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Orange Molly
Poecilia sphenops
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii
Variety of Molly · orange
📍 Central America
A color variety of the common molly selectively bred for uniform bright orange to golden-orange coloration across the entire body and fins. Hardy and easy to care for like all mollies, it is a prolific livebearer that thrives in hard, alkaline water and is suitable for community tanks.
Care Guide
Diet
Orange Mollies are omnivorous and thrive on a varied diet of high-quality flake foods, small pellets, and occasional frozen foods like brine shrimp or bloodworms. Supplement with blanched vegetables such as zucchini or spinach 2-3 times weekly to support digestive health. Feed small amounts once daily, only what they can consume in 2-3 minutes.
Behavior
Orange Mollies are peaceful, active swimmers that spend most of their time in mid-water zones grazing and exploring. They are social fish that do best in groups of 3 or more, displaying minimal aggression toward tankmates. Males may chase females during breeding season, but this rarely results in injury.
Breeding
Orange Mollies are prolific livebearers that breed readily in captivity with minimal intervention. Females produce 20-100 fry every 4-6 weeks when kept in warm (76-80°F), well-fed conditions with plenty of plants for fry to hide in. Separate fry into a nursery tank or heavily planted area to prevent predation by adults.
Tank Mates
Similar size, peaceful temperament, and identical water parameter requirements make them ideal companions
Fellow livebearer with matching care needs and peaceful behavior; can interbreed but produce sterile hybrids
Small, peaceful schooling fish that occupy different water zones and prefer similar water parameters
Algae-eating bottom feeder that coexists peacefully and helps maintain water quality
Peaceful invertebrate that helps control algae without competing for food or space
Common Diseases
Fin Rot
Frayed, disintegrating fins; white or black edges on fin tissue; lethargy
Perform 25% water changes every 2-3 days, improve water quality, and treat with aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) or antibacterial medication if severe
Ich (White Spot Disease)
White spots covering body and fins; excessive scratching against objects; rapid breathing
Raise temperature gradually to 82-86°F, increase aeration, and treat with ich medication or aquarium salt following product instructions for 7-10 days
Velvet Disease
Fine golden or rust-colored dust on body; clamped fins; loss of appetite; rapid gill movement
Reduce lighting, raise temperature to 80-82°F, and treat with copper-based medication or specialized velvet treatment; perform daily water changes
Constipation
Bloated appearance; lethargy; lack of fecal matter; difficulty swimming
Feed blanched peas or increase vegetable content in diet; perform partial water changes; avoid overfeeding; condition should resolve within 3-5 days
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Varieties
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Water it likes
- ph
- 7.0–8.5
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <20 ppm
- temperature
- 70–82°F (21–28°C)