Assorted Lyretail Molly (Poecilia latipinna)

Our Assorted Lyretail Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) are a lively, colorful mix of one of the easiest and most rewarding livebearers in the hobby. The lyretail shape gives each fish elegant, flowing top and bottom tail points, and the assortment brings together shades of black, dalmatian, silver, gold, and orange. Hardy, peaceful, and constantly on the move, mollies are a fantastic choice for community keepers of all experience levels. Because this is an assortment, the exact colors you receive will vary.

Browse the rest of our freshwater fish and live plants to build a bright community aquarium.

Care Guide

Mollies thrive in hard, alkaline water and appreciate stable, warm conditions between 72 and 82°F. They are very adaptable, which is part of what makes them so beginner-friendly, but they do best with strong filtration and regular water changes since they are active, social eaters. Keep them in groups, ideally with more females than males to spread out attention.

Diet matters: mollies are omnivores with a strong appetite for greens. Offer a quality flake or pellet plus plenty of vegetable matter such as algae wafers and blanched vegetables, and they will graze on soft algae in the tank too. Give them a 20 gallon or larger aquarium with open swimming room and some plants. Mollies are livebearers, so a mixed group will readily produce fry.

Quick Care Specs

Compatibility

Mollies are easygoing community fish that pair well with other peaceful, hard-water species: platies, swordtails, other mollies, larger tetras, danios, and peaceful catfish like Corydoras. They also coexist with algae-eating nerite snails. Keep more females than males to reduce chasing, and avoid slow, long-finned tankmates that could be nipped by overly energetic males.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• A varied diet with plenty of greens: a quality flake such as Ocean Nutrition flake, algae wafers, and blanched vegetables.
• Keep water clean and dechlorinated with Seachem Prime.
• Live plants like Java Moss give grazing surfaces and cover for fry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do mollies need salt? No. While wild sailfin mollies tolerate brackish water, captive-bred mollies do very well in hard, alkaline freshwater. Stable, mineral-rich water is what matters most.

Will they breed in my tank? Very likely. Mollies are livebearers, so a mixed-sex group will produce fry. Add floating plants if you want some fry to survive.

What should I feed them? A varied omnivore diet heavy on vegetable matter, including quality flake or pellets, algae wafers, and blanched veggies.

Which colors will I get? This is an assortment, so the exact mix of black, dalmatian, silver, gold, and orange lyretails varies. Visit the store to hand-pick your favorites.