Black Molly

Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops

The Black Molly is a classic freshwater livebearer prized for its rich, solid-black coloration and active personality. Selectively bred for its dark appearance, this variety creates a striking contrast against green plants, light substrates, and colorful community fish. Black Mollies are hardy, adaptable, and an excellent choice for both newer and experienced freshwater aquarists.

Black Mollies are peaceful, social fish that spend much of their time actively exploring the middle and upper areas of the aquarium. They prefer harder, alkaline water and benefit from being maintained with other mollies. Like other livebearers, males and females can reproduce readily, and females may produce live fry when both sexes are present.

Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful / Active / Social
Adult Size: Approximately 3–5 inches
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Temperature: 72–82°F
pH: 7.0–8.3
Diet: Omnivore

Recommended Setup: A mature, well-filtered aquarium with stable water conditions, moderate to hard alkaline water, plenty of swimming space, and live plants or other areas of cover. Feed a varied diet of quality flakes or pellets with a strong vegetable component, supplemented with algae-based foods and occasional frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp. When keeping males and females together, maintaining multiple females per male can help distribute persistent male attention.

Please Note: Live Black Mollies naturally vary in size, body shape, coloration, fin appearance, and sex. Juveniles may occasionally display lighter, silver, or gold coloration that can change as they mature. The fish you receive may not look exactly like the individual pictured.

All livestock from Felipe’s Fish is carefully selected and prepared for safe transport. Please review our shipping and Live Arrival Guarantee policies before ordering.