Sailfin Mollies

[jamie2010]

hi thers.i got myself a pair of sailfins at the weekend,i was just curious to know if the breeding is as prolific as other live bearers?or am i to create some ideal conditions?
thanks .

 

[nmonks]

Sailfins are a bit more tricky than smaller mollies because they're bigger. The fry are easily stunted, which you don't want. Males are said not to develop their sailfins to the full extent if overcrowded as fry. They also need warmer water than most livebearers, 26-28 C being ideal, and the argument for keeping sailfins in brackish water is very strong. In the wild, they occur in very hard, alkaline water (pH 8) and often in brackish water, even in the sea. Certainly add some coral sand to the aquarium to harden the water, and if you can, add ~3 g salt (marine mix) per litre of water.

Which kind have you got? There are nominally two species, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia latipinna, but the hobby fish are mostly hybrids. Expect the females to get to 12-15 cm, the males slightly less. In the wild, Poecilia velifera males get to 15 cm and the females a whopping 18 cm!

Sailfins must have lots of algae; meaty foods should be secondary. Ideally, use veggie flake instead of regular fish flake. Lots of people ignore diet, and wonder why their fish never get the full colouration. The key is algae!

Sailfin mollies really are quite a challenge. Enjoy.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[jamie2010]

Sailfins are a bit more tricky than smaller mollies because they're bigger. The fry are easily stunted, which you don't want. Males are said not to develop their sailfins to the full extent if overcrowded as fry. They also need warmer water than most livebearers, 26-28 C being ideal, and the argument for keeping sailfins in brackish water is very strong. In the wild, they occur in very hard, alkaline water (pH 8) and often in brackish water, even in the sea. Certainly add some coral sand to the aquarium to harden the water, and if you can, add ~3 g salt (marine mix) per litre of water.

Which kind have you got? There are nominally two species, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia latipinna, but the hobby fish are mostly hybrids. Expect the females to get to 12-15 cm, the males slightly less. In the wild, Poecilia velifera males get to 15 cm and the females a whopping 18 cm!

Sailfins must have lots of algae; meaty foods should be secondary. Ideally, use veggie flake instead of regular fish flake. Lots of people ignore diet, and wonder why their fish never get the full colouration. The key is algae!

Sailfin mollies really are quite a challenge. Enjoy.

Cheers,

Neale

#### hot cheers mate.you couldnt have helped more.