Mollies

Mollies are a well-liked option for novice and expert aquarium keepers alike. These colorful little fish are a delightful addition to any tank because of their striking colors and calm demeanor. Mollies can add a burst of color and life to your aquatic environment with their lively swimming patterns and laid-back disposition.

These fish can thrive in a range of water conditions due to their high degree of adaptability. Mollies are adaptable enough to blend in perfectly whether you’re setting up an aquarium for a species-specific setup or a community tank. Moreover, it can be amazing to watch them give birth to live offspring as opposed to laying eggs because they are livebearers.

Apart from their versatility and beauty, mollies also require little maintenance. These fish can flourish and brighten your aquarium for many years to come with the correct setup and some care. Mollies are a fantastic option for your tank, regardless of your level of experience as an aquarist.

Feature	Description
Size	Mollies typically grow to about 3-4 inches.
Habitat	They thrive in freshwater aquariums with a bit of salt.
Diet	Mollies eat flakes, pellets, and occasionally vegetables.
Behavior	Generally peaceful but can be territorial at times.
Lifespan	They usually live for about 3-5 years.

Aquarium volume for mollies

Mollies’ picture

We believe that an aquarium that is 50 liters or less is the minimum size needed to house a small colony of mollies. Because of their high level of activity, 100 liter aquariums are the perfect size for keeping mollies. Fish shouldn’t be kept in tiny, constrained aquariums.

Maintenance and care of mollies

Ideal Mollies picture

Establishing a stable biologically balanced environment in the aquarium is desirable. The majority of mollies are quite thermophilic, preferring water that is between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius; they are not very tolerant of temperature fluctuations. Mollies, like all fish, prefer fresh water, so it’s best to replace aquarium water once a week at a volume of 1/4 part. This adjustment will guarantee that the aquarium does not contain elevated levels of nitrogenous compounds. You must carefully monitor the temperature regime when substituting water. It is essential to filter and aerate water.

Like with other fish, an excessive amount of ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates is undesirable. At minimum, a set of drip tests for phosphate and nitrate should be kept handy by every conscientious aquarist. Thankfully, they are now reasonably priced, and there are no issues with their acquisition or variety. You can get cheap VLADOX tests in offline stores in your city. All of this will be with your pets in a bundle if you follow your friends and use nitrogenous compounds to keep them in UES.

It will be helpful to replace deep water with clean water sources and medications that neutralize dangerous materials. Tetra Aquasafe, for instance, eliminates heavy metals and chlorine compounds while also including B vitamins, iodine, and other tasty ingredients for aquariums.

Ideal Molly picture

The aforementioned supplies, tools, and other helpful items for an aquarist can be purchased from the reputable FF online retailer Aqua Logo Shop. Suggested!

Most of the time, the fish stay in the upper and middle layers of the aquarium. Optimally, daylight hours for these fish should last at least 12 hours, so it is necessary to equip the aquarium with open, well-lit areas. The presence of stones, snags, thickets of plants, etc. is no less important.p. for shelter.
Mollies are active fish, moderately friendly. It is better to keep them in a group with a predominance of females – these are gram fish. Can live both in a common aquarium and in a separate one. Gets along well with a variety of neighbors. In general, "neighbor fish" should be about the same size. Mollies get along well with each other – intraspecific aggression is weakly expressed, but at the same time, in a cramped aquarium, males can chase each other. Therefore, it is better to provide a spacious aquarium so that there are at least 10 liters of water per individual.

Popular and versatile aquarium fish, mollies are cherished for their vivid hues and laid-back disposition. Due to their ability to thrive in a range of water conditions, they are ideal for both novice and seasoned aquarium owners. Mollies are relatively easy to care for and come in a variety of types and colors that add a lively touch to any tank.

Feeding mollies

Picture of a black mollies

Since mollies are omnivores, a sufficient amount of plant food should be a part of their diet. Proper and varied feeding is essential for maintaining a fish’s health. Because mollies are such voracious eaters, it’s crucial to avoid overfeeding them to avoid digestive issues.

TetraMin works well as a basic meal. Additionally, food containing carotenoids—from the color series—can be fed to colorful morphs with yellow and red tones.

