Mollies are loved for their calm nature and simple living conditions. These fish have been known since the beginning of the 20th century and have not lost popularity to this day. They are non-aggressive, hardy, and small in size. With such fish you can learn aquarium business and instill in children a love of fish farming. Meanwhile, mollies can also please experienced aquarists. She is viviparous, so it is not difficult to get offspring from her, and several generations in one aquarium are, of course, the pride of the owner.
General information
Mollies are small viviparous fish belonging to the category of poeciliids. Any aquarist can handle simple care and maintenance. It is quite easy to obtain offspring of mollies, since it is characterized by ovoviviparity, when the process of fertilization and further development of eggs is carried out in the womb, and a fully formed fry, capable of independent feeding, is born.
Peace-loving individuals will be a wonderful decoration for any tank.
Appearance
Mollies are an aquarium fish that amazes with its beauty. Its natural color is yellow-gray or silver, with gray-blue or yellow-green spots scattered over the entire surface of its small body.
Mollies - aquarium fish
The body is elongated in length and slightly compressed from the sides, the head is medium-sized, and the eyes are large. The fin plumage is short, the caudal fin is rounded. The body length reaches up to 10 cm.
Interesting fact! The main difference between these fish and other aquarium representatives is that they are viviparous, so reproduction of mollies can occur without a fish tank.
History of appearance
For the first time, a description of the molly chenops appeared. The description was published in 1846 in the scientific work “Natural History of Fishes” by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes.
50 years later, ichthyologist-taxonomist Charles Tate Regan, based on the results of studying specimens at the British Museum of Natural History, described free mollies and velifera mollies.
In 1913, the molly fish appeared in Europe. Since 1920, active breeding work began, all kinds of hybrids appeared one after another. Successful crossing of three species of this mollies: sphenops, latipina, natural velifera - provided an opportunity to develop new species.
Achille Valenciennes
Charles Tate Regan
Fish are becoming in demand among aquarists. In 1925, a black-speckled form was developed through careful selection. The creator of this species was the American breeder Jack Bitter. Further breeding experiments were continued by Bill Sternke, who took 11 years to develop a unique black velvet form of peace-loving mollies.
This is how fish with the name Black Molly appeared; the breed has retained its popularity to this day. This is the most recognizable form of mollies; many aquarists, when mentioning its name, remember this particular species.
The fish was brought to the territory of our country 10 years later, the peak of its particular popularity was in the 60s. Later, an albino form of mollies was bred, called golden. Then mollies appeared with a shortened body shape and a convex belly - a balloon.
Habitat
This unpretentious fish is native to the southeastern United States, Central America, northern and eastern South America. It is possible to meet these calm representatives of the water element in fresh water bodies and the mouths of stormy rivers leading to the ocean. In these places, there is a local mixing of fresh water and salt water from the ocean. Some species of mollies are fully adapted to living in salt water.
Homeland of mollies
Mollies sphenops are ubiquitous in fresh water bodies of hot Mexico. Velifera lives in the spacious reservoirs of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Unpretentiousness, omnivory and viviparity made it possible for mollies to populate vast areas of the tropics of Central and South America. The fish can be found almost all over the world in amateur aquariums.
Interesting fact! The aquarium form of mollies is bred on a farm; the countries of Southeast Asia are engaged in its breeding, from here they are already going on sale.
Lifespan
This indicator depends on the specific type of individual. The average lifespan is from 4 to 8 years. Females live longer than males. Balloon mollies can live no more than 3 years.
Feeding
Mollies are unpretentious in nutrition; they happily eat dried, frozen or live food. The aquarist makes sure that the molly’s daily diet contains enough products of animal and plant origin. When there is a deficiency of fiber, mollies actively eat the succulent foliage of aquatic plants and weedy filamentous algae. To ensure that an individual has enough fiber, aquarists often feed it with a nutrient mixture based on chopped lettuce or spinach.
Advice! To ensure your fish eats a balanced diet, give preference to high-quality food from the well-known Tetra brand. These dry formulations contain all the necessary nutritional components and life-giving vitamins.
