Wide Finned. Varied. Gorgeous. Lyretail Sailfin Mollies!

Poecilia is a genus of fish, and they are well named. Poecilia means “varied,” and for the fish in this grouping, like Mollies and Guppies, this could not be more apt. Poecilia latipinna is the scientific nomenclature for a fish we all know better as a Sailfin Molly, which is also well named, coming in a huge variety of colors, and having a wide fin (which is what latipinna means.) Sailfin Mollies are native to the Southern United States and Mexico, being found all the way from the Carolinas to Veracruz.

Sailfin Mollies are one of the world's most popular aquarium fish. They are also very easy to aquaculture and as a result of these two factoids, humans have bred countless variations on the Sailfin theme over the decades of their captive culture. Staff here have many favorites, and among them is today's topic, the Sailfin Lyretail Molly. Really the only difference between this and other Sailfin Mollies is that tail fin has a pronounced V to it. Like the other Sailfin Mollies, these will get to be about four inches long, males a little bigger. The biggest one collected is just shy of six inches, a length you are unlikely to see in an aquarium.

In the wild, Sailfin Mollies subsist almost entirely on algae, film algae primarily, but also some phytoplankton. There is a small amount of invertebrate consumption, intentional or not. This being said, 99.9% of the Mollies you see in your Local Fish Store and 100% of the Lyretail Sailfin Mollies you find there are the products of aquaculture and have been now for hundreds of generations. They will still graze algae in your aquariums, and should have food that is primarily algae based, but are totally accustomed to a processed diet. Here we feed them Nutramar's Freshwater Algae and Color Boost pellets. These are greedily taken and result in a robust, brightly colored, healthy fish.

In regard to how to keep these Mollies, the options are endless, there is even an article on www.qualitymarine.com on how to maintain them in a full saltwater environment. The wild ancestors of Lyretail Sailfin Mollies can still be found in full freshwater, brackish water and even full salt, and so there is precedent for nearly any display you can dream up. In the wild, they would be in dense cover like swamps, mangrove stands, even canals. They prefer areas with lots of cover, and thus lots of surface area for algae to grow. They will eat soft plants, and so if a planted aquarium is desired, faux plants or really tough plants will be required, things like Java Fern and Java Moss are good starting points.

Wild Mollies require hard water that is slightly basic, they will run into developmental problems, and fail to thrive if they are kept in other environments. Luckily, this water profile is pretty common in public water supplies across north America. Further, the fish available to you today have been bred in water with more and more generic qualities over decades, and thus at this point, are less sensitive to exact water parameter needs than they once were. Unless your water supply is incredibly soft or acidic, you probably won't have much of an issue with water chemistry.

You can keep as many or as few Sailfin Mollies as will fit in your aquarium. We suggest a minimum tank size of 20 gallons when small, and 40 or bigger at grow out. We also suggest keeping at least a few to give them a chance to spawn in your tank. They are livebearers and will produce 50 or so live young that are quite sizable and thus able to take relatively large foods like powdered flake, though they will also consume algal film if the aquarium has enough of it. Interestingly, these (mostly) vegetarians are also cannibals and are likely to eat the fry. If raising this fry is something you're interested in doing, then remove the female to her own quarters when her stomach starts to look bigger than usual and watch her as closely as possible until she gives birth! Once the little ones are born, remove her back to the original display and raise the fry in the birthing tank.

Poecilia latipinna will interbreed with other Molly types and other Molly species. As a result, unless you're interested in coming up with a new Molly, we suggest keeping only one kind or color type in your display. They are good tankmates for other livebearers like Platies and Guppies (though very small guppies run the risk of becoming food for the largest of the Mollies), fast swimming Tetras and Danios; Otos and Corys work well too. They can be kept with a variety of Catfish and Plecos, though big enough catfish will certainly try to eat them, and Plecos are definitely competition for the algal resources they both require. Lyretail Sailfin Mollies will get along fine with most inverts, but may pose a threat to small, ornamental shrimp.

If you're looking for a gorgeous, easy, group of fish to anchor your smaller display, or a stunning group of larger dither fish for a bigger aquarium, we urge you to consider the Lyretail Sailfin Molly (and honestly, Mollies of the other types as well.) These are very interesting fish that do well in aquariums and are beautiful to boot! There isn't really anything here to not like. As long as you don't have your heart set on soft leaf plants and Amani Shrimp, these Mollys will be a great addition to your Livebearer Community Display! Head over to your Local Fish Store and ask about all the Mollies available to you from Aquatropic (and specifically ask about these gorgeous Lyretail Sailfins)!