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How to look after
Poecilia sphenops
Molly, Short-Finned Molly, Black Molly, Liberty Molly
Valenciennes, 1846

Mollies exist in very many colour forms
more images here

(Other members of the genus Poecilia)

ADULT SIZE: 10 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Not critical

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 18-28 C

FOOD: Feed Poecilia sphenops anything, a true omnivore. Although they will eat most foods, and readily accept flake, they do require a vegetable component to their diet; leave some algae in their tank on which they can graze.

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Belize, Guyana, Mexico

AQUARIUM CARE: The Molly, like other members of the Poecilia genus, are well known in aquarist circles, with very many colour strains available. They are not as easily maintained as some other livebearers, and although widely available, should perhaps be avoided by the new aquarist.

Their natural habitat is in fresh and sometimes brackish waters in Central America; adding a small amount of salt to their tank is possible, but certainly not necessary.

They are a very hardy species, perhaps a little more aggressive than similar species such as the Platy, but in general make great community tank subjects.

BREEDING: Mollies, like other widely available livebearers, are very easily bred, with tens or hundreds of fry produced every few weeks. Adults will eat fry, and although some will always survive, adults (or fry) can be removed to increase survival rates.

Have you bred Poecilia sphenops? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Poecilia sphenops breeding reports

Poecilia sphenops
Molly, Short-Finned Molly, Black Molly, Liberty Molly

Mollies exist in very many colour forms

The attractive glowlight marble molly is basically yellow, with a white belly, and varying degrees of black speckling

Poecilia sphenops
Molly, Short-Finned Molly, Black Molly, Liberty Molly
breeding notes

BREEDING: Mollies, like other widely available livebearers, are very easily bred, with tens or hundreds of fry produced every few weeks. Adults will eat fry, and although some will always survive, adults (or fry) can be removed to increase survival rates.

Have you bred Poecilia sphenops? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Poecilia sphenops, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Poecilia sphenops be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Poecilia sphenops? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
What, if any is the biggest difficulty encountered when breeding these fish? Poor egg production Poor egg survival Poor fry survival rate Deformities Skewed sex ratio
In general, how difficult is Poecilia sphenops to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Poecilia sphenops? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences