Liberty molly

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep in 90 liters or larger at 22 to 28 C, pH 7.5 to 8.5, in hard water, with a little marine salt tolerated but not required. Feed a vegetable heavy diet of spirulina flake, algae, and blanched greens with some frozen foods. Males are aggressive to each other, so keep one male with several females, or use a big tank with room for a few males and many females. A good hard water molly for keepers who want wild color rather than fancy strains.

In the wild

A short finned molly whose males flash red, blue, and white in the fins, colors that earned the liberty name. It comes from warm coastal Central American streams and tolerates a little salt. Keep a group in a hard water tank with plants, algae, and open swimming space. Warm, hard, clean water brings out the best color.

Good to know

Poecilia salvatoris is a true molly, closely related to the shortfin molly, reaching about 10 cm. Males display intense red, blue, and white fin markings and spar with each other for status. Like other mollies it grazes heavily on algae and benefits from a vegetable rich diet.

Did you know

The red, white, and blue in a displaying male's fins are what give the liberty molly its patriotic sounding name.

Related species

• 

  Black molly

  Poecilia sphenops

  4.7 in (12 cm)24 gal (90 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)

• 

  Dalmatian molly

  Poecilia latipinna

  4.7 in (12 cm)24 gal (90 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Sailfin molly

  Poecilia latipinna

  4.7 in (12 cm)24 gal (90 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Giant sailfin molly

  Poecilia velifera

  5.9 in (15 cm)30 gal (113 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Gill's molly

  Poecilia gillii

  3.9 in (10 cm)26 gal (100 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)

• 

  Shortfin molly

  Poecilia mexicana

  4.3 in (11 cm)32 gal (120 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)