Mollies

Care and feeding:
   These fish are considered omnivores as the Molly, Short-finned Molly, Sailfin Molly, or Mexican Sailfin Molly will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. But they have a very high herbivorous requirement, in that the majority of their diet needs to include lots of algae and other vegetation. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), tubifex, or blood worms as a treat. They will enjoy the proteins but they can not subsist on them, they must have a vegetation diet.

   Mollies are often found in saline waters and it is recommended that 1 to 1.25 teaspoons of non-iodized salt be added to the aquarium water. The common molly is a bit hardier and can be kept in a smaller aquarium, whereas the sailfin mollies are more delicate and need a larger aquarium with plenty of room. The sailfin mollies also do better when kept with other livebearers that can handle a saline environment. Mollies are prone to ich, fungus and other diseases if their environment is not comfortable for them.

   Provide plenty of plants and floating plant cover for munching on, and for hiding places for the fry.

Distribution:
   Mollies mostly inhabit coastal waters from southeastern North America south to Venezuala, but they have been found in the ocean as well as in brackish and fresh water.
   The Short-finned Mollies, P. sphenops are found from Mexico to the northern part of South America.
   The Sailfin Mollies, P. latipinna, are found along the southeast coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. These are the most common large fin molly as they are easily obtained, inexpensive, and prolific breeders.
   The Mexican Sailfin Mollies, P. velifera come the coastal area of Yucatan, Mexico. This Sailfin is more rare in the hobby because it is not as easily obtained as the P. Latipinna. It is also more difficult to breed and the tank bred often do not have the impressive dorsal and tail finnage. Better success is obtained in ponds.

Most mollies available today are selectively bred or are hybrids:
   Most often the large-fin types are cross breeds of the Short-finned Molly, P. sphenops and the Sailfin Molly, P. latipinna. These cross breeds include the lyretail, moonfish, and flag. It is from the "sailfin" species that albino coloring is obtained.
   The popular "Black Molly", a selectively bred Short-finned Molly, P. sphenops, appeared in 1909 in Europe but was first developed in the United States in the 1930's. These selectively bred fish are not as hardy as original fish, being more susceptible to disease and needing warmer water. Though it was first a small finned molly, it was later crossbred to produce a large finned molly in about 1976.
   The "Midnight Molly" is a selectively bred all black variety of the Sailfin Molly, P. latipinna.
   The Lyretail Molly has all normal fins except for the tail, which is long with the outside edges being longer still. The tail tends to loose its lyre shape as the fish get older. There is also a Veiltail Molly which has a long tail and dorsal fin. Sometimes the fins on this fish are so long that they have trouble swimming. Both the Lyretail Molly and the Veiltail Molly are more difficult to breed due to a very long gonopodium.

Size - Weight - Wild Coloration:
   Short-finned Molly, P. sphenops grows between 2.38 - 4 inches (6 - 10 cm) in the aquarium, and up to 8 inches (20 cm) in nature. Their prominent natural color being a blue body often with yellow or red fins.
   Sailfin Molly, P. latipinna grows between 4 - 6 inches (6 - 10 cm) in the aquarium, and up to 8 inches (20 cm) in nature. Their prominent natural color is a green body often with black dots and a large dorsal fin on the male.
   Mexican Sailfin Molly, P. velifera grows between 4 - 6 inches (6 - 10 cm) in the aquarium, and up to 8 inches (20 cm) in nature. Their prominent natural color is usually a green body often with dark dots and a large sail-like dorsal fin on the male, there is also often an albino strain.

Social Behaviors:
   They are a good community fish.

Sexual Differences:
   The male is slender and has a gonopodium, the female is larger with a fuller body.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Short-finned Molly, P. sphenops and Sailfin Molly, P. latipinna:
     Hardness: 20-30° dGH (absolute lowest is 11°)
     Ph: 6.5 to 8
     Temp: 75-82° F (24-28° C)
   Mexican Sailfin Molly, P. velifera:
     Hardness: 25-35° dGH (absolute lowest is 11°)
     Ph: 7.5 to 8.2
     Temp: 72-82° F (25-28° C)

Breeding/Reproduction:
   These fish will readily breed. See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish, Livebearers.

Availability:
   The selectively bred varieties and cross breeds of the Short-finned Molly, P. sphenops and the Sailfin Molly, P. latipinna are readily available.