The Molly, or Mollies, is extremely peaceful and robust fishes as they have quite good behavior towards other fish communities and can live in wide-range environments. Therefore, the Molly is one of the most common choices for fish-care beginners. Moreover, with an attractive variety of colors, including gold, silver, black, white, dalmatian, red, and orange, the Molly is probably a wonderful idea for adding liveliness to your fish tank.
However, not all Mollies are suitable for beginners owing to the different features demonstrated among each type. For example, the Balloon Belly Molly with ground and “bubble” belly is not beginner-friendly because they may need more advanced care due to several issues, especially related to swim bladder and metabolic disorders. Besides, the variations of molly fish colors mainly depend on their types. Thus, when you want to make a colorful and lively fish tank, as a beginner, you may find it confusing to determine the best Molly types.
To help you select the suitable types of Mollies with attractive chromatic patterns, this article will present the 15 best Molly types and color varieties that are friendly for beginners.
Overview Of Different Molly Fish Colors
Traditionally, Mollies possess three primary colors: white, black, and orange. As a function of selective breeding, the wide-range, beautiful, and unique color patterns of this fish community have come out. Here are some possible molly fish colors you may find in the market:
| Color | Description |
| Silver- | Actually closer to the shade of White. |
| Gold- | Usually has a combination of Yellow and Orange colors. |
| Black- | Has a shade of Black Velvety. |
| Red- | Usually combined with Orange, and sometimes accompanied with beautiful Pink Eyes. |
| Dalmatian- | Has a White body with Black Spots. |
| Marble- | Has Black, Orange, and Yellow Spots. |
| Platinum- | Actually closer to Silver color, and usually glowing when taken in black light. |
| Green- | Has some unique Green tones |
15 Best Molly Fish Colors And Types For Beginners
The Mollies that are best for beginners are usually hardy and need easy care. The list of 15 beginner-friendly types of molly fish with specific color descriptions is presented as follows. Here, I divided them into 2 groups based on their fins’ shapes: the Shortfin and the Sailfin.
Shortfin mollies
1. Common Black Molly
- Color: Black
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $4 – $7
Their body is mostly black. Sometimes, we can spot a yellow border along their fins, or spots of silver or orange on their body (rare case). The Common Black Molly is outstanding in a tank full of light-colored plants and substrates.
2. Gold Dust Molly
- Color: Gold and black
- Tail Type: Standard or Lyre
- Size: ~ 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $7
The Gold Dust Molly is a short-finned variety, similar to the Black Molly, but they have a more colorful look than the black one. Particularly, their color is in a color scheme of dusty gold and black, so they are an ideal alternative to the Black Molly for people who prefer a more vivid and colorful aquarium. Besides, with the golden color exhibiting from bright yellow to deep orange shades, pairing Gold Dust Mollies with Black Mollies can significantly make them stand out.
3. Gold Doubloon Molly
- Color: Yellow and black
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 2 – 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: ~ $9.49
This Gold Doubloon Molly is an interesting short-finned variety that is worth adding to your fish tank as it owns a bright yellow and black color combination. It is also a good alternative to the Harlequin Sailfin Molly.
4. Dalmatian Molly
- Color: Spotted
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 4 – 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $4 – $8
Dalmatian Mollies have an appealing black-white color combination the same as that of a Dalmatian dog. These fishes can perfectly grab attention when being in a tank with lots of brightly colored plants and other schooling fish, for example, other colorful Mollies, Guppies, Platys, Swordtails, Loaches, and other nano fishes.
5. Wild/Common Molly
- Color: White or silver-gray
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 2 – 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $10
The Wild Molly is also known as the Common Molly. They usually have a dull silver-gray look. Besides, these molly fish colors can come in many different chromatic shades, including red, orange, black, yellow, and marbled.
6. Shortfin/Atlantic Molly
- Color: Grey/tan with yellow/orange fins
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 4 – 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $3 – $10
The natural color of Atlantic Mollies is grey with orange or yellow highlights along their fins. In selective-breeding Atlantic Mollies, the iridescence or black pepper spots over the fins can come out.
Sailfin mollies
7. Golden Sailfin Molly
- Color: Bright gold
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 6 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $6 – $14
As the name suggests, their color comes in bright gold, which can be a great choice for a vivid aquarium community.
8. Black Sailfin Molly
- Color: Black
- Tail Type: Standard or Lyre
- Size: 4 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $12
Black Sailfin Mollies have long-flowing fins and are darker than the standard Black Mollies. Additionally, similar to the common Black type, they can have a yellow line along the edges of the dorsal and caudal fins with a black body. They are also outstanding in light-colored tanks that look like tropical mangrove swamps.
9. Harlequin Sailfin Molly
- Color: Gold, white, and black
- Tail Type: Standard or Lyre
- Size: 6 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $12
Harlequin Sailfin Mollies are gorgeous and extremely attractive with a black and white base and plenty of gold speckles.
