sailfin mollys

[Arkie]

im really interested in getting a pair of sailfin mollys and i have a few questions about them before i do.
should i get one male to two females?
if i got three would they be happy in a tank that is 2 ft long by 2 ft high and 1 ft deep?
how should i set their tank up?
and can i have some bristlenose plecos or corydoras in there aswell to help clean up a bit?
and lastly how often do they breed?
thankyou for your help everyone :c10:

[Dave66]

Yes, two females to each male. Algae MUST be included in their diet. They can breed every couple weeks in health.
The cories and BN are fine for their tank.

Dave

[Arkie]

thanks dave, for the algae could i just use those algae wafers? and would three fit in a 2 ft tank?

[Dave66]

If they are full blood Poecilia velifera, the males can hit five inches, the females an inch less. Two-footer would be ok, four foot better, though.

Dave

[Arkie]

whoa!!!! i didnt think they got that big!!!! that is a big molly :18:

[Dave66]

They are the largest mollie species available in the hobby.
Oh, by the way, answered your Betta blog thing.

Dave

[Arkie]

oh, thanks dave.
ill have to check out the mollys at the pet shop on wednesday. i know they come in that orangey- yellowy colour, are they any more colours available?

[Dave66]

Look them up by scientific name. The natural color is stunning in adult males.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4773
Not a real good shot, but helpful info.

Dave

[Arkie]

thanks for that. :22:

[cocoa_pleco]

my old one was white, andi had a orange one until he died. a few colors are out there

they get large, and to get vegetable matter you can feed them spirulina (sp?)

[KINGMED]

I wish I could get some nice Sailfins myself, they are very nice to have if I remember right, it's been almost 30 yrs. since I've had a pair. The last pair I had were the Gold Sailfin Mollie and yes they were very large, they were in a 30 gallon long tank at the time along with 2 albino channel catfish, 1 angelfish, 2 3 spot gourami's, a bumblebee cat and either a SAE or a CAE not quit sure. My tank was way overcrowded at the time, however everything survived as well as could be expected for at least 1.5 yr. together.
---I agree that if at all possible they should be in something larger and to keep one female stressing all the time it's always nice to have at least one or two more females to take part of the punishment. Good luck with your sailfins, hope you find a descent pair of Sailfins!

[Dave66]

thanks for that. :22:

Arkie, don't know if they have a branch in Oz, but the American Livebearer Association members have F 1s (born from wild parents), for trade and sale there.

Dave