Tetra food for mollies
A mono-diet is harmful to mollies; the daily diet must be changed periodically to avoid addiction. Feed twice a day. It is important that the amount of feed is consumed within a few minutes to avoid damage to the aquatic environment. Unassuming mollies are prone to overeating; obesity in these fish is unacceptable; excess food can have a negative impact on the gastrointestinal tract and reproductive abilities.
In the absence of plant nutrition, the individual happily eats algal fouling on the walls of the tank. To make up for this deficiency, aquarists are starting to give cucumbers and zucchini treated with boiling water. It should be noted that these products quickly reduce the quality of the aquatic environment.
Range and habitat
They inhabit the southeastern United States, Central America, northern and eastern South America. They live in calm bodies of fresh water, as well as in brackish water of river mouths and lagoons.
Moreover, the natural habitats and areas of different types of mollies, including both fresh and brackish, and even sea waters, differ from each other. Molliesia sphenops lives in reservoirs from Mexico to Colombia, Molliesia latipinna is found in brackish reservoirs of Virginia, the Carolinas, Texas and Florida, and Molliesia velifera inhabits only reservoirs of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
They are one of the most unpretentious fish. Therefore, in nature they live in both fresh and slightly salty bays. They can be found less often on the sea coast.
Types of mollies
There are several popular types of peace-loving mollies: black molly, Velifera mollies, natural sailing mollies. The silver molly is a selectively bred form. It is advisable to keep these species in groups or pairs. Non-hybrid forms live a little longer than hybrid forms; the average lifespan of fish in aquarium conditions is 2-3 years.
Yellow
The yellow molly is a hybrid form of fish whose predominant body color is bright orange or yellow. The fish has an elongated body shape, with a small head and upper mouth, and large, bulging eyes.
Peten mollies
In its natural environment it lives in hospitable Guatemala, on the picturesque Lake Peten. This species of mollies is quite large, the body of the male reaches 12 cm, the size of the female is 8 cm. There are pearlescent dots on the body and fins of the fish, the dorsal fin is distinguished by a red edging. Among aquarists, its velvety black appearance, bred as a result of artificial selection, is most in demand.
Yellow mollies
Peten mollies
Black velvet
The black velvet molly is an elegant breeding form with a dense, elongated body. She has a rounded tail and small fins.
Interesting fact! In aquarium conditions, the size of the individual is 8-10 cm, with females being larger than males. A distinctive feature of the species, for which many aquarists around the world love it, is its jet-black color.
Sailing
This is a silver-green specimen measuring 8-12 cm, with transparent fins with a slight shimmer of mother-of-pearl. The size of the dorsal fin is equal to the length of the body.
Marble or chintz
A characteristic feature of the color is the countless, sometimes iridescent specks on a light or yellow base tone. Black pigment is the main one.
High fin green and orange
These are quite large specimens with highly formed fins. They prefer reservoirs with high vegetation, absorbing it in the form of nutritional supplements. They have a small tail unit.
Black velvet mollies
Sail mollies
Calico mollies
Green mollies
Silver mollies
This popular molly color form, the unassuming and easy-going fish has a beautiful silver coloration with high dorsal fins. They are completely indiscriminate in nutritious food and have a tendency to constantly overeat.
Sphenops
This is one of the natural species of molly, first discovered 80 years ago. They stand out from other species due to their noble charcoal-velvet color of the body and fins. The breeders managed to achieve such phenomenal coloring; the natural species has yellow-gray spots scattered throughout the body. The body of Sphenops is slightly elongated and compressed at the sides. Females - up to 8 cm, males develop up to 6 cm.
This subspecies has small, compact fins, the widest on the body being the caudal one.
On a note! Males are smaller in size than females and have a less pronounced abdomen.
Females living in their natural habitat are capable of developing up to 10-12 cm; in artificial conditions, the size of the body does not exceed 10 cm. Males develop up to 8 cm, in an aquarium environment - up to 6 cm.
The natural tone of sphenops is not so attractive. The upper half of the body is gray-greenish in tone, the scales on the lower part of the body vary from gray to silver. A scattering of eye-catching black blots is scattered throughout the body.
