I have a 20 gallon tank that is still new and is currently stocked with 4 Zebra Danios and 4 Peppered Corys. All is good so far, and the water chemistry seems to be stable. I'm looking for one more very small (2-3, probably) group of fish to add after the Corys have a week or so of acclimation. If I add some Platies or Mollies, I keep reading that they require salt to be at their best. Do they really need brackish water or salt in the water, or how will they fare in full fresh water (no salt)? If they need salt, is that marine salt or "freshwater" aquarium salt? And how would either type of salt affect the Corys and Danios? Finally, are Mollies and Platies compatible with pH and temps required by my other two types of fish (slightly acid to neutral, ~77*F), and any other parameters I should worry about? Thanks in advance for any advice you all can give.
Livebearers, salt, and tankmates
- Thread starter msquared
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Salt is noted to reduce the effects of nitrates on fish, but it is not necessary. Keep up with water changes and you won't need the salt. Cories do not do well with salt.
Though mollies are "brackish" water fish, most stores/breeders have them in regular freshwater. And yes mollies will do fine in that ph range and temperature
Okay, so if we go the livebearer route, I won't add salt (esp due to the Cory's dislike of it). And the other water parameters should match up. Great! Thanks for this info.
Just to make sure, I suppose I should ask if there are any other potential incompatibilities with Mollies or Platies in a 20g community tank alongside Corys and Danios? Thanks again.
Just to make sure, I suppose I should ask if there are any other potential incompatibilities with Mollies or Platies in a 20g community tank alongside Corys and Danios? Thanks again.
just keep an eye on how fast the mollies/platies reproduce.. dont get stuck with 100 of fry and no place to put them.
Lupin
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Well, this is one aspect I've also been wondering about. This is ostensibly a tank for my kids (though I'm in charge of caring for it and am enjoying it a lot myself). My middle daughter gets to pick this fish (with my input), and she seems very interested in livebearing fish. I've talked to her about the issue of fry getting eaten, and she seems okay with it. We really don't have time or space for more tanks, nor will we have space in the current 20g tank for more fish. So unless I know someone who is specifically interested in a new tankfull of livebearers, my daughter is going to have to learn about the circle of life! Maybe I could get all males - are these fish easy to sex?
Lupin
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Livebearers are easy to determine their sexes with. Yes, you can have all males. You can also have all females as long as these were not exposed to the presence of males yet. Just do a Yahoo search typing "male platy" and "female platy". Be observant of the difference between the anal fin shape. If pointed, that's the male's gonopodium which is used to insert sperm in the female's vent.
Okay, perhaps the "mono-gender" school is the thing to shoot for. I appreciate all your help, folks!