Marble Balloon Molly

Marble Balloon Molly has a body marbled in black and white or cream, so no two fish are marked quite the same, on the short, rounded body of the balloon form. Our marble balloon mollies grow to around 6 to 8cm.

Location

Balloon mollies are a selectively bred, short bodied form of the molly. Their wild ancestors live in rivers, lagoons and coastal waters from the southern USA through Mexico and Central America to northern South America.

Diet

Marble balloon mollies are omnivores with a big appetite for plant matter. Feed a quality flake with added spirulina or vegetable content every day, plus blanched courgette or spinach and occasional frozen brine shrimp or daphnia. They will also graze soft algae from plants and decor.

Care

Keep them between 22 and 28°C in hard, alkaline water (pH 7.0 to 8.5) with good filtration and regular water changes, as mollies do poorly in soft or acidic water. They are peaceful community fish. Keep more females than males, and choose calm tank mates, as their rounded bodies make them slower swimmers than other livebearers. That short, rounded body can also make them prone to swim bladder and digestive problems, so feed small portions and avoid overfeeding.

Habitat

A well planted aquarium with open swimming space suits them best. Mollies grow larger than guppies and platies, so give them a little more room.

Breeding

Like all mollies they are livebearers and will breed in a community tank. Fry are born fully formed and need plants to hide in, or a separate tank, if you want to raise them.

Buy more and save, with multi-buy discounts from 4 fish. See also our coral tiger platies and Santa Claus platy, or browse all our guppies and livebearers.

Photo: Darkmax, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Shipping Information

We take care to ensure your order arrives in excellent condition and ready to settle into your aquarium. All orders are shipped with tracking, and the cut-off time for same-day dispatch is 4 pm.

Orders containing dry goods, shrimp, snails or plants are dispatched Monday to Friday via Royal Mail for fast, reliable delivery. Livestock, in particular live fish and invertebrates, are dispatched Monday to Wednesday only, using an approved overnight courier, to avoid weekend delays and ensure safe and timely delivery.

Track Your Order

You will receive a tracking number by email when we begin processing your order for shipping. The selected courier will provide updates on delivery only through their tracking page.

During colder weather, heat packs are added when needed. Livestock orders are carefully packed in insulated boxes to help maintain a stable temperature throughout transit.

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