All fish / Poeciliidae

Maracaibo molly

Poecilia wandae

Also known as maracaibo toothcarp, wanda's molly, poecilia sp. venezuela

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This is a small, plain livebearer related to the Cauca molly. Males are only about 1.3 to 2.2 cm long, and fish are usually brown with seven to ten dark vertical bars along the side. Specialist livebearer keepers hold it to keep wild molly lines going rather than for bright colour.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

7 to 8.2

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more with more females than males

Diet

Omnivore: small live and frozen foods, flakes and plenty of algae or vegetable matter

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 3 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Venezuela: Caribbean drainages, including the Lake Maracaibo basin

Breeding

It is a livebearer. Females give birth to small, fully formed fry every few weeks after internal fertilisation. Breeding is easy in a well-planted tank where the fry can hide from the adults.

Good to know

It is rarely sold and looks very much like Poecilia caucana, so keep the collection locality with your stock and do not let it mix with other mollies. Detailed captive care figures are scarce, so the ranges here come from closely related small mollies.