Black Molly

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The black molly, also known as the midnight molly, is a hybrid species between Poecilia latipina and Poecilia sphenops. This live bearer is named for its very dark, all over black coloration. At times this fish can be found with a yellow streak on the dorsal fin or minor silvering on the flanks, but for the most part this fish lives up to its common name: black molly. The black pigmentation of this fish is a result of a melanistic condition. Melanism, the opposite of albinism; it is a condition in which the full potential of melanin or skin pigment is represented. The result is a really dark black pigment which is the opposite condition of albinism; the lack of color pigmentation.

This strain of molly is not one that occurs naturally in the wild. The black molly is bred to display certain desirable traits in the aquarium industry. The lyretail black balloon molly is one hybrid commonly sold for its fine display of unique finnage and its cute, puffy physique. But not all black mollies are born with fancy fins or the balloon shaped bodies, and many times they are not completely black. It just depends on the combinations of dominant and recessive genes and just plain luck. Some aquarists do not see these traits as a good thing because of the consequences that come with the mutated varieties. The balloon characteristic is a type of deformity that happens to be coveted in the aquarium industry. But along with all the desirable traits come the unforeseen weakness of shorter life expectancy and susceptibility to disease. Because of all the selective breeding these fish are not as hearty as the wild-type specimens they were hybridized from.

In general, mollies are native to areas of North and Central America along coastal salt, brackish and fresh water regions. This goes for the “wild-type” mollies, not the industry bred variations including the black molly. Wild mollies reside in the shallow surface waters of ponds, marshes, streams, swamps and estuaries. Populations were transported to New Zealand, Western United States and Hawaii because they are so highly adaptable. With the ability to live in salt and freshwater, this thriving species is an easy one to start with for new aquarium hobbyists.

The black molly is a great species to have in a peaceful aquatic community because of its ease of compatibility with like temperaments. They thrive in at least 30 gallons of clean water with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH between 68-82ºF. In a well planted tank, this species will readily reproduce if kept with 4 females for every 1 male. The males have a tendency to want to mate constantly so having a 1:1 ratio of male to female will cause the female to be exhausted and her health will most certainly falter.

The sexing of mollies are fairly easy as it is with most live bearers. Internal fertilization is possible by the gonopodium on the males. The gonopodium is a modified anal fin that is used to inseminate females in the mating process. The mating ritual takes place as the male displays his fins to impress the female. The females of this species are able to become pregnant again and again after just mating once. She has the ability to store sperm in her body so that she can become pregnant in a matter of weeks after giving birth. Mollies can give birth to as many 60 babies every 2.5 months.

Once a female is pregnant it is important to separate her from the male. The reason for this is he will want to keep mating with her even in her fragile state and she does not need the added stress. The gestation period of a molly is about 4 weeks, the key is to not move her too quickly after getting pregnant or she will abort the pregnancy due to too much stress. Do not wait too long before removing her to a well-planted birthing tank because she may miscarry if she is too far in her pregnancy and the stress levels reach too high for her to handle.

Once the babies are born they will seek refuge in the plants. Mollies are not very good parents and will see their babies as food once they are born. Remove the mother and look after the fry separately. They will need a well rounded diet in order to develop properly. A diet of crushed flake food can is an okay diet but feeding the fry newly hatched brine shrimp and microworms will greatly promote better development. Feed them as often as 3-4 times a day for the first few weeks to ensure they get enough to eat. Perform partial water changes every other day to keep the water from clouding due to the more frequent feedings.

Be sure to separate the males from the females as soon as you can tell them apart because you do not want them mating with one another. Inbreeding can result in deformed or sterile fry and the only way to prevent that from happening is to keep males and females in separate tanks. To perpetuate the community you may want to go to an aquatic retailer that you haven’t bought mollies from in the past. There is no guarantee that they will not be related to your mollies but the odds are better this way.

Pictures


Black molly, picture 1 Black molly, picture 2 Black molly, picture 3 Black molly, picture 4 Black molly, picture 5 Black molly, picture 6 Black molly, picture 7


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Black Molly

has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.
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Christie on: March 26, 2009, 4:08 pm wrote
Black mollies will thrive in an outdoor gold fish pond in the warmer weather and produce abundantly. A few years ago I llived in Nashville Tennessee and we had a fish pond in the yard mostly shaded. We had several goldfish, a red-tailed shark and four black mollies. They will not survive the winter in those conditions but in the summer they did great. One day we went to feed the fish and saw all these little black things swimming along the edge of the pond and after getting a closer look it was babies! Worried about them I contacted a small neighborhood pet store and ask questions. He laughed at me and said that if I could catch them and bring them in he would place them in school classrooms for the kids to observe. I did it, I caught over 100 babies and took them to him. It amazed me that there was that many, and it was a rather funny sight trying to catch babies in a 6'X8' fish pond with a small net! Just glad no one filmed it.
Barbara on: July 20, 2009, 5:38 pm wrote
Hi, I found this page very interesting. I was looking for some information on breeding Mollies. I was also trying to find some where I could get my hands on some white worm, but that has been very difficult. I can't believe that no one can get white worm.
Linda Davis on: September 23, 2009, 5:48 am wrote
My black molly has turned colors. From solid black to gold with black stripes. It is in the tank with multicolor gold fish. Could this be the reason for the color change?

Answer: Fish usually change colours as they grow up. A juvenile may be coloured differently than an adult specimen. However, sometimes fish adapt their colours according to water parameters, colour of background or gravel. I don't think that another fish can be a reason for changing colours.
Debora on: July 1, 2010, 1:01 am wrote
I inherited my Dad's 10 gallon fish aquarium that had two gold fish, a black molly fish and a medium size algae eater. I've since added two tiny algae eaters and a blue beta fish. They all seem to be happy and healthy. My question is that my molly seems to be doing water acrobatics. That is it's swimming all over the tank upside down. Is this normal? This has been going on for about 3 months.

Answer: The tank is far too small for the amount of fish that you have added, you would need a 20 gallon tank just to house the two goldfish correctly. It is my guess that there is ammonia present in the water and the molly is feeling the effects of this.

Bettas and goldfish should not be kept together, the goldfish will harass the Betta plus they require different temperatures to lead a happy life.
[answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
Patty on: July 23, 2010, 1:04 am wrote
My question is: I've had a few balloon Mollies, and yesterday when I changed the water, my black Molly (Lil Rodney) after hanging the water, his eyes and around his gills are... it looks like a white film over his eyes, and he seems to want to be by himself, it's like he can't see anymore. I fed them and he didn't realize there was food in his tank. He was even letting a baby Molly harass him, so I decided to be gone with the baby. His eyes seem to be bulging, it's kinda like he has cataracts. It seems also the water change affected him. I'm a bit worried about Lil Rodney. HELP!!!

Answer: It sounds like your Molly has picked up an infection of some kind, it could be parasitic if the eyes are bulging, treat the tank with antibiotics initially and if this doesn't work try using a medication for parasitic infections. [answered by Mick; fishtankforum.co.uk]
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