love to see some pics of muppys only seen a few and there very big fish. I only have a female guppy and many mollys.

….why exactly do you feel the need to do this?  There’s easier ways to breed feeders, and hybrids should never be intentionally bred unless for that.

That could be a cool combo. I personally like hybrids because it creates new fish without the need to remove more species from the wild. I have a few different types of endlers breeding and I am getting some really cool pattern changes. Plus I imagine that like with many dogs cross breeding can help diversify the genetics  and in some cases make a heartier fish.

I have always been under the impression that bettas have to be totally alone. Also that you shouldnt even put their tank near another betta tank or they may fight the glass to their own death. Now, here, I read the term “sororities” for multiple bettas, and people have guppies and plecos with their bettas. I’m wondering, is it just females that can be together? Or what are the betta rules here? I never knew any different than solitary. (Also doing betta research for my first since I was a kid).

it depends on the betta’s personality. From what I understand it’s better to set up the tank with the other fish and add the betta later to be less territorial. Aggression test: put your finger up to the cup and see if they flare.

It really depends on the Betta. I have several of my Bettas in community tanks and all is well. I have a couple of Bettas who will not even tolerate a mystery snail.

I have a crown tail male beta in my 55gallon molly tank and he acts like he is a molly. Great personality will even let you pet him. I have a half moon male in my 75 gallon community tank and he pays no attention to anyone in there. Everyone once in a while the pleco scares him but no aggression anywhere.

All but one of my bettas are in with other animals. (The one is in a small tank that really is just big enough for him.) I’ve got a sorority with 7 girls in with corys and livebearers. I have a male in with rasboras and shrimp. I have another male in with frogs and otos. The girls nipped a bit when the sorority was first established, but they cuddle together at night. I wouldn’t ever put more than one male betta in a tank. I know some people have managed with huge tanks and tons of sight breaks, but that’s WAY more effort than keeping multiple tanks with something in between them.

Depending on temperament, male bettas can usually be with other non-labyrinth fish, as long as the other tankmates aren’t nippy towards the betta and there is enough space and hides that everyone is happy. Females can be in sororities; it is generally thought that they should be in odd numbers only. Of course with every fish it can vary, sometimes you’ll have ones that are out of the ordinary aggressive. Males shouldn’t be housed together because they will fight, and a male and female cannot be housed together for the same reason. They have to be conditioned for breeding and kept separate before and after breeding. So as a general rule, one male betta to a tank, with tankmates that aren’t related and won’t fin nip, and females can be together as long as they’re observed to be fine with each other.

We have a female in a 20g long with 3 Kuhli loaches, 5 harlequin rasboras, 2 honey gouramis, 2 Habrosus mini corys (1 just died, treating for cotton fungus), and 2 emerald corys. Everyone gets along. The male, whose tank abuts the 20, is in there alone. The male and female see each other, but that’s about it. They just spawned last Sunday, 2/10, and fry are doing fine in half-filled 10g. I agree that bettas like room to roam.

i have 6 females in a 20l blackwater that has heavy plants/hardscape (lots of hiding places) and a school of green neons to distract as well. one female (largest) was getting a little nippy, so i put her in a time-out breeder box for a couple days and let the other girls gain some confidence… now they get on just fine. but that sort of set up definitely is not something I’d recommend for beginners and requires keeping an eye on for sure. every day (and several times a day if possible) i watch the girls and make sure they’re all out and about, and nobody has new nicks on their fins. it takes a lot of commitment to maintain a sorority, and even then, maybe that large female will get aggressive again and I’ll have to move her. I’m prepared to do that. most males do well alone or in community tanks, but as many people have mentioned, it depends on the male. bettas are much like dogs. some don’t care about other dogs. some will play with other dogs or merely tolerate them. some will hide and stress around others, some will try to kill everything that moves. But in my experience, MOST bettas will be fine in a peaceful community tank of appropriate companions and parameters (78-82 degrees, peaceful fish like most small tetras etc).