Gold Black Lyretail Molly - Poecilia latipinna

Gold Black Lyretail Molly (Poecilia latipinna)

The Gold Black Lyretail Molly is a colourful captive-bred livebearer, prized for its bold gold and black colour pattern, active swimming behaviour and elegant lyretail fin shape. This fancy molly variety is based on the Sailfin Molly type and combines bright aquarium colour with the hardy, lively nature that makes mollies so popular. It is best suited to a clean, stable freshwater aquarium with moderately hard to hard, alkaline water.

Common Name:
Gold Black Lyretail Molly. Also commonly referred to as the Gold & Black Lyretail Molly, Gold Dust Lyretail Molly, Lyretail Molly, Sailfin Molly or Fancy Molly.

Scientific Name (Latin):
Poecilia latipinna

Maximum Size:
Around 8–12 cm in captivity, with females usually becoming fuller-bodied and males developing more decorative finnage. Fancy lyretail strains may vary slightly in size depending on breeding line.

Water Type:
Freshwater
Can also tolerate lightly brackish conditions when acclimated correctly.

Origin / Natural Habitat:
The Gold Black Lyretail Molly is a captive-bred aquarium strain. The wild form of Poecilia latipinna is native to the south-eastern United States and parts of Mexico, where it occurs in warm still or gently flowing waters, ponds, lakes, sloughs, quiet vegetated backwaters, tidal ditches and brackish canals.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 22–28°C
pH Range: 7.2–8.5
Hardness: moderately hard to hard water strongly preferred

Temperament:
Peaceful and active. Suitable for community aquariums with other calm fish that enjoy similar harder, alkaline water conditions. Males may chase females, so mixed-sex groups are best kept with more females than males.

Diet:
Omnivorous with a strong herbivorous grazing tendency. It should be offered a varied diet including quality flake, small pellets, spirulina, algae-based foods, blanched vegetables, daphnia, brineshrimp and occasional bloodworm. Algae and vegetable-based foods are especially useful for long-term molly health.

Minimum Tank Size:
A practical recommendation is at least 120 litres for a small group, with a larger aquarium preferred for mature adults and long-finned males.

Behaviour & Activity:
This is an active mid-to-upper level livebearer that spends much of the day swimming, grazing and displaying. Females give birth to free-swimming fry, so numbers may increase quickly in a planted aquarium. Open swimming space, planted areas and gentle water movement are all beneficial.

Aquarium Category:
Community Fish
This species is peaceful and works well with other freshwater community fish that prefer harder, alkaline water. Suitable tank mates include platies, swordtails, other mollies, peaceful rainbowfish, danios, robust tetras suited to harder water, bristlenose plecos and compatible Corydoras species. Avoid very soft-water fish, aggressive species, fin nippers and large predators.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Best kept in clean, stable, mineral-rich water with strong filtration and regular maintenance. Sailfin-type mollies are much less forgiving in soft, acidic or poorly maintained aquariums and can weaken quickly if kept in unsuitable water. Aquarium salt is not essential if the water is naturally hard and alkaline, but some keepers use lightly brackish conditions for molly-focused setups. Do not mix with delicate soft-water species if mineral content or salinity is being increased.

Suitable for:
Beginner to intermediate fishkeepers

Availability:
Common / occasional in trade, usually as captive-bred stock

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.