Scientific Name: Poecilia latipinna

Common Names: Sailfin Molly

Appearance: (see picture)

Native Habitat: These fish are found in coastal water of southeastern North America from the Carolinas in the United States to southern Mexico.

Water Conditions: These fish prefer semi-hard water and temperatures in the mid seventies. They do fine at room temperature, however as long as it is constant. They will live anything from fresh to marine conditions if acclimated slowly. They do prefer a little aquarium salt in their water, but a tablespoon per ten gallons is plenty. It helps prevent fungus, especially when stressed.

Tank Size: These fish do well in a 20 gallon tank. If you plan on keeping a large colony, then you should, of course, use a larger tank. 1-2 gallons of water per fish will work well for younger if you do weekly water changes and do not overfeed. For adult fish, you will need about twice that.

Plants: These fish like to eat plants. Therefore, sturdy or fast growing plants should be selected for their tanks. Hornwort and Jungle Vals are both fast growing plants that will survive most feeding frenzies. The vals are also a good choice because they tollerate a wide range of salt like the fish.

Feeding: These fish are omnivores and will accept most types of food. They especially like algae and prepared vegetables such as lettuce or spinach. They will also accept most commercial flake or pellet foods.

Breeding: These fish breed like crazy. If you have males and females, you will have fry. Most wild type fish will ignore their fry as well, and they have a much higher survival rate than domestic mollies. They can have up to 75 fry in one batch when mature.

Aggression: Males will compete for females and only one or two dominant males will do well in a 20 gallon tank. The rest will be kept in a corner. Keep a high female to male ratio to reduce this aggression.

Resources:
Page, Lawrence M., and Brooks M. Burr. Freshwater Fishes. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.

© 2005 The Fishie Zoo