What Are Silver Mollies?

Silver molly is the common name given to Poecilia sphenops, a species of fish that is a member of the Poeciliidae family. These fish make excellent pets for novice fish owners, as they are hardy, easy to care for and tend to thrive in the typical home aquarium.

  1. General Information

    • When purchased, silver mollies are generally about 1 to 2 inches in length, but can grow up to 4 inches long. Males typically have pointed anal fins, called gonopodiums, while females' anal fins are fan-shaped. Mollies are omnivores, and will eat a mixture of plant and animal matter, so it's important that they are fed some vegetable-based foods. One of the most distinctive features of silver mollies is that they are live-bearing species, which means they give birth to free-swimming offspring.

    Breeding

    • If you decide to breed silver mollies, you need to be able to tell the males and females apart. The easiest way to tell is to look at the fish's dorsal fin. The dorsal fin on a male molly will be long and pointed, while the female's dorsal fin is smaller and more rounded. Silver mollies bear live offspring, anywhere from 20 to 40 babies at a time. Silver mollies will, however, eat their young.

    Feeding

    • Mollies are omnivorous, and their diets can be quite varied. They can be fed vegetables such as fresh spinach, zucchini, peas and lettuce. Mollies will also eat live blood worms, glass worms, brine shrimp and tubifex worms. If live worms and brine shrimp aren't available, frozen food will suffice. Recommended choices are frozen daphnia, plankton, beef heart, brine shrimp, glass worms and blood worms. Mollies will also eat floating flake fish food.

    Habitat

    • Mollies won't thrive unless they're in an aquarium that holds at least 15 gallons of water. An aquarium containing silver mollies should also include an external power filter, about 1/4 inch of gravel and an aquarium heater. The temperature in the tank should remain between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Like most live-bearing fish, mollies required a certain degree of salt in their water. In fact, mollies require about 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons of water.