Silver Mollies Changing Color

Question
I have 3 silver mollies among other fish in a 20 gallon tank.  One of my mollies looks like it is changing colors.  It is getting an orange tint on its belly and towards its head, mainly on the underside of the fish.  All my fish are healthy, as far as I know.  Is this normal, or have you ever heard of this.

Answer
Hi Jason,

Silver mollies are selectively bred to have that color, so as with any fish that is selectively bred to have a single color, it is possible that some of the genes aren't perfect...and you'll end up with a fish that isn't quite the color you bought it, but is still a perfectly nice pet. It is less uncommon for this to happen with livebearers, but it happens all the time with black moors, who start off entirely black and then become silvery orange in places. Look up on Google.com:
goldfish changing color
And you'll see how common it is.

So in short, I would not be concerned. Fish that turn black or very dark are unhealthy or unhappy and that *is* something to worry about, but changing from a solid color to a solid color with a hint of another color, is not anything to be concerned about. Livebearers from the chain pet stores are very inbred, unfortunately. The chances of this happening are much less when you pick up some quality stock from a dedicated breeder. On Aquabid.com you can find rare livebearers (such as Liberty mollies) for fairly reasonable prices.

For more information on caring for mollies, check out this article:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
Their special needs (a preference for hard and alkaline water and a need for a low protein, high "green" content diet) should be made aware to anyone who is keeping them, for maximum longevity and health.

Take care!
Nicole