| Common name - (One spot) Molly | Beginner fish |
| Latin name - Poecilia Sphenops | Middle swimming fish |
| Group name - Livebearers | A hardy fish |
| Family name - Poecilidae | Shoaling fish |
| Size - Up to 6cm (2.5 in) | Origin - Mexico and Columbia |
| Temp - 18-28C (64-82F) best is 78F | PH - 7-8.5 |
| Food - Omnivorous : flake, frozen (especially partial to frozen brine shrimp) and dried. | |
SPECIES SPECIFIC INFO
This species is a highly sociable fish and is best kept in a group of four or more. However, you will soon find that a group of four will very quickly multiply to produce hundreds. The Mollies are a prolific breeder and give birth to live babies (hence the group name livebearer). On average we would say that about 50 baby mollies are produced in our tank by three females every month. But, don't fear! Not all these babies survive, Mollies are also cannibals and have no qualms about eating their own or anyone else's babies.
Another very noticable trait of the Molly is the voracious appetite they have. Mollies will eat until they burst. You may think this is good but you can still overfeed in a tank even if all the food is eaten straight away. Excess food will be passed out of fish unprocessed and will therefore be able to pollute a tank even in fish poo! These fish also have a very healthy appetite for aquarium plants - so don't bank on having a heavily planted tank because you will soon find it a bare tank. When we first had Mollies we had five varieties of plants and only one has survived and indeed thrived. This was the Amazon Sowrd plant. So this is recommended for a tank with mollies.
Many people claim that for Mollies to be at their best they need brackish water (slightly salty water). We have never added salt to our aquarium for fear of harming the other fish which don't like salt. Our Mollies seem to be perfectly happy and are active, breed well and eat tons! However, one health hazard of the Molly is their tendancy to contract Whitespot (a disease caused by parasites living under the surface of the scales). It is an easily treated disease and care will prevent the fish from suffering with it.
Overall, we like Mollies. They have their problems, but then don't all fish? They are very active and at times are the only fishes moving about in our tank. You can always depend on these fish to be doing something. I would highly recommend these fish for children because they are constantly providing movement.
To the Molly listing page | To the Latin name page | To the Family name list
