Sailfin Molly
Poecilia latipinna
The sailfin molly is a livebearing freshwater and brackish-water fish native to coastal drainages of the southeastern United States and the Gulf Coast region. Poecilia latipinna gets its name from the male's enlarged dorsal fin, which he raises in display; females are larger, rounder, and less showy. Wild fish are usually silver-gray to olive with spotting, while aquarium strains may be black, gold, marbled, lyretail, or balloon-bodied. It is closely related to other mollies and has been widely hybridized in the aquarium trade, so store fish are not always pure Poecilia latipinna.
Successful aquarium keeping depends on warm, hard, alkaline water and good oxygenation; this is not a fish for soft, acidic community tanks. Tank-bred sailfin mollies may tolerate freshwater, but many do better with mineral-rich water, and some lines thrive in lightly brackish setups. They graze algae and accept prepared foods, yet benefit from vegetable matter in the diet. Because males court persistently, groups are usually kept with more females than males, and fry appear regularly if adults are healthy and cover is available.
