Platy Or Molly?

[chibi]

I've got these three guys and I'm not sure if they're mollies or platys. I have such a hard time telling. They've been thriving without salt so I think they may be platys, but I'd like to make sure.



Sorry the image isn't all that great...

 

[Annastasia]

I'd say Mollies. Everyone has a different fancy name, but they're basically Gold Mollies.

 

[chibi]

Thanks! Everyone else think it's a molly? :3

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i was gonna say platy's..... annastacia's much more of an expert on livebearers than me though so I'm doubting myself!

 

[magafish18]

they are platy you can tell buy the body shape

 

[diburning]

platy

 

[Annastasia]

Platy? They have such a Molly face. And while their shape isn't totally Mollyish, it's not totally Platyish either.

I'd say they look pretty close to 24 Carat Mollies, or whatever you want to call them.

 

[~T~]

They are gold dust mollies.

 

[Annastasia]

They are gold dust mollies.

Gold Dust, 24 Carat, Plain ole' Gold...same difference. At least I know I'm not going crazy now, thinking they were Mollies.

 

[nmonks]

I'm going with gold mollies. The dorsal fin is a bit small, to my eye, to be a platy. The picture is a bit poor to be sure. Here are some gold mollies.

Mollies are usually longer and thinner than platies of the same size. If you measure the fish at its deepest point (usually vertically down from the front of the dorsal) and then compare that with the length, you'll find that:

- Platies are about 2.5 times as long as they are deep
- Mollies are about 3 times as long as they are deep

On male platies, the gonopodium (anal fin) usually seems to bend slightly upwards, so that it tucks into the curve of the body. On mollies, the gonopodium sticks straight out and back, so that there's a gap between the gonopodium and the curve of the body.

Hope this helps,

Neale

 

[chibi]

I forgot to add that they aren't fully grown yet. >_< I got them at about 1.5 inches long. They've grown to about 1.8 inches, and that's how big they are in the picture. If I get better photos, I'll post them.

Wow, so many conflicting answers !

 

[vidiots]

I forgot to add that they aren't fully grown yet. >_< I got them at about 1.5 inches long. They've grown to about 1.8 inches, and that's how big they are in the picture. If I get better photos, I'll post them.

Wow, so many conflicting answers !

Hehehe, I would have said platy, but the pic is a bit fuzzy. I've never been able to take clear pics of my platies either.

This may help, according to a book I have here on Xiphophorus family Swordtails & platies, the species Xiphophorus Maculatus (common platy) the dorsal fin usually has 9-10 fin rays and laterally has 22-25 scales. Total body length: Males up to 3cm, Females up to 4cm. Vertebrae: 26-27. "This species exibits a compact, hump-backed form."

I'm not positive on this but I think mollies are generally longer and typically have more fin rays and lateral scales. I don't have the same data for mollies.

The hard part is counting these cause I can guarantee the fish is not gonna pose for ya.

And if its a hybrid all bets are off.

When I saw the thread I thought it'd be easy to answer til I saw the pic. If its a platy it would be Xiphophorus Maculatus, if its a molly it would be Poecilia Sphenops. The other species of platies and mollies commonly found in the aquarium trade all have longer dorsal fins with many more rays in them.

 

[morgan]

They look Molly shaped to me. Nice colour.