10. White/Silver Sailfin Molly
- Color: White
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 4 – 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $10
The White or Silver Sailfin Molly has silvery scales and beautifully long fins. They stand out in darker tanks so using dark-colored substrate and plants with darker green leaves is perfect to amplify their glowing feature.
11. Dalmatian Lyretail Molly
- Color: Marbled white and black
- Tail Type: Lyre
- Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 -5 years
- Price: $4 – $8
As the name suggested, the black-and-white pattern of a Dalmatian puppy is the trait of this molly. Actually, Dalmatian Lyretail Mollies have a whiter color with smaller black spots than the standard Dalmatian Mollies.
12. Black Lyretail Molly
- Color: Black
- Tail Type: Lyre
- Size: 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $12
Black Lyretail Mollies possess a dark black or a combination of black and grey shades. The markmaking it different from the standard Black Molly and Black Sailfin Molly is white highlights on their fins and lyre-shaped caudal fins. Their iridescent scales make them outstanding in the environment with light-colored plants and decorations.
13. Creamsicle Lyretail Molly
- Color: Orange and white
- Tail Type: Lyre
- Size: 3 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $4 – $8
The Creamsicle Sailfin Lyretail Molly has large orange speckled fins, white on the bottom and gold on the top of its body, causing it to resemble a creamsicle ice cream.
14. Marble Sailfin Molly
- Color: Black and white, with gold or orange patches
- Tail Type: Standard or Lyre
- Size: 3 – 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $4 – $8
The Marble Sailfin Molly is another strikingly attractive black and white Molly type. This moly type is a popular molly fish owing to its marbled coloring displayed by black and white patches with splashes of orange.
15. Red Sunset Sailfin Molly
- Color: Red/Orange
- Tail Type: Standard
- Size: 5 inches
- Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
- Price: $5 – $15
These Red Sunset Sailfin Mollies are fantastically bright orange, which can add a more vibrant pattern to your fish tank.
Video: Different Molly Fish Colors
FAQs
What color are male mollies?
The males tend to be more richly colored, such as the charcoal black of the black lyretail molly or the vibrant orange tones of the gold dust molly. Females are more demurely colored.
How can I differentiate the female and male molly fish colors of white/silver sailfin molly?
The females grow larger than the males and are heavier. The males are more colorful and usually have orange markings in the dorsal region and their bodies as well as turquoise markings on their caudal fins.
What are fish species that go with black mollies?
Generally, most cichlids species are friendly enough to be compatible with mollies, but it is recommended to check on the specific species. Some species that can go well with the Molly are Dwarf Cichlids, Rams, Discus, Keyhole Cichlids, and Severums. Moreover, if you want your jet black Mollies to stand out, pair them with other more brightly colored fish such as the Guppies.
Conclusion
Mollies are generally hardy fishes that require easy care; thus, they are commonly recommended for beginners. They also have plenty of beautiful color combinations, which are perfect for a lively and colorful home fish tank. The chromatic varieties of the Molly are decided by their types, some of which are not friendly for a beginner.
One of the most popular and beginner-friendly molly fish colors and types is the Black Common/Sailfin Mollies. Their color is also easy to combine with other fish with bright color schemes to perform a more colorful fish tank. Besides the common black color, the other color patterns and combinations, including white, silver, yellow, gold, orange, and dalmatian or marble, are also provided in this article. I hope that this article helps you determine the most favorite and suitable Mollies for your home fish aquarium.
5/5 - (1 vote)
Annette M. Chaney
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010
FAQs
15 Best Molly Fish Colors & Types Friendly For Beginners? ›
- Common Black Molly. Color: Black. ...
- Gold Dust Molly. Color: Gold and black. ...
- Gold Doubloon Molly. Color: Yellow and black. ...
- Dalmatian Molly. Color: Spotted. ...
- Wild/Common Molly. Color: White or silver-gray. ...
- Shortfin/Atlantic Molly. Color: Grey/tan with yellow/orange fins.
Due to their ability to adapt to almost any environment, molly fish are popular amongst beginner aquarists. Mollies are peaceful and get on well with other species, making the fish a good addition to a community tank.
What Colour mollies can you get? ›They are available in white, black, and yellow and have a lyre-shaped back fin. Balloon Belly Molly is a friendly breed that likes to the company of similarly sized fish. It only grows to about 3 inches, but it still wants to have an aquarium larger than 30 gallons.
What is the smallest molly fish? ›Shortfin Mollies (Poecilia sphenops)
Shortfin Mollies are generally the smallest of the two groups, measuring up to 3 inches long, and they don't boast the showy finnage of the fish in the other group. Within the Shortfin Molly group, you also have Balloon Mollies that have rotund bodies and arched backs.
The largest type of molly out there is the sailfin molly, which usually grows to around 6 inches in length. Some have been recorded to grow up to 8 or even 9 inches in length, although this is very rare.
Is molly fish lucky? ›That is why colourful fish like the gold fish or mollies can be considered aquarium fish that are lucky for your home.