Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) - Saltwater Acclimated

These Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) have been slowly stepped up to full marine salinity and are living in saltwater right now. Mollies are naturally euryhaline, meaning wild populations move between fresh, brackish, and coastal salt water on their own, which is why they take the transition so well when it is done gradually. Sold as assorted colors: silver, dalmatian, gold, black, and orange all turn up in the mix. Hardy, peaceful, tireless algae grazers, and fully reef safe. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock and supplies to round out the tank.

Why Keepers Buy Saltwater Mollies

• Algae control. They graze film algae and pick at hair algae all day long, working the glass and rockwork in a way most marine fish will not.
• Cycling and dither duty. Cheap, tough, and forgiving, they are the classic choice for putting the first bioload on a new marine system, and they draw shy fish out into the open once the tank is established.
• Reef safe. They will not nip corals or bother inverts.
• Feeders. Some keepers use them as live food for predatory marine fish. If that is your plan, they are already at the right salinity, so there is no acclimation step.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 30 gallons or more for a group. Sailfins are not small fish once grown, and males need room to spread that dorsal fin and display. A trio can work in 20 gallons, but they will outgrow the look of it.
• Water parameters: 72 to 80°F, pH 7.8 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.026 as they are sold. They also do fine anywhere down the brackish range if you step them down slowly.
• Ratio: keep two or three females per male. Males court constantly, and a lone female takes the full brunt of it.
• Feeding: omnivore leaning heavily herbivore. A vegetable-forward diet keeps them healthiest, so lean on spirulina flake, dried seaweed, and marine grazing pellets, with the tank's own algae filling the gaps.
• Salinity stability: mollies are tolerant of the number but not of sudden swings. Top off evaporation with fresh water and check with a refractometer rather than guessing.
• They will breed. These are livebearers and saltwater does not stop them. Expect fry every month or so. In a reef with flow and hungry tank mates most get eaten, which is usually fine, but if you want to raise them you will need a separate tank.

Specifications

Compatibility

Peaceful and easygoing in a mixed marine community. They pair well with the Ocellaris Clownfish, Banggai Cardinalfish, Blue Green Chromis, Royal Gramma, and Firefish Goby. Cleanup crew inverts like the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Mexican Turbo Snail, and Cerith Snails work the same algae from a different angle and make a good team with them.

Avoid anything predatory unless feeding is the point. Lionfish, groupers, large wrasses, and triggers will eat a molly, and larger angels and tangs can bully them off the algae they are there to eat.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Ocean Nutrition Spirulina Flake vegetable-forward staple
• Rod's Food Leafy Purple Seaweed for grazing
• Vitalis Marine Grazing Pellets
• Saltwater Refractometer for accurate salinity
• Instant Ocean Sea Salt Mix for water changes and top-off mixing

FAQ

Are these really living in saltwater right now?
Yes. They were stepped up gradually and are held at full marine salinity in our system. You still want to drip acclimate them to your tank, the same as any fish, but there is no salinity conversion left to do.

Can I put them in my freshwater tank?
Not directly. Going down in salinity has to be as gradual as going up, over several days. If freshwater is the goal, our freshwater Sailfin Molly is the same species without the extra step.

How many should I get?
Three or more, with more females than males. A single molly is fine but a small group looks far better and spreads out the males' constant courting.

Will they clear my algae problem?
They will help a lot with film and soft hair algae, and they work continuously. They are not a cure for a nutrient problem though. If algae keeps coming back, the fix is on the nutrient and export side, with the mollies as cleanup.

What colors will I get?
These are sold assorted, so the mix changes with each batch. Come pick the ones you like out of the tank if color matters to you.