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Encyclopedia / Livebearers / Amazon molly
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Variations

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Amazon molly

Poecilia formosa · Amazon, All-female molly, Gynogenetic molly

Very peaceful and hardy; it can be kept in a group without worries about male harassment.

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9.6 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Amazon molly only grows to 9.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Amazon molly only grows to 9.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Convict cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful amazon molly.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?3 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓3–5 years
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Very peaceful and hardy; it can be kept in a group without worries about male harassment.

Food

Flakes, spirulina, algae wafers and blanched vegetables; some frozen food.

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Male or female

All individuals are female; there are no males to sex.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Livebearer · Easy

Sperm-dependent all-female livebearer (gynogenesis): females must mate with a male of a related molly, such as P. latipinna or P. mexicana (in the lab often a black molly), but his sperm only triggers development and his genes are not passed on. Daughters are clones of their mother.

Pairing

Keep a group with a male molly of another species (sailfin or Atlantic molly).

Setup

Well-planted 60 L+ tank; the male only triggers development, his genes are not passed on.

What starts it

A heated, hard-water tank with a male molly present.

Eggs

Usually 60-100 young per brood, every 30-40 days; all are clones of the mother. Maturity at 1-6 months.

Raising the fry

Newly hatched brine shrimp and powdered flake; they are born swimming.

Common mistakes
  • Not providing any male molly
  • Keeping in soft water
  • Overcrowding
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouthern Texas & north-eastern Mexico
Rivers and lakesLower Rio Grande and nearby coastal rivers
HabitatPonds, ditches and slow coastal rivers
Native rangeAbout 400 km across
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The story of the amazon molly

A natural all-female clone from southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, which arose from a hybrid between an Atlantic molly (P. mexicana) female and a sailfin molly (P. latipinna) male. In 1932 it became the first vertebrate shown to reproduce without sex.

Charles Girard described this molly in 1859, but in 1932 Carl and Laura Hubbs discovered it is an all-female species. It arose from a hybrid between the sailfin molly and the Atlantic molly.

First described by Charles F. Girard in 1859. Named for Named after the Amazons, the female warriors of Greek myth.

  • It is made up only of females.
  • Its eggs are triggered by sperm from males of other molly species, but they inherit none of their genes.
  • It was the first all-female vertebrate discovered.

Sources

12 facts checked with sources