mollies care and habitat, keeping and breeding mollies, Black Molly, Balloon Molly, Dalmation Molly, Silver Molly, Lyretail Molly… Silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), Convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata), Green terror cichlid (Aequidens rivulatus), Short-finned molly or common molly (Poecilia sphenops). The females are larger than males. Therefore the perfect tank size for keeping them will be 26 US gallons (100 liters). It is very active and needs space to swim. Black mollies are very useful in planted tanks because without damaging the plants. That’s why it’s recommended to renew the water in the tank with juveniles more often than usual. They inhabit fresh water streams and coastal brackish and marine waters of Mexico. Reference samples of black molly fish don’t have any glitter or spots on their body – they are coal-black. The higher is the temperature, the faster is the metabolism and the lifespan decreases. The main thing is to remember that the vegetable component is very important in the fish diet. It’s better to keep back molly fish in a group where females prevail. The coloring may vary. It is supposed that the variation was obtained based on the spotted Poecilia latipinna species. Female mollies give birth to babies or young ones that are called so “molly fry”. The male fish grows up to 3 inches long (6–7.5 cm), and the female is about 4 inches large (10 cm) at the age of about 6 months. In nature mollies are nearly exclusively plant and algae eaters, so they must be fed lots of spirulina, even boiled spinach finely chopped, to remain healthy. If your tank lacks algae, you must provide “spirulina” flakes, special commercial Mollie food, or small amounts of chopped boiled spinach. Dark spots of different color intensity are scattered over the fish body. That’s why currently, the breed name has become a collective one and is equally used for all mollies with a similar tail fin structure. It does well in water between 68 and 82-degrees Fahrenheit and prefers a tank that is larger than 30 gallons. But these are active fishes. Mollies are a tropical fish, they cannot be placed with cold water species and should never be put with a fish that is smaller than them, like neon tetras … Partially, this is due to its aggressive temper — the fish attacks both its relatives and other tank dwellers. However, mollies are perhaps the most difficult of all of the common live-bearers to keep as they are the most delicate of the live-bearers. In large tanks, the fish will be too stressed. These fishes with a lyre-shaped tail are also in great request. Thomas is a freelance writer specializing in fish and aquariums, with over 50 years of experience in keeping fish. It can be quite seldom seen in tanks, even though it has an appealing coloring. When mating, the male fish uses its gonopodium, which has a tube to transfer ejaculate to the male fish, and hooks closer to the female when fertilizing her, which increases chances of successful fertilization. The molly fish also starts hiding and becoming lazy during pregnancy. Mollies feel quite good in tanks with live plants. U.S. It’s better if the tank is a thick planted one because molly fish like scrapping algae from tank plants. They are fed with milled high-quality artificial food or special food for fry. Selectionists constantly strive to create more and more new color variations of tank fish. The LIve-bearing Halfbeaks (Hemiramphidae) originate from Asia. From care, feeding Mollies, breeding, Molly tank mates and much more. Labyrinth Organ. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2020. How long does molly fish live? They like swimming a lot, and for this reason, it is recommended to get a tank of classical rectangular shape with a lid: molly often jumps out from the water. The body size varies from 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm). Learn how to care for them, breed them & take care of baby Molly fish with videos, pictures & simplified information. Our free guide can help keep your tank clean and your fish healthy. Mollies, like guppies, are capable of acclimating to full strength sea water temporarily, but it is not their natural environment by any means. It is not encountered in the wild, and it was bred artificially. Molly fish, or just mollies, are freshwater fish from the genus Poecilia, in the Poeciliidae family.These little fish are available in many different colors and patterns and will surely add a fun note of color to your aquarium. At one year of age, males typically range in size from 0.5 to 3 in (13 to 76 mm) SL, while mature females are likely to be 0.5 to 2.5 in (13 to 64 mm) inch SL. Black mollies love plants and have large appetites. A distinctive feature of this kind is a well-developed dorsal of the male species. However, the following parameters are recommended: water temperature 77-80,6 ºF (25-27 °C), ph: 7.0-8.0, water hardness 10 – 20 dGH. The tank water’s parameters may be quite various since molly fish adapts to any new conditions perfectly. The nest is built and maintained by the male. For yucatan molly, it’s better to select a twice larger tank since they are significantly larger than their relatives. To grow fast, the juveniles need to have a diversified diet. The abdomen and dorsal fins are very bright (red, black, or white). It’s quite enough to keep males and females together in a common tank. Once the fish keeper notices such changes in the behavior of the female molly, it is advisable to put them in a separate tank provided with the same conditions as that of their former tank. Due to selective breeding programs, many new variations were obtained, with different