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Sorry you didn't say that my mistake it was someone else. You do have a very valid point & it was an interesting read hope I didn't upset you with my rebuttal :) being a Balloon Mollie owner I got a bit defensive plus I lost a rainbow shark I just got when I wrote that & was a bit upset.
 
It's all good!Sorry about your shark.It truely is a hobby to be enjoyed ,just seems sometimes when you learn some of deep dark secrets that happen in the cormers of fish farms it's hard to look past them or endorse them in any way.
I do believe that most of all ;all keepers should enjoy their fish(regardless) it's only when unexperienced people find out too late the truth or how the LFS lied to them that the facts need to be stated.We don't all need to agree,we should all enjoy though!
 
I understand fully what your sayin , but it doesn't change the fact that I care for mine and if I can get another balloon Molly as a donation fish and give it a good home for a bit.
I agree with you I feel the same way about genetically altering fish DNA and RNA to make them glow under Uv , but I'd bring one home tomorrow if someone was re homing it , that's how I get most of my fw fish .
And that said I still enjoy seeing him , I would not keep it with other Molly's to possibly breed but ill keep feeding hem and that won't change regardless of his physical ailments .
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Well, I've had my balloon molly for almost a year and a half now (when I started this thread) and she is indeed the boss! Also the picture of health. She's not mean to anyone, but will chase another fish for a short distance when its feeding time. She has a lot of confidence--no one bosses her around. She definitely gets the morsel of food in question too! She is just full of personality and reminds me in a way of my female bettas. Very calm, sweet, gentle and tame. I can pet her as well as my female bettas. I got another balloon that is white, about 6 months ago, and she's doing fine too. I did have one die, only days after getting her, but left me with 6 babies who all survived (I believe they are mixed with platy though, as some are not balloon shaped). They were born on Oct. 1st of last year, so they're 8.5 months old now! None of them are extreme in type. So yes, some balloons can live long, healthy lives.
 
I agree 100% I just purchased one from pet-co and really was not aware of the issues until I did a little research. I would have never bought mine at all and the people who say its only a hobby are idiots, They are living creatures. I have noticed mine starting to become severely sick and swimming around very ereitic, all I can do is watch and try to keep her comfortable, not sure you can? DO NOT BUY THESE POOR FISH !!!!!!!
 
Well, I went ahead and got one. A calico female who I must say has greatly surprised me! So much for being slow and clumsy like I thought a balloon would be! She's very confident, and she swims every bit as fast as my other molly, and doesn't seem the least bit in pain or uncomfortable. She is always ready to eat, and is very friendly, outgoing and personable. So far, no aggression problems with ANY of my livestock, either with my other fish or her, and I have female bettas, platies, mollies and bottom dwellers together. Nice to know they get along with guppies too! I only had to take back one betta because she was a bully, (before I got the balloon molly) but have had no problems since.

I am totally in love with this balloon molly, and wonder if they are all as sweet as she is. She's noticeably fatter than when I got her (2 weeks ago) so I think she's pregnant. Very excited to see what I get, as the males she was in with were dark calicos (she's a light one) and I'd like a dark one, so that's what I would keep if I get a female dark calico. At first, I thought they were ugly, but the more I saw them and read about them, the more they grew on me. And mine doesn't have the overly curved spine like some others I saw do. Maybe that helps? I'm a huge fan of black moors, I had them as a kid, so this is great--kind of like having one again!
 
Well, I went ahead and got one. A calico female who I must say has greatly surprised me! So much for being slow and clumsy like I thought a balloon would be! She's very confident, and she swims every bit as fast as my other molly, and doesn't seem the least bit in pain or uncomfortable. She is always ready to eat, and is very friendly, outgoing and personable. So far, no aggression problems with ANY of my livestock, either with my other fish or her, and I have female bettas, platies, mollies and bottom dwellers together. Nice to know they get along with guppies too! I only had to take back one betta because she was a bully, (before I got the balloon molly) but have had no problems since.