Silver mollies
Sphenops
Black lyrebirds
These calm individuals belong to the original variety of Sphenops, and received their unusual name due to the characteristic configuration of the tail. The individual has the ability to change sex. Degeneration occurs regardless of the age of the specimen.
The main color of the hybrid form of sphenops is lemon molly, which has many tonal variations: from bright lemon to yellow-black. The fry of this subspecies are born blue-black in color, which, as they gradually mature, transforms into a blue-black tone. The length of the specimen does not exceed 5 cm.
Black lyretail mollies
Mollies cylinders
These are popular varieties of calm latipinas, with a body of a shortened disc-shaped configuration with a visually swollen belly. This form is due to the curvature of the vertebral ridge, which is why their care and further maintenance are associated with certain difficulties.
There are various color options with numerous fin configurations, and a veil-shaped fish has also been developed.
Attention! Individuals are prone to excessive overeating and subsequent obesity, and are indiscriminate in their food, so food must be given in doses. Due to its protruding belly, the fish has an external resemblance to a balloon filled with air.
This specimen attracts amateur aquarists not only with its non-standard configuration, but also with its catchy tones - orange, white, and red.
The size of individual individuals can reach 10-12 cm. A peaceful individual can grow much longer in a spacious tank. During propagation in artificial conditions, these specimens have a low survival rate, and the surviving young have a normal body shape, without visible curvature of the vertebral ridge.
Mollies cylinders
Mollies Velifera
This wide-finned form is found in various color tones, its size is quite large - up to 15 cm, and requires artificial reservoirs for comfortable keeping. Wide fins set high. These are aquarium long-livers; in artificial conditions they live up to 6 years.
Thanks to its wide fin plumage, the fish is called a sailfish. The fins are quite colorful in color and have a rounded shape. Along the upper edge there is a border of orange, red and bluish tones. Blue shining dots are scattered across the entire surface of the fin zone. The bluish tone of the color closer to the edge turns into a red-black tone. Female representatives are distinguished by the absence of a sail fin.
Mollies Velifera
A beautiful velifera is capable of maintaining its beautiful sailboat with proper care. In the absence of comfortable conditions, the individual loses its main feature - its voluminous fin.
Important! For comfortable maintenance of such large specimens, a large tank with a capacity of 100 liters is suitable. It is advisable to choose calm and peaceful neighbors for her. Aggressive representatives of the water element can completely deprive it of its fin.
Snowflakes molly
This type of velifera, with snow-white scales, has become widespread. Rays of light hitting the body of these fish create bizarre reflections, which is why they are sometimes called marble fish. Their plumage has a slightly blue tint. The average size of an individual is 10-14 cm. They have a tendency to severely overeat.
Freestyle
This is a natural species of molly found in the reservoirs of sunny Guatemala. They look great thanks to their colorful fins. The free mollies are considered to be quite a rare phenomenon in the aquarium science. Individuals can get along with almost any species, but it is more comfortable to keep them separately so that their luxurious plumage is not plucked by their neighbors.
Snowflake molly Velifera mollies
The tail and fin plumage of free-ranging fish is more striking. They can be orange in tone or red with black splashes.
On a note! Recently, this species has again become of interest to aquarists due to its unpretentiousness. A free individual feels comfortable in fresh water.
Latipina
The compact form of molly, which is similar in appearance to velifers. The plumage of males is pronounced and has an angular configuration. More than a dozen striking rays form a voluminous rectangular fin. The well-developed caudal fin is distinguished by its rounded shape.
The entire body is evenly covered with bluish-gray scales. The sides of male representatives are covered with greenish-brown scales. White dots running past the sides form symmetrical rows. The neck and breast have a yellowish-golden tone. The dorsal fin is framed by a reddish border. Multi-colored specks are scattered across the entire surface of the beautiful fin. The tone of the scales of a male individual is practically no different from that of a female; the scales of a female are paler.