coloring and body shapes. However, recent studies show that there is a symbiotic relationship between the mother and the developing fry with an exchange of fluids, the total extent if which is still under investigation. Mollies get on well with other live-bearing fishes such as (guppy, Endler’s guppy, platy, swordtail), characins (black neon tetra, cardinal tetra, ember tetra, flame tetra, neon tetra), rasboras (harlequin rasbora), danios (zebrafish), corydoras (Corydoras julii, panda cory, pygmy cory, Adolfo’s catfish), plecos (bristlenose pleco). Mollies, like guppies, are capable of acclimating to full strength sea water temporarily, but it is not their natural environment by any means. Tank Mates Some fishes, such as tiger barbs, may nip molly’s fins. Nowadays, natural fish coloring isn’t almost encountered in aquariums since the wild species has less bright coloring, unlike its black variation. However, the latter is more preferable because tankmates in the community tank may eat the juveniles. Feeding them with quality artificial food is the best option since this food is well-balanced, has all necessary vitamins, and digest well. No other freshwater fish approaches the velvety black color of the black mollie. They are a good choice for beginner aquarists. That’s why it’s desirable to renew water systematically. At one year of age males typically range in size from 15-51 mm SL while mature females are likely to be approximately 19-53 mm SL. Get it free when you sign up for the Spruce Pets! Its diet is that of an omnivorous fish, feeding on flake, frozen and freeze-dried foods. Tank conditions and care are the same as for any other molly. As for the pregnancy signs – they are the enlarged abdomen, and the female fish starts to look for shelter in some dark corners of the tank. These babies are just like the adult molly but small in size, Tiny version of adult fish. In my opinion minimum tank size for the successful keeping of a small group of molly fish is 13 US gallons (50 liters). Its lifespan is approximately 4-5 years. They are all widespread and renowned tank dwellers, though quite often, they look very different. But at the same time, if the tank is small, the males may haunt each other. When chilled or otherwise exposed to environmental stress of any kind, they tend to develop an ailment known commonly as “shimmies.” In reality, this is not an infectious disease but merely a compounding of symptoms of stress. Males coloring has a green-blue tint with sparkling white spots on their sides that create rows. The Balloon Molly has an arched back and a rounded, large belly. You also have to create open and well-lighted areas in the tank. It depends on the living environment and tank water temperature. They’ve got used to different life conditions. Poecilia sphenops is a species of fish, of the genus Poecilia, known under the common name molly; to distinguish it from its congeners, it is sometimes called short-finned molly or common molly. They don’t stand rapid temperature changes. He’s been fond of aquarium husbandry since his early childhood. Snags, stones, lots of plants should be present in the tank and provide the fish with some shelter if needed. It gets on well with various tank mates. I have found it only when preparing this article. Firstly, make sure that mollies are mature enough in order to identify their gender because mollies usually don’t display gender at an early age. Black molly fish juveniles are born rather large. Live Fish Foods: Food for Fish Fry. Since 1920 active work on selective breeding has started, and various hybrids appeared one after another. The female molly fish has a bigger size than the male. This is black and white molly fish, which is an artificially bred color variation, and it’s not encountered in the wild. However, usually, males in size are up to 3 in (7.5 cm), while mature females are up to 2.5 in (6.5 cm). Labyrinth fish are semi-aggressive fish; they don’t seek fight but don’t back down from one. You can often see how it scrapes algae and fouling from tank glass and decorations. Such food is easier to serve and store. Such a large habitat, including areas with quite different natural conditions, suggests the presence of many local forms of the kind which natural coloring essentially varies depending on the habitat. All molly fishes are quite thermophilic, and they prefer a water temperature of about 23-27 °C. But raised in a back yard pond, astounding, jeweled sail fins will appear at about 4 months. You should be careful only with a balloon molly fish since, due to its curved shape, its lifespan is shorter than that of other molly species. The fins are small. Its body is silvery-yellow. There are many varieties of Molly fish, some from nature and others from numerous crosses between different species. These fish are native to the Americas, but their habitat can vary significantly. A huge number of color variations were bred, and none of them can be considered as the basic one. The tail fin is round and well-developed. Labyrinth organ. Poecilia sphenops have elongated, solid, and flattened from sides body with a round well-developed tail fin. This is the fish that black molly, the most popular tank fish, derived from. Its North border includes the South of Texas, while the southern border stretches along the Caribbean side of Columbia and Venezuela. Also, be attentive when choosing its tank mates. This color variation was obtained in the USA at the end of the 20s in the XX century. They are very peaceful fish that do well in community tanks. The dorsal is high and rectangular in shape, and it has 12-14 rays. 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