mollies and platies

kgymn

AC Members
Jun 23, 2008
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Am I the only one who can't tell these fish apart unless told which is which? They look so similar to me.

~Katy
 
Mollies appear to have thicker lips. It's difficult for me to describe them well enough to allow you to distinguish them very easily.
 
I just find it interesting how two fish, different genus, can look so similar. I'll have to study their lips and see if I can notice the difference. Any other major differences?

~Katy
 
The caudal peduncle (the bit the tail fin's attached to) tends to be wider in mollies; they "taper" less than platys do. The gravid spot in the females tends to be more prominent as well. Of course, the males often (if they have latipinna genes) have sailfins quite different from the hi-fin which a platy may sport. Extended fins in females are nearly always platys.

End on, mollies can be seend to be rather more barrelshaped in cross-section. The "platy" part of Platypoecilis, the old genus name for the platy (before it was found to be too closely related to the swordtails to be given its own genus), means "flat", and refers to the flat sides of the fish, which is therefore far more oval or elliptical in cross-section.
 
Good description Karl...
 
mollies also tend to be significantly larger than platies, sometimes double the size of platies.

:iagree:

Also, platies are a bit stockier.
 
All good things to know! I think my few mollies will be my token mollies LOL and I'll get more platies once my tank is cycled. I like somewhat smaller fish so if they stay smaller, they're perfect for me.

~Katy
 
I like somewhat smaller fish so if they stay smaller, they're perfect for me.


Also, platies are colorful and really hardy as an added bonus :)
 
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