Allow me a small note. Foods of the color series (contains "color" in the name, for example, TetraPRO Color Multi-Crisps) – enhance the natural color of fish (only. – red, yellow colors), since it is enriched with pigments such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin. In fact, carotenoids are natural "coloring" substances. It is astaxanthin that gives plants their red-orange color, carrots are a striking example of this. Or, for example, have you ever wondered why flamingos are pink? Yes, that"s exactly why. By eating plant and animal food rich in carotenoids, flamingo plumage, which is initially white, gradually turns pink. The more the bird gets this substance with food, the richer and redder the plumage becomes. If you look even deeper, flamingos eat the well-known brine shrimp – pink, saltwater crustaceans and also turn pink.

In actuality, if the meal includes carotenoids, the same thing occurs with fish. It’s important to remember that astaxanthin is an antioxidant in addition to its other advantageous qualities. Generally speaking, carotenoids benefit all aquatic life, including aquarium plants, in addition to fish. The only rule is that everything ought to be balanced and in moderation. It’s critical to realize that a fish’s color is also influenced by its health, surroundings, life events (such as stress or spawning), and the lighting in the aquarium.

In summary, color series feeds are beneficial but shouldn’t serve as the main course of food. Just think about what would happen if someone consumed nothing but beets for a week. The idea is unsettling. Fish is the same way. I apologize; they start to poop adorable pink poop.

It is crucial in this case, incidentally, to avoid overfeeding the fish in order to prevent digestive tract issues. Give Molly one meal a day and observe fasting days. One of the keys to their maintenance success will be this. It is important to remember that when purchasing any dry food, you should check the date of manufacture and expiration, avoid buying food in bulk, and store it in a closed container to prevent the growth of harmful flora.

Types of mollies

Picture of White Mollies

One of the most well-liked species of aquarium animals are mollies. Because of their widespread appeal, mollies have undergone extensive selection efforts with the goal of hybridizing to produce a variety of color morphs.

In light of this, identifying the mollies that reside in aquariums can be confusing for both novice aquarists and those searching online. We will attempt to fill in the blanks and assist the reader in comprehending the problem of the species composition of mollies.

The following are the natural species of mollies:

Molly or velifera, the sailfin (Mollinesia velifera)

Velifera species or sailfin mollies

Molly Sphenops (Poecilia sphenops)

Species of Sphenops mollies

This is the exact appearance of the non-selective, wild form of molly sphenops.

Latipinna, or broad-finned molly

(Latipenna latipinna)

The latipinna or broad-finned moles species

Poecilia mexicana, or Mexican Molly

Mexican species of moles

Some speckled and lyre-tailed forms were bred from Calico Molly (Poecilia calico).

Molly in Calico (Poecilia calico)

Among the recognized species of mollies, there exist those that have not undergone crossbreeding:

Poecilia petenensis, or Peten Molly

Molly the dwarf (Poecilia chica)

There are a few more species, but very little is known about them.

Molly from Cauca (Poecilia caucana)

Molly from Cauca (Poecilia caucana)

Molly with ocellation (Poecilia vivipara)

Molly with ocellation (Poecilia vivipara)

This is the literal translation of Poecilia formosa, "Beautiful Molly."

What kind of creature swims in your aquarium? We have a 99.99% confidence level that this is a morph and an abnormal form. Nowadays, nearly all mollies kept in aquariums are hybrids. Additionally, "latipinns" and "velifers"—all selection morphs—are purportedly present. Mexican mollies and sphenops are the parents of all mollies with a small dorsal fin. Additionally, all hybrids of sphenops, latipinna, and velifers have a large dorsal fin. So, friends, somehow! Morphs have engulfed the world of aquariums. Is it good or bad? Let each person make their own judgment.

We shall refer to all fish, including balloon mollies, as "balloons" based on the terrifying tales of hybridization; this is a deliberate fixation of a mutation-deformity resulting from inbreeding (crossing closely related forms).

Molly the balloon

These are bleaching mutations from aquariums, just like any other breed of xanthorist. Their breeders use genetic correction. Fish that have a yellow tint rather than a red or green one are known as xanthorists. Xanthorists are yellow mollies. White and albino xanthorists are super freaks. These are all scientific terms free of hyperbole. Freak: a person with congenital physical abnormalities, potentially brought on by a genetic flaw or exposure to harmful substances during the embryonic stage. And in that instance.