Latipina
Dwarf
The most compact individuals. The maximum size of male specimens reaches 3 cm, females - 4 cm. It is advisable to place them in aquarium conditions in schools, with a predominance of female fish. Peaceful inhabitants of the water element prefer abundant gardens of unassuming aquatic plants, piles of woody snags, and voluminous grottoes for a cozy shelter. They require sufficient levels of life-giving oxygen in the aquatic environment, so powerful aeration is created for them.
Interesting fact! Unlike its relatives, the dwarf breed feels at ease in an aquatic environment, the temperature of which ranges from 17 to 31 degrees. They are susceptible to a lack of oxygen, so the water column is subject to constant aeration.
Dwarf mollies
Red leopards
A poorly spread breed. It stands out for its original color - a bright orange body with a lyre-shaped black and speckled tail.
Gold
This is one of the popular variations of sphenops, which has a characteristic golden-yellow or black-lemon color with a slight iridescence.
Small-finned
The small-finned form of the fish stands out for its small size with an almost small head; its traditional color is brown or bluish-gray. Has a silver belly. It owes its name to its small, almost transparent fins.
Dalmatians
This speckled form of the popular molly has bright white scales and blue-black blotches scattered throughout the body. The size of the body ranges from 6 to 14 cm.
Red leopards
Golden mollies
Small-finned mollies
Dalmatians mollies
Coffee
These velifers stand out from the rest due to the unique tone of their scales, which have an external resemblance to coffee beans. There are also dark brown blotches on the plumage.
Two-color
The intense lemon hue of the front part of the species' body smoothly transitions into the blue-black tail region. Also in aquarium conditions there are individuals with characteristic black scales, lightly sprinkled with gold dust; they look attractive.
Orange
Catchy mollies with a predominant orange color, aquarists manage to achieve a similar effect by adding food containing life-giving carotene to the diet of individuals.
Albino molly
This is an albino form of fish produced by Thai ichthyologists. They stand out for their large fins, which are larger in size than sailing varieties. The tail is traditional or lyre-shaped. In adult representatives, yellowish spots may form on the body.
Coffee mollies
Orange mollies
Bicolor mollies
Albino molly
Description
Valued for its unusual color, ability to reproduce in a community aquarium, and livability.
Appearance
The body is elliptical, elongated. Laterally compressed. The mouth is large, oriented upward. The color of the body and fins is velvety black. Aquarists consider the presence of light spots to be a defect.
The latest achievement of breeders is the tail fin of the black molly in the shape of a rotated letter “Ω”. The ends are pointed. There are varieties with the dorsal fin extended towards the tail.
Males grow up to 50–60 mm, females – up to 60–80 mm.
Lifestyle
They are mobile in all areas of the aquarium and playful. Males are especially active. In an overcrowded tank and when there is a shortage of females, they are aggressive towards their relatives and defend the territory. Keep at a rate of 2 females to 1 male.
The situation is similar with a lack of food. Only females show aggression.
In nature, they are schooling fish. In captivity, gregariousness is less pronounced.
Lifespan
The black molly fish lives 3–3.5 years.
Reproduction of mollies
The main characteristics by which you can distinguish a male from a female molly:
- degree of body color: in males it is brighter;
- behavioral features: the activity of the male individual is much higher;
- size: females are larger, and males are slimmer;
- body shape: elongated in males, rounded in females;
- size and shape of fins: in males they are longer and much more attractive;
- configuration of the anal fin: in the male representative it is in the form of a tube, in the female it is in a rounded configuration.
Note! For successful reproduction, it is necessary to provide viviparous mollies with maintenance, otherwise fertilization will not be successful.
The process can quite successfully take place in a community aquarium. Experienced aquarists recommend placing a couple in a spawning tank to avoid stress factors. Before molly breeding begins, a spawning tank is prepared with the following parameters:
- Capacity is up to 60 l.
- Presence of light vegetation.
- Possibility of providing 12-hour daylight hours.
- Aqueous acidity level is 7 pH.
- The degree of hardness is 20-25 dH.
- Comfortable temperature range: 25-28C.
