24kt Lyretail Molly (Poecilia latipinna)

The 24kt Lyretail Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a solid metallic gold livebearer with the flowing lyre-shaped tail that gives the strain its name, the top and bottom rays extended into long trailing points. It is a hardy, peaceful, endlessly active fish that grazes algae off the glass all day and gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Beginner friendly with one important catch: mollies want hard, alkaline water, so they are a poor match for a soft-water blackwater setup.

Browse the rest of our freshwater livestock and live fish, or mix them with our Dalmatian Lyretail Mollies and Assorted Lyretail Mollies.

Care Guide

Water chemistry matters most. Mollies want hard, alkaline water: pH 7.0 to 8.5 with moderate to high mineral content. Most Georgia tap water suits them well straight out of the tap. If your water is soft or you run a peat or driftwood-heavy tank, expect problems. Crushed coral in the filter or a remineralizer solves it.

Tank size. A 20 gallon long is the sensible minimum, and 29 gallons or more is better once you account for how fast they breed. They are bigger and messier than they look, with females reaching 3 to 4 inches.

Stocking ratio. Keep two or three females per male. Males chase females relentlessly, and a lone female with a lone male gets harassed to exhaustion. A group of all females also works fine if you do not want fry.

Water parameters. Temperature 72 to 82°F. They are sensitive to nitrate buildup and to unstable water more than to any specific number, so a weekly 30 percent water change does most of the work.

Diet. Omnivore that leans vegetarian. A spirulina or algae-based flake should be the staple, not a plain protein pellet. Supplement with blanched vegetables, frozen brine shrimp, and daphnia. Mollies fed only high-protein food tend toward bloat and digestive trouble.

About salt. Mollies tolerate brackish water and are sometimes kept with added salt, but it is not required in a freshwater community tank and will harm salt-sensitive tank mates and live plants. Keep aquarium salt as a treatment tool, not a permanent additive.

They will breed. If you have both sexes, you will get fry, roughly every four to six weeks with no effort on your part. Adults eat most of them, so dense plants such as hornwort or java moss let a few survive. Plan for what you will do with the fry before you buy a mixed group.

Specifications

Compatibility

Match them with other hard-water community fish. The main constraint is water chemistry, not aggression.

• Best matches. Other livebearers on the same water: platies, swordtails, guppies, and our other Sailfin Mollies.
• Also fine. Nerite snails, which actually prefer the same hard water, plus larger peaceful tetras and rainbowfish.
• Cleanup crew. Otocinclus and loaches such as the Yo-Yo Loach work well in a larger tank.
• Avoid. Soft-water specialists that need acidic conditions, since you cannot satisfy both in one tank. Also avoid fin nippers such as Tiger Barbs, which will shred those trailing lyretail fins.
• Plants. Generally plant safe, though a hungry molly will graze soft new growth. Java Fern and Anubias are tough enough to ignore.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Xtreme Spirulina Flakes or Ocean Nutrition Spirulina Flake as the veggie-forward staple
• Xtreme Community Crave Krill & Spirulina Flakes for a balanced everyday food
• Hikari Algae Wafers to keep them grazing
• Fritz Aquarium Salt to keep on hand as a treatment, not a daily additive
• Hornwort or Java Moss to give fry a place to hide
• Seachem Safe for water changes and Seachem Stability when cycling
• More in Nutrition, Water Care, and Water Testing

Frequently Asked Questions

Do mollies need salt in the water?
No. They tolerate salt and brackish conditions, but a standard freshwater community tank with hard, alkaline water suits them completely. Adding salt permanently will damage live plants and stress salt-sensitive tank mates, so leave it for treating illness.

How many should I get?
Three or more, weighted toward females if you buy males. Two or three females per male keeps the chasing spread out. An all-female group is the simplest option if you do not want a population explosion.

Will the gold color hold?
Yes. The 24kt strain is a stable solid gold, unlike some assorted mollies that shift as they mature. Color intensity still depends on diet, so keep carotenoid-rich foods in the rotation.

What do I do with all the fry?
Most get eaten in a community tank, which is the usual outcome. If you want to raise them, move a pregnant female to a separate tank or add dense floating plants. Talk to us before you end up with sixty mollies, we can advise on rehoming.

Why do their fins look ragged sometimes?
Usually nitrate buildup or the wrong water chemistry rather than disease. Check that your pH is above 7.0, your water is not too soft, and your water changes are keeping up. Persistent fin damage with a nippy tank mate present points at the tank mate.

Do you hold fish for pickup?
Yes. Your order is reserved as soon as it is placed, and we leave the fish in its tank until you arrive so it stays in the best possible shape.