Pics Of A Molly I Picked Up At Aquafest

[cyradis4]

Hi!

These are a couple of shots of a Sailfin Mollie I picked up at Aquafest2007. I'm quite pleased with him! Though he is still small and young. I've always had a soft spot for Mollies......

In this first one, I think the camera focused on his dorsal fin, and not his head.... You can see the black dots on his fin PERFECTLY, but his eye is blurry.... Go figure!

Same thing happened here, but he was straiter so it doesn't seem so bad..... But I think he's a handsome boy! And his lady friend is already quite gravid.

Oh, and pics are MUCH greater then actual size of an inch or so...... And I really need to start working on my backgrounds.....

Enjoy!
Amanda.

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Hi Amanda. I just tooled out of sailfin mollies after about 10 years. I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but your fish may not get any larger. Male sailfins mature along a continnuum--from half inch "sneaker" males to the big glorious sailfins you see in the stores. In fact, the best males mature really late:they look like big females until just before they mature.

Hi!

These are a couple of shots of a Sailfin Mollie I picked up at Aquafest2007. I'm quite pleased with him! Though he is still small and young. I've always had a soft spot for Mollies......

In this first one, I think the camera focused on his dorsal fin, and not his head.... You can see the black dots on his fin PERFECTLY, but his eye is blurry.... Go figure!

Same thing happened here, but he was straiter so it doesn't seem so bad..... But I think he's a handsome boy! And his lady friend is already quite gravid.

Oh, and pics are MUCH greater then actual size of an inch or so...... And I really need to start working on my backgrounds.....

Enjoy!
Amanda.[/b]

 

[DeeCee]

He's a good lookin' boy though, for sure!

And size doesn't ALWAYS matter (at least when it comes to :animal0028: )

DC

 

[cyradis4]

Hi!

Hmmm..... Didn't know about the size thing.... Expains a few things about some mollies I bred a while back!

But so long as he is fertile, I don't mind if he stays small. I'd often get one of those large, beautiful male sailfins at the store only to have them not even TRY to breed!!!!!!! But he doesn't seem to have that problem, pestering his favorite girlfriend all the time..... He really is a handsome little fella!!!!

Later!
Amanda.

 

[Sonny Disposition]

I spent about 10 years breeding those things. People think they're an easy fish to breed, but they aren't. I've also found that if they get too inbred, they won't breed any more. I've line bred three generations, starting with a really good male, only to have the resulting females not bear any young.

The other thing to keep in mind is that they need a minimum amount of sodium and calcium in their water. Even though our tap in Silver Spring has a fairly high pH and is medium hard, that wasn't enough for them. A teaspoon of instant ocean per gallon should provide enough of both without them. If you see them developing a curvature of the spine, or coming down with fungal infections, then it means your water is too soft and acid for them (even if your water isn't what one would consider soft and acid).

You can also substitute calcium for sodium (molecularly, they're similar.) When I kept them, I added a half to a full teaspoon of marine salt per gallon. I also dissolved about a half teaspoon or so of garden lime in a gallon of hot water. (Lime is fairly insoluble, so not all of it will dissolve.) I'd slowly pour the dissolved lime water in as the tank was refilling.

One more thing: they really need to eat a lot. I used to make my own gel food for them. Soaked cichlid pellets or really good quality spirulina wafers should give them enough to eat.

Hi!

Hmmm..... Didn't know about the size thing.... Expains a few things about some mollies I bred a while back!

But so long as he is fertile, I don't mind if he stays small. I'd often get one of those large, beautiful male sailfins at the store only to have them not even TRY to breed!!!!!!! But he doesn't seem to have that problem, pestering his favorite girlfriend all the time..... He really is a handsome little fella!!!!

Later!
Amanda.[/b]

 

[cyradis4]

Thanks for the info!

But it really makes me want to know what exactly is in our water here..... As I kept and bred Sailfin Mollies (with moderate success) for a number of years in my main Angelfish show tank. The pH was 6.4 or so and who knows what the hardness was?

But the line breeding thing explains why I could get F2 from a good pair and then they'd stop breeding!!!!!

And if Calcium is so important, I have Calcium Cloride and I can add a small amount to a bucket and then add to the water. Ditto with a small amount of Malawi cichlid salt I have.....

Hmmm.... I'll have to think about it.

Thanks again!
Amanda.

 

[Sonny Disposition]

The calcium chloride would be ideal. I only used garden lime (calcium carbonate) because I couldn't get my hands on calcium chloride. (Where did you get yours).

I've heard of people raising sailfins in soft, acid water, but I'm skeptical. I won't rule it out, though. First, there water may have calcium hardness in it that compensates for the minimal amount of sodium that mollies need.

There's also the issue of parentage. Saifins sold in stores are probably hybrids--descendants of three or four different species. I worked with wild type Mollenesia (formerly Pocelia) latipinna and then nearly pure strains of Mollenesia velifera. Through selective breeding in captivity, the domestic strains might be more tolerant to sub optimal water conditions than the wild forms are. (Just like what Hans was saying about the discus yesterday, only in reverse.)

Thanks for the info!

But it really makes me want to know what exactly is in our water here..... As I kept and bred Sailfin Mollies (with moderate success) for a number of years in my main Angelfish show tank. The pH was 6.4 or so and who knows what the hardness was?

But the line breeding thing explains why I could get F2 from a good pair and then they'd stop breeding!!!!!

And if Calcium is so important, I have Calcium Cloride and I can add a small amount to a bucket and then add to the water. Ditto with a small amount of Malawi cichlid salt I have.....

Hmmm.... I'll have to think about it.

Thanks again!
Amanda.[/b]

 

[cyradis4]

The calcium chloride would be ideal. I only used garden lime (calcium carbonate) because I couldn't get my hands on calcium chloride. (Where did you get yours).[/b]

Some secrets I may not tell... But PM my dad, animicrazy (aka Paul), and he can tell the secret.....

Later!
Amanda.