It's dark right now so I can't get a picture, but I'll post one soon. I went out looking today for stuff, and I came across some Sailfin mollies that were very melanistic. I got some that are very nearly black, sort of an overall charcoal color, and a few that are just very speckled. The best part is that I got a few of each gender, and most are still fairly young, so with any luck I should be able to produce a whole line of these. They're pretty neat-looking. These are in full strength saltwater, but I'm sure I'll be 'watering them down' to a more brackish setup.
Melanistic wild Sailfin Mollies
Started by
Guest_Mysteryman_*
, Nov 02 2008 10:24 PM
10 replies to this topic
#4
Guest_Mysteryman_*
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Posted 03 November 2008 - 05:30 PM
Hmmm... good question. I don't really have a clue about that, but it occurs to me that most melanistic fish I see, whatever the species, are from the salty marsh areas. This isn't always the case, though, as fresh waters also have speckled fish aplenty.
I will say that I don't recall ever seeing fish like these in fresh water, BUT, on the other hand, I very rarely ever even see mollies in fresh water, so that's not much help.
I will say that I don't recall ever seeing fish like these in fresh water, BUT, on the other hand, I very rarely ever even see mollies in fresh water, so that's not much help.
#7
Guest_critterguy_*
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Posted 08 December 2008 - 12:35 PM
how can you be sure nowadays that they aren't crossbred with some aquarium stock escapees?
Cool fish in any case!
Btw, I've heard two opposing opinions on the toughness of mollies. One group says they must be kept in warm water(pref. brackish). Other group claims they are tough as nails and can take near freezing temps...thoughts? Are they like gambusia where the numbers drop steeply when the cold comes in and rebuild each spring?
Cool fish in any case!
Btw, I've heard two opposing opinions on the toughness of mollies. One group says they must be kept in warm water(pref. brackish). Other group claims they are tough as nails and can take near freezing temps...thoughts? Are they like gambusia where the numbers drop steeply when the cold comes in and rebuild each spring?
#8
Guest_truf_*
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Posted 08 December 2008 - 06:16 PM
I just read an article about these in the September 2006 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist. It is believed these melanistic Sailfins were the origin f the famous Black Mollies we've all seen in the aquarium hobby. They were later hybridized and fine tuned. Unfortunately these hybrids are notoriously fragile. This may be the origin of the opposing viewpoints regarding the hardiness of this group of fish. I'm guessing that the wild caught sailfin varieties are more tolerant of varying temperatures and conditions than the aquarium raised, hybridized fish lines.how can you be sure nowadays that they aren't crossbred with some aquarium stock escapees?
Cool fish in any case!
Btw, I've heard two opposing opinions on the toughness of mollies. One group says they must be kept in warm water(pref. brackish). Other group claims they are tough as nails and can take near freezing temps...thoughts? Are they like gambusia where the numbers drop steeply when the cold comes in and rebuild each spring?
-Thom
#10
Guest_don212_*
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Posted 10 June 2012 - 08:47 PM
here in central fl mollies are very plentiful year round, i have some melanistic ones in my tank nowbut they do not have such fine finnage as yours. mollies seem to be very susceptible to various fungus infections in captivity,
#11
Guest_JamesH_*
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Posted 28 June 2012 - 02:06 PM
WOW those are nice. I cant wait for a chance to catch some native mollies down south of me here in texas. How deep of water were you in when you collected them. Are you getting babies yet and do they have the dark coloration showing.
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