The best individuals of the species are placed in the prepared spawning tank: one strong male and three females. For this purpose, the healthiest individuals are selected, without visual signs of disease. During the preparatory period for spawning, selected specimens are fed exclusively with plant foods. The process of development of small eggs in the mother's womb continues for 40 days, depending on the temperature regime of the aquatic environment.
Interesting fact! Males reach sexual maturity at 12 months, females mature at 6 months.
For spawning, 3 females are selected to create competition. Mollies reproduce successfully in both fresh and salt water. It is quite easy to determine the readiness of individuals for spawning: visual swelling of the abdomen, an enlarged dark spot near the fin, a swollen anus, and frequent stay of females in the shelter.
If the optimal parameters of the aquarium maintenance of mollies are observed, the next spawning occurs after a month of stay in the spawning tank. When the first fry appear, the male is removed from the spawning area.
Reproduction of mollies
The fish gives birth gradually. The formation of offspring from eggs to full-fledged fry lasts for 50 days after the first birth.
Females have an increased fertility rate. During one spawning it can bring up to 350 fry. During spawning, monitor the temperature level; if it rises to 28 degrees, there is a risk of producing premature offspring.
It is common for these representatives of the aquarium environment to change sex when their living conditions change. Females can transform into males if necessary to restore the population.
Content Features
Mollies are unpretentious fish; even a beginner can keep them. Watching the colorful and nimble company of these creatures will bring pleasure to anyone.
What should an aquarium be like?
Mollies are schooling fish; it is better to buy a small company where females will be in the majority. These fish love to swim freely. A spacious rectangular aquarium would be ideal. For swimming, they choose the middle and upper layers of water, so a round aquarium is also suitable for them. To maintain the purity of the aquatic environment and saturate it with fresh air, a filter and compressor are installed in the mollies’ home.
Water requirements
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Mollies feel comfortable in hard water. It is recommended to add some sodium chloride (rock salt, which is found in every kitchen) to the water, since the ancestors of modern pecelia had to live in salt water. The water temperature in the mollies' home should be at least 24-26 degrees. A sharp change in temperature is detrimental to these small fish, as the risk of fungal diseases increases. A weekly change of 1/5 or 1/3 of the water volume is necessary.
Soil and decor
A flock of mollies usually has a bright color - such a company will look good against the background of dark soil made of sand or fine gravel. A variety of algae are planted in the ground, the bottom is decorated with stone grottoes and driftwood - fish like to hide in thickets and piles of stones.
Fish diseases
The ailments of the individual, like other viviparous representatives of the water element, are associated with an imbalance in maintenance and feeding. The causes of the disease may include the following:
- deviations of temperature and acidity regimes of water from the normal level;
- periodic overfeeding of individuals;
- colds and infections;
- improper change of water environment;
- improper transportation of peace-loving fish.
The following pathological conditions indicate the disease:
- the appearance of local areas on the body covered with small bubbles and mossy formations;
- the formation of dark marks, light spots, tumor formations on the fins;
- general lethargy, irrational trajectory of movement, sinking to the bottom, refusal to eat;
- visual bulging of the eyes.
Diseases of Mollies
Mollies are most often susceptible to the following types of diseases:
- Change of color - melanosis, excess pigmentation turns into a tumor.
- Ichthyophthiriasis, or the so-called fish louse, is a parasitic attack on delicate scales.
- Invasive diseases.
- Ingestion of a foreign body. In this case, the molly begins to move extremely irrationally, often falling to the bottom head down.
- Exophthalmos is fish-like protruding eyes, often leading to loss of vision and death.
- Gas embolism. It is formed as a result of excess oxygen content in the aquatic environment. This phenomenon occurs when the tank is filled with unsettled tap water. The disease is characterized by restlessness and darkening of the gills. Care and therapy here takes place in the form of an urgent change of the aquatic environment.
- Melanosis. The body is covered with blots of non-standard color, which later transform into tumors. This pathology cannot be cured. Preventive measures consist of creating comfortable living conditions; this pathology can be solved in this way. Only tracking key indicators will help you avoid these destructive conditions.
