Sailfin molly

The sailfin molly is a livebearer of the family Poeciliidae, native to fresh, brackish, and coastal waters of the Yucatan Peninsula and surrounding Central America. Males are notable for a large, tall dorsal fin they raise in display; wild fish are silvery-green with rows of spots, and many domesticated color forms exist. It is a generally peaceful, active fish best kept in groups with more females than males to spread out male attention. It suits community tanks with other robust, hard-water species. Males display to one another and to females but rarely cause serious harm. This molly appreciates hard, alkaline water and benefits from a little salt in some setups; it enjoys warm, sunny tanks with plenty of algae to graze. Diet should be largely vegetable-rich, with algae-based flakes, blanched vegetables, and some live or frozen foods. As a livebearer, it readily produces broods of free-swimming fry.