Mollinesia belongs to the Petsiliev family. The habitat of these fish is great. Mollinesia is found in nature, the species of which live both in fresh and in salty sea waters. There are noticeable differences between them. In fish, bred artificially, most often the black color of the scales predominates. Breeders of this species call them Black Molly.
Molliesia, the reproduction of which occurs in vivo, differs into the following species: Sphenops, Latipinnus, or “red leopard”, and Velifer. They live mainly in reservoirs of Florida, Texas, Virginia and Carolina. Mollinesia (species of Velifer and Sphenops) is also found in the waters of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Sphenops, in addition, is found in the aquatic environment of Colombia. All types of mollinsia belong to the family of viviparous.
Mollinesia, the reproduction of which occurs in an artificial environment, has added several new species to its family. These are the recently bred Mollinesia Fork and Scarf. The first inherited an elongated, as if carved, tail, and the scarf has an elongated dorsal fin.
I would like to note that the size of this fish varies from 6 to 18 cm, and the shape of the anal fin determines its gender.
Mollinsia, the content of which requires certain conditions and skills, can decorate any home aquarium. The main thing is that its size be large. Otherwise, you will not succeed in obtaining healthy offspring. Firstly, a pair of adults requires a water volume of at least 6 liters for normal maintenance. Secondly, the water must be clean, without impurities, enriched with oxygen. Each week it is necessary to replace ¼ of the volume of aquarium water.
Illuminated, open areas should be adjacent to dense thickets, rocky areas. It is possible to use snags, decorative jugs, castle ruins, marble for shelters and various types of snags. Many similar decorations for aquariums are offered in specialized stores. Mollinesia loves shelters, but spends most of its time in the upper and middle water layers, which will allow you to freely observe its life. It is good to dissolve sea or table salt in water. 3 grams per liter is the allowable amount.
So, you have mollinsia. Its maintenance requires the correct temperature regime. These are heat-loving fish. Water should not be below a temperature of 25-30 degrees. If it is below these values, then the fish change their behavior. The fins are pressed against the body, their movement slows down. They can lie on the bottom or vibrate in place.
The correct content of mollies implies a varied diet with herbal supplements. The omnivorous molliesia allows you to feed it with plant, live or dry food.
Mollinesia: reproduction. At the age of 1 year, puberty occurs in the fish. A pregnant female is easily distinguished from a male by the impressive size of the abdomen. For one litter, the female gives about 60 fry. The intrauterine development takes place in a month and a half. Malek of molliesia, as well as an adult, is very sensitive to contaminated water. Therefore, the water in the aquarium with young offspring will need to be changed much more often, filtered and aerated, not forgetting to add salt to fresh water . All these measures will help strengthen the immunity of aquarium pets.
Molliesia, the reproduction of which you want to spend in a separate aquarium, must be transferred to a new place very carefully. Use a net to remove the female. Try not to injure her, as there is a high probability of premature birth, which will entail the death of the offspring or the female herself. In the new location, all the conditions described above must be observed. We can start the initial nutrition of young animals with artemia, zooplankton, nauplii cyclops.