Scientific Name: Poecilia latipinna
Common Name: Black Molly
Adult Size: 3 inches
Life Expectancy: 3 - 5 years
Habitat: Mexico, Central, and South America
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Ideal Tank Conditions:
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Temperature Range: 68 - 82°F
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pH Range: 7.0 - 7.8
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Water Hardness: 10 - 25
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet & Nutrition: Omnivore that prefers both meaty foods as well as algae. Provide these fish with an algae-based flake food, as well as freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp.
Breeding & Spawning: These are livebearers that require a spawning box in a 25 gallon, or larger breeding tank. The aquarium should be planted as densely as possible or have a thick algae mat. Having a group of floating plants in the corner of the aquarium will promote rearing outside of the breeding tank. Every 60-70 days the female gives birth to 10-60 young that are already approximately one-half inch long.
Gender: The pointed anal fin and much larger dorsal fin on the male, and the rounded anal fin and pregnancy spot on the female differentiate the two.