You further assert that GLO-fish is a fu fu fu. Glo doesn’t cry, even though humanity has chopped up a lot of firewood in front of her.

Variants of molly morphs

This list is infinite, so if there are any gray, brown, or raspberry mollies, we won’t be shocked.

Reproduction and sexual differences of male and female mollies

Mollies’ reproduction: a picture of the male and female

Mollies are able to reproduce without any problems. Like with all viviparous fish, it usually happens on its own and doesn’t require the aquarist’s special attention. When the environment is right—that is, when there are no nitrogen compounds—NH4, NO2, NO3, and elevated PO4.—the fish regularly give birth.

Sexual differences between male and female mollies

Sexual dimorphism is well-expressed, making it easy to distinguish between male and female mollies. Anal fins on males form a gonopodium. While female mollies are plumper and denser during the incubation period, they are generally referred to as "pregnant hippos"; male mollies are thinner.

When living in comfortable conditions, mollies reproduce once a month. In order to increase the likelihood of conception, the male uses a gonopodium during reproduction, which has a groove for seminal fluid transfer to the female and a hook to help it cling on during fertilization. Fish reach sexual maturity at six months for females and about a year for males.

A month and a half (35 to 45 days) is the average length of a pregnancy. A dark patch at the base of the abdomen and a fully developed abdomen are indicators that a female is pregnant, and these signs cause the female to hide in quiet areas of the aquarium. It is best to put a female like this in a small spawning aquarium whose water parameters are the same as those of the main aquarium.

Ideal Molly picture

After spawning, mollies should move their young to a different tank to prevent "cannibalism" because they don’t give a damn about them and even eat them. Cheap hatcheries or standalone spawning boxes will be very helpful in this regard.

However, many fry may very well reach adulthood in a common aquarium provided there are enough shelters in the form of thickets of plants. That is to say, mollies can theoretically reproduce and breed in a standard aquarium.

It’s important to keep in mind that all mollie morphs can successfully cross with one another to produce hybrid offspring. Therefore, you should consider selecting for superior producers and culling juveniles if you want to have beautiful offspring.

White molly picture

Usually, spawning takes place in the wee hours of the morning. Large females can give birth to up to 100 fry at once; the number of fry depends on the size and age of the mother. Since molly fry are rather large at birth, they initially lie on the ground and on the leaves of plants before rising from the bottom. Due to their high sensitivity to water pollution, mollies require more frequent water changes in their aquarium than usual. You can add a small amount of salt to the water to boost the fry’s immunity.

The fry require a varied diet to grow quickly; they are fed "live dust," which is either premium artificial feed that has been crushed or fry-specific feed. TetraMin Baby works wonders as a fish feed for growing fry. Remember that all fish are fed frequently (8–10 times a day, 24 hours a day), but in tiny portions—just a speck. The idea is to always have food on hand, but not to the point where it degrades the water’s quality.

Even though viviparous fish babies can withstand harsh environments and are known to be tenacious siblings, if you take the time to provide the most comfortable environment possible for them, they will be extremely appreciative and will wag their tails when you approach.

The size, fraction, and volume of the food can be increased as the fry get bigger. Adult fry may be fed small crustaceans such as cyclops and daphnia.

These and a variety of other fish are always available at the physical supermarkets Aqua Logo and the internet retailer Aqua-Shop. Live goods are transported to the Moscow area and beyond.

Mollies are a well-liked option for novice and expert aquarium keepers alike. They come in a range of vivid colors and patterns, are simple to maintain, and can adapt to different water conditions. These peaceful fish are a great addition to community tanks because they get along well with other species.

A stable water temperature and a well-balanced diet are two important things to keep in mind when keeping mollies. To keep them healthy and flourishing, regular water changes and observation are necessary. Additionally, since mollies are livebearers and multiply easily in the right conditions, breeding them is not too difficult.

In general, mollies are a great option for anyone wishing to improve their aquarium because they provide both beauty and simplicity. These vibrant fish can add a great deal of enjoyment to your aquatic setup if given the right care.

Video on the topic

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