L.T. Red Mini Molly 3.5cm

L.T. Red Mini Molly 3.5cm 

Mini Molly are incredibly overlooked fish as they often get overshadowed by the larger common mollies. These adorable little fish are in fact naturally occurring in the wild and are not a short body or genetic anomaly which is the most surprising thing! The only change in these fish though is the lyretail gene present which enhances their fins with a cresent-like flowing tail.

Mini mollies come in an assortment of colours however one of the most striking is the red, these fish sport a solid fiery red from head to tail which only gets better as they age. When small this red can be on the more orange side of the colour spectrum but with time, healthy food, and some optional lighting enhancements they will be a firecracker in the aquarium. To take this further the lyre tail mini molly has a pair of extensions on their tail fin which essentially look like streamers. these fish look amazing against lush green plants. Mini mollies are one of the larger growing livebearer fish meaning they give birth to live young and are closely related to guppies and platies.

Mini mollies are also a great fish to add to planted aquariums as they make for surprisingly good hair algae eaters, they constantly peck at plant leaves and almost scrub plants and rocks clean with their mouth but are overall just a great fish for both beginners and well-seasoned aquarists to enjoy and experience. One other amazing fact about these fish is they can live in full fresh, brackish and saltwater which just shows how hardy they are. The wild habitat of the mini molly is widespread from South America to Mexico.

Tank Recommendations for your L.T Red Mini Molly
Being a fish which grows to only 5 cm and remaining very easy to care for, the lyre tail mini molly can be kept in a fairly small aquarium with the minimum being 40 litres. However a larger size is always recommended for these fish due to their size and active nature. A sand or gravel substrate would be fine for these fish as well as they spend most of their time exclusively at the top of the aquarium. However because mini mollies like alkaline or high pH. environments a crushed coral or aragonite sand would be optimal.

They will also enjoy plants in the aquarium with great options being ferns, Anubias, pogostemon and vallesneria as these are large and denser growing plants and allow for great natural breeding grounds and places for fry to grow. As mentioned, mini mollies are in fact considered to be a ‘hard water fish meaning they prefer the water to have an elevated PH 7. This still means they can be kept with tetras and most other community fish but the PH should not go lower than this.

Suitable Tank Buddies
The Lyre tail Red Mini Molly is a very peaceful aquarium fish which can get along with a wide range of tank mates both in fresh and saltwater conditions. They are great with a wide range of community aquarium fish however slower moving fish should be avoided as mini mollies may outcompete them.

Usually Compatible
Rainbow fish, mudskippers, platies, danios, loaches and a lot of other common aquarium fish.

Sometimes Compatible
Smaller sized fish such as neon or cardinal tetras, bottom dwelling fish such as Corydoras and certain slower moving species like apistogramma or angelfish.

Rarely Compatible
Large and aggressive species which would prey on the mollies such as oscars and very slow moving fish like discus or borneo suckers.

Feeding your L.T Red Mini Molly
The L.T Mini Molly is very easy to feed once it is settled into the aquarium. It will readily eat a wide range of foods but would prefer to have high a floating nano pellet or flake due to their top dwelling behaviour. Giving them a nutritional food with a good protein will ensure on optimal health.