Pet Care Pet Care

Sailfin Molly

COMMON NAMES: Sailfin Molly and YucatanMolly.

SCIENTIFIC NAMES: (I) Pomba latipinna:(ii) Poecilia velifera.

SYNONYMS: Mollienesia latipinna and M.celifera.

DESIGNATION: Tropical.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: (i) P. latipinna:from southeastern USA south into Mexico. (ii)P. velifera: Yucatin region of Mexico. hencethe alternative common name cited above.SIZE: P. latipinna is the smaller of the twospecies, with males reaching around 10 cm (4 in) and females 12 cm (4.7 in). (ii) P.velifera males can grow up to 15 cm (6 in:while females have been recorded at 18 cm(7 in). These sizes are not commonlyencountered in aquaria, however.

WATER PREFERENCES: Slightly hard, alkalinewater containing about one teaspoonful ofsalt per gallon (4.5 litres) is preferred. Thehigher end of the tropical temperature range,i.e. from 25-28°C (77-82°F) suits these speciesbest.

DIET: Although both species will accept a rsnety of foods. including flake and livefoods, -Jong-term health is likely to suffer a regular vegetable component.Bamcbcs-G: Courtship often involves nuzzlingat :.6e females genital aperture by the maleprior to mating. Owing to the large sizesanamed by size females, more than 100 frycat produced in a single brood. Heavily females can abort or give birth if they are disturbed during the gestation.

INFORMATION: Mollies are oftenrecanded as ideal fish for beginners.However. their undoubted preference forsame salt in the water, allied to theiroccosanal lowered resistance to manydoemes when salt is not provided, casts some&nix on their suitability for communitysq.aria. Other salt-loving fish, e.g. Guppies,tic vet' well under community tankmoditions, but these species are invariablytougher than Mollies.

Sailfins have been cross-bred andcommercially developed for many years. Thishas produced a wide range of types, most ofwhich will breed true as long as they are notbrought into contact with each other. Beingra more than varieties of either the same orvery closely allied species, interbreeding willoccur without any difficulty and can lead tothe production of 'mongrel' Mollies. These,while being quite attractive, will, obviously,fail to breed true.

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