My love for black mollies started in grade school when I had to read aloud a short article about them. The accompanying picture of a sail-fin molly is etched in my memory. I’ve wanted the hard-to-find fish ever since.

Last year, I finally had the opportunity to order two pairs. I’d registered to be notified when sail-fins were back in stock. When notification arrived months later, I couldn’t resist.

I should have waited. Sail-fin mollies are fussy about water quality. The aquarium was already at capacity. I removed a bunch of fish prior to their arrival, but subsequent platy population explosions kept foiling my efforts.

After a while, I was delighted to see molly babies. Then I watched in horror as platy juveniles hunted them down and ate them. That’s when I got rid of the platies. Within a few months, both female mollies and any offspring had disappeared.

I got a “plain” female molly at a local pet store as a companion for the surviving sail-fin males. She was small, but healthy. The boys didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t a sail-fin.

The smaller of the two males disappeared shortly after her arrival. Bullying by the larger male likely led to his demise. The males got along fine before Big Momma came along.

She soon outgrew the surviving male and kept growing. Unlike her now deceased suitor, she wasn’t always in the mood. What goes around, comes around.

Big Momma is the queen of the aquarium. Unlike the sail-fins, she’s solid black–as if covered in black velvet. She’s stunning–a show-quality specimen with blue ribbon potential.

A few weeks ago, Big Momma had babies. I have no idea how many. Some don’t make it, but she keeps having more. The smallest hide in the plants until feeding time. Some have grown enough to come out of hiding.

I’m anxious to see what the molly babies look like as adults. Jet black like Big Momma, or dark chocolate like a sail-fin? Any sail-fins? Unusual variations? Time will tell.

I’ll keep you posted. Sorry for the extended break. I got busy. As always, thanks for stopping by.