- Cold. If lethargy and apathy appear in the behavior of individuals, they begin to swim near the surface, they experience loss of appetite, then all this indicates a possible cold. The disease attacks when the temperature drops. Care and therapy in this case consists of creating a comfortable temperature regime.
- Hexamitosis in mollies.
Why do mollies die?
Harmful ammonia, nitrates and nitrites begin to rapidly accumulate in the aquarium environment. All these harmful components have a detrimental effect on the protective properties of the fish’s body. It is extremely difficult to cure her of this condition. If timely measures are not taken, this entails the death of the individual.
If intoxication with harmful substances does occur, the following actions will help:
- Regularly change the cloudy liquid to purified water.
- Carrying out a test for the oxygen content in an aquatic environment, using it you can also find out the content of NH4, NO3, NO2. These actions will help bring the indicators back to normal.
- White spots on the body of an individual will disappear when the temperature in the aquarium increases, adding salt and effective antibiotics, increasing the temperature regime.
- If a specimen has bulging eyes, this can cause an infection. In this case, therapy may be required.
Treatment
The nearest pet store has effective remedies for various ailments. The main task of the aquarist is to accurately determine the symptoms. Many ailments arise due to an imbalance in living conditions:
- water filtration;
- necessary aeration;
- insufficient aquarium volumes.
When an illness is detected, the following remedies are often used:
- Effective Tetra Contralck against destructive ciliates, flagellated bacteria (ichthyophthiriasis, semolina, the appearance of white spots).
- Sera bakto Tabs help cope with internal bacterial infections.
Before using a particular medicine, study the description of its properties in detailed instructions.
Prevention
To avoid the development of an unwanted disease, preventive measures are mandatory:
- Regularly change dirty and stale aquarium fluid.
- Cleaning the tank.
- Temperature control.
All these measures will help not only revitalize the aquarium space, but also produce healthy offspring.
Compatibility with other fish
As for the compatibility of mollies, they are quite peaceful and do not fight with other species. Individuals get along well with other friendly fish.
On a note! Friendly guppies, platies, swordtails, and labyrinthine lalius will be excellent neighbors for calm mollies. Peaceful mollies coexist well with various types of barbs, with the exception of velifers, whose elongated fins can be damaged.
Undesirable neighbors of calm fish are aggressive cichlids. When keeping molly with other representatives of the aquatic element, make sure that there is enough shelter in the aquarium. In order to maintain the purity of the breed line, you should not raise different types of molly together.
How to properly feed molly fish?
Mollies are very unpretentious. They are omnivores. The diet of fish should be varied. Dry food is the main one. Quite often, mollies eat plaque, which appears in the aquarium over time. In addition, they will happily eat filamentous algae if they do not have enough plant additives contained in the food.
Mollies are excellent viviparous fish that do not require special conditions, making them a great species for beginner aquarists.
Aquarium volume for mollies
The comfortable volume of an aquarium for keeping an unassuming molly fish is 30 liters. When introducing these representatives into the aquarium, count on at least 6 liters of water per individual. The fish is quite active, so it requires some space for daily swimming. Comfortable water parameters for its maintenance:
- The optimal temperature is 24–27C.
- Acidity level – 7.0–8.5.
- Hardness – 8–25 dGH.
The optimal daylight hours for this variety is 12 hours. Mollies prefer bright light, so bright, open areas are provided for them. The presence of snags, stone slides for shelter and dense thickets of aquarium vegetation is mandatory.
Aquarium with mollies
Medium-sized gravel is suitable as soil. To saturate the aquatic environment with oxygen, change the water 1/3 of the total volume to settled fresh liquid. Adding natural sea salt to the water at a rate of 2-3 g per 1 liter will help improve the condition of the water in the aquarium. The tank also requires equipment with a high-quality water filter.
Attention! The aquarium environment must be changed once a week, the volume of liquid to be changed is 20%, since it is often subject to contamination.
Reviews
The peace-loving molly is a species worthy of attention. Its ease of care and friendly disposition make it attractive to aquarists. The external conditions of the selection varieties are similar to natural ones. Due to the unpretentiousness of the specimens, the aquarist can choose molly of any tone. The bright color will be the highlight of any tank.
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