Silver Mollies Getting Orange Stripes?

[mickiedee]

I have 3 silver mollies, and they all seem to be developing orange stripes and orange highlights to the tips of their topfin. Is this normal? My oldest and largest molly is really showing signs of color. All of my water tests are fine...0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, 30ppm nitrates, etc. Is this normal or signs of stress?

Thank you in advance for any help!
Michelle

 

[wei0204]

I think this should be no problem as mine also, I think this is due to their genetic... Just correct me if I am wrong.

 

[mickiedee]

I have 3 silver mollies, and they all seem to be developing orange stripes and orange highlights to the tips of their topfin. Is this normal? My oldest and largest molly is really showing signs of color. All of my water tests are fine...0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, 30ppm nitrates, etc. Is this normal or signs of stress?

Thank you in advance for any help!
Michelle

I tried to look for other posts about the subject, but couldn't find anything mentioned elsewhere. They actually look pretty, but I was more concerned that something was wrong.

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

I have 3 silver mollies, and they all seem to be developing orange stripes and orange highlights to the tips of their topfin. Is this normal? My oldest and largest molly is really showing signs of color. All of my water tests are fine...0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, 30ppm nitrates, etc. Is this normal or signs of stress?

Thank you in advance for any help!
Michelle

I tried to look for other posts about the subject, but couldn't find anything mentioned elsewhere. They actually look pretty, but I was more concerned that something was wrong.

Thanks,
Michelle

Any way you can post photos so we can get a better idea? It sounds normal, a lot of mollies do pick up color as they mature. Are they normal or "sailfin" mollies? Especially in the sailfin varieties, some orange is very, very normal. Orange (especially if it's bright) isn't a sign of any disease I'm aware of, so it's probably just coloration developing.

 

[adrock]

Hello!

My silver lyretail mollies have been changing colors as well. They will both go from off white (eggshell) to silver, to silver with a few grey or bright silver stripes on the dorsal fin.

They both seem happy
AND now I have ONE fry!!!

A tiny little mollie, only 7-8mm long! I only found the one, and No evidance of any more. She is happy and eating in her little fish net. I used my net, with some gravel and a few fake leaves, until I sneek out of work this morning to buy, and deliver a Fry tank to her.
I will try to get some pics of mini mollie and the rest of the gang tonight.


have a great day!
Adam

 

[nmonks]

It's pretty normal for mollies to change colours. Because all the commercially-bred fancy varieties are hybrids, they have very mixed up genes. Some genes take a while to show up. As Darkmoon Bettas mentioned, wild-type sailfin mollies have quite a bit of gold or orange over their basic green colour, and that's probably where what you are seeing comes from.

Also, some foods add colours to fish. Colour-enhancing foods do this, for example. Anything rich in carotenoids will tend to make red or orange regions on fish even brighter.

Cheers,

Neale