Molly leopard - Poecilia sphenops

Leopard Mollies are a great yellow-black color form of the Central and South American Molly. The Poecilia sphenops, also known as the pointed mouth molly, is very widespread in its country of origin and prefers to colonize river lower reaches to estuaries above the brackish water areas. Like other livebearers, such as guppies, swordtails and platies, it is also a very popular aquarium fish that appeared in the trade before the beginning of the 19th century. Its easy keeping and care, as well as the easy breedability make it interesting especially for aquarium beginners.

Leopard Mollies are especially great colored; the combination of black marbling on a yellow base color indeed give them the appearance of a predatory cat. Their dorsal and caudal fins are black in color and may have fine orange lines over them in places.

At about 4-6 inches, the males lag slightly behind the females, which can reach between 6-10 inches in body size. Because of this size, the Mollies should preferably be kept in an aquarium of 80 liters or more. Externally, the animals can be distinguished mainly by their anal fins; the males have a mating organ transformed into a gonopodium, in the females this is more sail-shaped, in addition, the females also become rounder. Breeding live-bearing toothcarps is very easy. After mating, the female can store the semen for some time and then fertilize herself several times. The eggs mature in the mother's body until they hatch into live young, which are released into the open water shortly thereafter. In this way, a female can give birth to between 30 and 80 baby fish per litter. It can happen that adult mollies eat their own offspring. This can be prevented if the aquarium is well planted so that the young can hide.

Leopard Mollies are very social animals that should be kept in a shoal. We recommend a group size of at least 5 fish, preferably more. Since Mollies live in very hard water and even brackish water in their habitat, the aquarium can even be salinated. Optimal water temperatures between 24 and 28 °C contribute to their well-being. Especially when changing the water, the changing water should be adapted to the aquarium temperature, as Mollies react quite sensitively to temperature differences. They should therefore also be brought "up to temperature" before they are introduced.

The association with Dwarf shrimpsbut also with the popular Amano shrimp is possible without any problems. However, smaller dwarf shrimp species are likely to be eaten if the aquarium is not very densely planted. However, it can be assumed that they are not often seen. From the hard water originates also the Sulawesi land shrimpwhich is quite robust and assertive, so a socialization would be possible. Crayfish tend to catch and possibly eat the Mollies, so they are rather unsuitable. Socialization is possible with other large fish that can cope with similar water parameters.

As omnivores, Leopard Molly aquarium fish require large live and frozen foods such as Artemia, Daphnia or also Gammarus, also plant food. In the aquarium, Mollies also like to nibble on algae and plaque, sometimes even soft plant leaves. They can be easily accustomed to commercial granulated food for herbivorous ornamental fish, but also like to eat scalded vegetables or Vegetable chips.

Our food recommendation: The fragrant NatureHolic Guppyfeed has been tailored to the needs of guppies and other viviparous fish in the aquarium. In addition to high-quality animal ingredients, it also contains vegetable components that benefit guppies & co. The soft granules protect the sensitive mouth of the viviparous from injuries caused by hard food grains and provide the fish with a natural feeding experience.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.