I am totally in love with this balloon molly, and wonder if they are all as sweet as she is. She's noticeably fatter than when I got her (2 weeks ago) so I think she's pregnant. Very excited to see what I get, as the males she was in with were dark calicos (she's a light one) and I'd like a dark one, so that's what I would keep if I get a female dark calico. At first, I thought they were ugly, but the more I saw them and read about them, the more they grew on me. And mine doesn't have the overly curved spine like some others I saw do. Maybe that helps? I'm a huge fan of black moors, I had them as a kid, so this is great--kind of like having one again!
They don’t like to be alone though....best in groups of four!!!
 
I haven't seen a whole lot of discussion or info on Balloon Mollies online. When I first saw them, I thought they were very weird looking. But as time goes on, and I've seen them in person, I'm starting to really like them. Super cute! But I've also read they are prone to a lot more problems than regular mollies because of their shape. Do you think they are worth the added risk of illnesses, or should I stay away from them?

Also, I'd be afraid the other fish in a community tank would nip, chase or otherwise be mean to them, as I imagine they can't swim as fast as most others? There is a very cute calico pattern type one at Petco that I saw yesterday, and since I have room in my 20 gallon for one more fish, I was considering going back for it. But I don't want to leap into this if its only going to lead to heartbreak for me and/or abuse for the molly from the other fish.
I have a colony of 10 that within 2 months produced 150. I lost only one along the way.
Very cute and healthy fish. Not at all uncomfortable in their skin, so to speak. I have been a professional hobbiest for 50 years. I have bred several types of fish. I totally fell in love with these fish for several reasons. One, they breed like crazy, two, they are the cutest fish I have ever seen. Three, they throw all kinds of patterns, no two fish look alike.
 
I have a pair of balloon mollies that I adopted. The previous owner claimed to have had them for over a year. If he was being truthful, this pair is approaching 2 years old. At one time I thought the female was pregnant, but now I’m not so sure. I was told they had never produced fry but who knows.

Right or wrong, they are living in my SW tank and do not exhibit behavior that would suggest they are living in misery. They are as healthy and lively as any molly I’ve owned. They swim vigorously, eat well, and bravely guard their territory. And better yet… the male doesn’t harass the female, she's boss. That’s not to say that some balloon mollies don’t suffer…they may. Mine do not have the extremely prominent spinal curvature of others.

If you are truly drawn to balloon mollies and are concerned that they're being exploited, you might consider doing something that makes a difference...such as advocating for better breeding practices by selecting specimens that exhibit healthier anatomy? And educating others on how to do the same? Who better than you? Boycotting them will accomplish very little...balloon mollies are here to stay.
I agree that they are here to stay if I have anything to do with it. I started with 6. Amonth later I had 100. Then 2 months later I had 200. I have distributed them to other club members of the San Francisco Aquarium Society. They breed like crazy and are just the most gorgeous fish and also you won't find a more cute fish than a Butterfly, Baloon, Lyretail, Calico Molly. 4 amazing traits.
Mark ( Board of Directors) of
the oldest Aquarium Club in America, SFAS.
I totally approve of this species.
 
In a perfect world, no one would buy balloon mollies. No one would intentionally breed them. They have a probably painful deformity of the spine, which has now been fixed as a genetic trait by unscrupulous breeders. The same mutation is behind all of the balloon deformity fish out there. When I see them, I feel sorry for them, and I don't think much of the people who originally chose to breed this handicap into them for money. If we stop buying them, farms will stop trying to make more and more spinal deformity mollies and rams, and the market will dry up. Right now, these fish are big money makers.
Goldfish will always have it worse. Balloon mollies can live long happy lives if given the proper care, regardless of their crooked spines. In fact, you could argue that most have the worst defects bred out, aside from the deformity, so it's not as bad as it was before. It's probably like a cleft chin for all we know.
 
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