Home / Fishes / Killifish and livebearers / Sailfin molly
No federal permit to keepSailfin molly
Poecilia latipinna
Fishes › Killifish and livebearers (Cyprinodontiformes) › Poeciliidae (Livebearers)
The sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a livebearer fish typically found in both freshwater and brackish waterways along the East Coast of the United States, from North Carolina south to Florida, and around the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, and south…
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 1.3 in / 3.4 cm; the largest recorded was 5.9 in).
- Water: Freshwater (tolerates brackish).
- Temperature: 68–82°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Diet: A grazer on plants and algae: base the diet on vegetable foods (algae wafers, blanched vegetables, spirulina). FishBase classes it as a herbivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 30 × 15 in (roughly 23 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 70–79 °F, pH 7–8.5, 15–35 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament fights its own.
- Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “A densely planted aquarium with some open space for swimming.”
- Diet: “Wild fish are almost exclusively herbivorous, feeding on algae and other plant material.”
- Tankmates: “Generally suitable for a hard water community although may pick on smaller fish as it matures.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Livebearers (guppies, mollies, platies and swordtails)
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Warm streams, ponds and brackish waters. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Planted tanks with gentle flow; mollies appreciate harder, slightly brackish water.
Diet
- Flake foods with plant matter, plus live or frozen foods.
Social life
- Peaceful community fish; keep more females than males.
Health watch
- They breed constantly; plan for fry or keep single-sex groups.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
Given their preference for more brackish water conditions, mollies are often found within just a few yards or miles of the ocean, inhabiting coastal estuaries, lagoons, river deltas and swamps, as well as tidal areas (such as mangrove swamps) with a regular inflow of oceanic minerals and nutrients mixing with inland freshwater sources.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Sailfin molly” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater and brackish water and the sea, in rivers and streams, lakes, estuaries, mangroves. Uses both the bottom and open water. Found in still or gently flowing warm water of small creeks and drains. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater / brackish water / marine, 68–82 °F (20–28 °C). |
| Climate | Subtropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Grazing on aquatic plants. |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: internal live bearers. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 68–82 °F.
- It tolerates or needs brackish water; check salinity needs before setup.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 92°F (up to 97°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 43°F (down to 37°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 66–75°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 69–74% on average (driest month about 68%) |
| Rainfall | about 1268 mm a year |
Measured at 398 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | The sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a livebearer fish typically found in both freshwater and brackish waterways along the East Coast of the United States, from North Carolina south to Florida, and around the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, and south to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Wild diet | Sailfin mollies feed primarily upon algae and other plant materials, although they will consume a number of aquatic invertebrates, including the larvae of mosquitoes. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Reproduction | After 28 days gestation, this species produces 10 to 100 young. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | Maximum length 15.0 cm tl male/unsexed. — FishBase |
| Biology | Adults are found in still or gently flowing warm water of small creeks and drains. They occur in ponds, lakes, sloughs, and quiet, often vegetated, backwaters and pools of streams and also in coastal waters. Abundant in tidal ditches and brackish canals. — FishBase |
| History and naming | The sailfin molly was originally described in 1821 as Mollienesia latipinna by the naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, who based his description upon specimens from freshwater ponds in the vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana. However, Lesueur described other collections of the sailfin molly as Mollienesia multilineata in 1821, the same year in which he described M. latipinna. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Common length to maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 30 × 15 in (about 23 US gallons).
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- Survey of parasitic fauna of different ornamental freshwater fish species in Iran Adel M et al., Veterinary research forum: an international quarterly journal 2015
- Salinity-dependent expression of the branchial Na+/K +/2Cl (-) cotransporter and Na+/K (+)-ATPase in the sailfin molly correlates with hypoosmoregulatory endurance Yang WK et al., Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology 2011
- Prevalence of Centrocestus formosanus Metacercariae in Ornamental Fish from Chiang Mai, Thailand, with Molecular Approach Using ITS2 Wanlop A et al., The Korean journal of parasitology 2017
- Clinico-histopathological and phylogenetic analysis of protozoan epibiont Epistylis wuhanensis associated with crustacean parasite Lernaea cyprinacea from ornamental fish in Iran Rahmati-Holasoo H et al., Scientific reports 2023
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. See all 5 on PubMed → 170
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of aquarium fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Types and features of aquatic systems Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional diseases of fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
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