Black Lyretail Molly

Common Name
Black Lyretail Molly
Other Common Names
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Scientific Name
Poecilia sphenops species
Family
Poeciliidae
Community
General
Class
Molly
Temperature
78 ºF
Swimming Range
Top-Middle-Bottom
Adult Length
2 1/4-2 1/2 inches
Feeding Habits
Fresh spinach, zucchini, peas and lettuce. Live blood worms, glass worms, brine shrimp and tubifex worms. Frozen vegetable diet, daphnia, plankton, beef heart, brine shrimp, glass worms and blood worms. Flake and freeze dried foods also accepted.
Compatibility
Peaceful fish that will sometimes school with their own kind. Females should out number males two to one.
Habitat
Columbia: Moderately decorated with rocks, live plants and driftwood.
Breeding
The male has a longer pointed dorsal fin, while the females is smaller and rounded. Males also have a gonopodium (underneath the body of the male is one fin that hangs down and what looks like a fin folded up against his body, this is a gonopodium. Where as the female has two fins that hang down). They are livebearers that will produce 20-40 babies at one time and they will eat their young.
Additional Comments
Many color and fin variations have been commercially produced over the years by breeders.