Product Details

Silver Lyretail Molly – Poecilia latipinna

The Silver Lyretail Molly is an elegant captive-bred molly variety with a bright silver body, active swimming behaviour and an attractive lyre-shaped tail. Also sold as the Silver Molly, Silver Sailfin Molly, Lyretail Molly or Silver Lyre Molly, this ornamental livebearer is best suited to a mature aquarium with hard, alkaline water, good filtration and peaceful but robust tank mates. It is a hardy and attractive fish when kept correctly, but it should not be kept in very soft acidic community setups.

Key Identification:

Common Name: Silver Lyretail Molly
Other Names: Silver Molly, Silver Sailfin Molly, Lyretail Molly, Silver Lyre Molly
Scientific Name: Poecilia latipinna
Strain / Form: Captive-bred Silver Lyretail ornamental strain
Fish Type: Livebearer / Molly
Water Type: Freshwater

Natural Range & Habitat:

Poecilia latipinna is native to North America, with a natural range across the south-eastern United States and Gulf Coast regions into parts of Mexico. Wild Sailfin Mollies occur in warm, still or gently flowing waters such as ponds, lakes, sloughs, creeks, drains, vegetated backwaters and quiet stream pools.

They are also found in coastal waters, tidal ditches and brackish canals, which explains their preference for mineral-rich water. The Silver Lyretail Molly is a captive-bred ornamental form, so its bright silver colour and lyretail fin shape have been developed through selective breeding rather than representing a wild locality form.

Appearance & Adult Size:

Silver Lyretail Mollies usually have a clean silver, white-silver or pale metallic body with clear to lightly coloured fins. The lyretail form has extended upper and lower tail edges, giving the caudal fin a curved, forked appearance.

Males are usually smaller and slimmer, with a gonopodium and often more pronounced fin display. Females are larger, deeper-bodied and fuller, especially when carrying fry. Adults usually reach around 8–12 cm, with larger sailfin-influenced fish needing more space than short-fin molly varieties.

Aquarium Suitability:

This species is well suited to planted livebearer aquariums, harder-water community tanks and peaceful brackish-tolerant setups. It appreciates open swimming room, sturdy plants, gentle to moderate flow and stable water chemistry.

Silver Lyretail Mollies are not ideal for very soft acidic aquariums, neglected tanks or cramped nano setups. They are active fish with a relatively high waste output, so good filtration and regular maintenance are important.

Recommended Aquarium Size:

A practical minimum is 90–120 litres for a small group, with a tank length of at least 75–90 cm recommended. Larger aquariums are better for sailfin-type males, mixed communities or breeding groups.

Keep either a male-only display group or a mixed group with one male to at least two or three females. This helps reduce persistent attention on individual females. Avoid keeping just one male and one female, as the female may be over-harassed.

Water Conditions:

Temperature: 24–28°C
pH: 7.2–8.5
Hardness: Hard to very hard
Additional Notes: Silver Lyretail Mollies need stable, mineral-rich water and are not suitable for very soft acidic conditions. Good carbonate hardness is important. Some keepers use aquarium salt in molly-only or brackish-tolerant setups, but salt should not be added to a mixed community unless all tank mates are suitable.

Temperament & Tank Mates:

Aquarium Category: Community Fish

Silver Lyretail Mollies are generally peaceful, active community fish, although males can be persistent with females and may compete with each other. Suitable tank mates include other mollies, platies, swordtails, peaceful rainbowfish, hardy rasboras, larger peaceful tetras that tolerate harder water, Bristlenose Plecos and robust community fish that enjoy similar mineral-rich conditions.

Avoid soft-water specialists, delicate fish, fin-nippers, aggressive cichlids, large predators and very shy slow feeders. Their lyretail fin extensions can be vulnerable to nipping, so avoid fish known for chasing or biting fins.

Feeding:

Silver Lyretail Mollies are omnivores with a strong need for plant and algae-based foods. In nature, Sailfin Mollies feed heavily on algae and biofilm, along with small crustaceans, rotifers, aquatic insects and other tiny animal foods.

In the aquarium, offer quality livebearer flakes, spirulina flakes, algae wafers and vegetable-based granules as the staple diet. Supplement with frozen or live foods such as daphnia, brineshrimp, cyclops, mosquito larvae and occasional bloodworm. Blanched spinach, courgette or shelled peas can also be offered. Avoid a diet that is too rich in meaty foods.

Behaviour in the Aquarium:

This is an active midwater and upper-level livebearer that spends much of its time swimming in open areas, grazing surfaces and exploring plants. Males may display by spreading the dorsal fin and showing off the lyretail shape while pursuing females.

Silver Lyretail Mollies are livebearers and breed readily if males and females are kept together. Females give birth to free-swimming fry, and some young may survive in planted aquariums with floating plants, moss or dense cover. Adults and tank mates may eat fry, so separate rearing is needed if you want to save larger numbers.

Care Notes:

The most important care point is water chemistry. Silver Lyretail Mollies need hard, alkaline, stable water and often decline in very soft acidic aquariums. Keep nitrate low with regular water changes and avoid overcrowding.

Provide good filtration, open swimming space and a vegetable-rich diet. Protect the lyretail fins from fin-nipping tank mates and strong current. Monitor females for stress if males are present, and keep the correct sex ratio. Do not release unwanted mollies into outdoor ponds or natural waterways.

Recommended For:

Beginner to intermediate

Availability:

Common to occasional / Captive-bred ornamental strain

Image Disclaimer:

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Natural variation in size, colour, pattern, fin shape, body tone and markings can occur between individual fish.