If mollies were the only kind of fish in a 10 gal tank then how many mollies would I be able to keep? It will be converted into a planted tank soon, and after my horrible guppy experiance I am looking in to some mollies instead. All I need is the appropriate numbers. I am interested in teh high fin mollies and the lyre tail mollies if that makes a different. Have never kept mollies before adn don't know how big they get.
How many mollies in a 10 gal?
- Thread starter bozco
- Start date
general rule of thumb is....1 inch of slim bodied fish per gallon. So how many mollies could you keep safetlt in a ten gallon? I'd say no more than 5, perferably 4.....Good luck,
mt_marcy!
mt_marcy!
you may want to look into the guppy tailed molly. i have one and when he gets flared up is is quite impressive. i love my mollys they are great fish. beware that they can be a bit agressive, you may only want 1 male in there. also mollys may want to live in brackish conditions
I think some people on this board don't even suggest keeping mollies in anything less than a 20 or 30 gallon.
It really depends on the molly type and salt content of the water IME. If you buy a half dozen little black mollies and keep them in freshwater they wont get very large. If you get some green sailfin mollies and keep them in brackish conditions they'll get huge - way too big for a 10 gallon tank.
Have you considered Endlers livebearers or platies? Endlers are kinda like guppies and Platies come in many of the same styles as mollies (different colors though) and stay smaller.
Have you considered Endlers livebearers or platies? Endlers are kinda like guppies and Platies come in many of the same styles as mollies (different colors though) and stay smaller.
I actually have two spawning tanks set up and people that would want the offspring. (a breeder friend and one of the lfs) Overpopulation is not going to be a problem for me once the baby guppies are moved out to their new homes.
Are their different sizes of molly then? I liked the green high fins but if they are too big I will stay away from them. Also how do you create brackish water conditions? Would the salt damage my ACmini? And how much salt in a 10gal to make it brackish. Like I said, I'm totally new to mollies.
I have seen platies, never been totally attracted to them. And have never seen Endlers livebearers. Are those the really small ones?
Thanks.
Are their different sizes of molly then? I liked the green high fins but if they are too big I will stay away from them. Also how do you create brackish water conditions? Would the salt damage my ACmini? And how much salt in a 10gal to make it brackish. Like I said, I'm totally new to mollies.
I have seen platies, never been totally attracted to them. And have never seen Endlers livebearers. Are those the really small ones?
Thanks.
I think there are two or three seperate species sold as "mollies." One of them (the green sailfin) gets bigger than the other one (black, marbled, platinum ect.)
As for the salt, I'm not sure how much to add. To be honest the best looking mollies I've ever seen are kept in saltwater and sold as feeders for larger marine fish at a LFS in my area. The "feeders" look way better than most mollies I've seen for sale as pets. People do keep mollies okay in pure freshwater, but IMO it's not optimal for them.
Here's a link to a pic of Endlers:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1584
As for the salt, I'm not sure how much to add. To be honest the best looking mollies I've ever seen are kept in saltwater and sold as feeders for larger marine fish at a LFS in my area. The "feeders" look way better than most mollies I've seen for sale as pets. People do keep mollies okay in pure freshwater, but IMO it's not optimal for them.
Here's a link to a pic of Endlers:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1584
I think it's tricksterpup who has a good link concerning mollies and salt, and why they don't need it.
In the wild, mollies are collected in fresh, brackish, and full salt water, therefore they are adaptable. Most mollies bought at the LFS were raised in freshwater, therefore freshwater is best for them.
I have never kept mollies in anything but freshwater and I haven't had any problems, IMO, they can thrive without it.
Black mollies (includes balloon mollies, marbled mollies, gold dust mollies, and dalmation mollies). These guys don't usually get over 3''.
Sailfin mollies are the other, they can get up to 5'' in the aquarium.
In the wild, mollies are collected in fresh, brackish, and full salt water, therefore they are adaptable. Most mollies bought at the LFS were raised in freshwater, therefore freshwater is best for them.
I have never kept mollies in anything but freshwater and I haven't had any problems, IMO, they can thrive without it.
There are two mainly seen in the aquarium hobby,
Black mollies (includes balloon mollies, marbled mollies, gold dust mollies, and dalmation mollies). These guys don't usually get over 3''.
Sailfin mollies are the other, they can get up to 5'' in the aquarium.
To do a brackish tank you need to get Marine Mix and not just regular salt. Mollies seem to be able to tolerate conditons ranging from fresh to full saltwater. I would say that keeping them in freshwater is best. If your friend and the fish store are just going to keep them in fresh water as well (either as feeders or pets) then moving them in and out of water conditons isn't a great idea. It takes a long while to acclimate them to new conditons. To move them to brackish you would need to change the specific gravity of the tank maybe 0.001 per day until you reach like 1.005-1.010 or so. And if you want to keep plants then you have to keep the salt content much lower.
