What fish mix well with mollies (not goldfish, i've learnt!)

Ok, check this out. My 20g livebearer tank had a rough beginning. I started with mollies, but they slowly died... like one per month. I introduced swordtails, but had the same problem. The dying fish exhibited no external signs of disease other than gradually getting skinny, then on their last days they began to swim psychotically. (This is where I had to learn the humane euthenasia vodka tonic technique ....don't mean to be funny, but with rrkks's explanation I think I'll favor the cold water method next time.) Anyhow, with no external signs, I did "not" treat for any random disease. After extensive studying and a few trips to the library (fyi, the library, like many internet article contains a wealth of outdated information on aquaria), I figured an internal parasite would be the only thing that could attack my fish in this manner, so I changed the fish food to Jungle brand "anti-internal parasite" / laced with metronidazole and also began treating the tank with "hole-N-head" guard by Jungle also. This HITH Guard also has metronidazole as an active ingredient so seemed a good choice. At the same time, I plumbed my U/V sterilizer into the output of my ViaAqua 265. I figure if the metronidazole doesn't get the parasites (or whatever) then a terminal suntan would finish the job. I'm about 4 months behind this treatment and haven't had any more fish fatalities. I've added guppies who have multiplied, and the green swordtails have also multiplied. There are currently 2 red and 2 marigold swords surviving whose parents were lost to the parasite. Throughout all this, the single ottocinclus cat has survived. 3 months ago I stopped adding salt....which I had in from the beginning. All salt seemed to do was create a nasty buildup on the glass and other parts which was a pain in the butt to clean.

(fyi, I've never tested for water hardness, but based on the white build-up on my shower curtain and other plumbing fixtures, I'm guessing my water is plenty hard for livebearer happiness ....without salt.)
 
Ok. I'm still really sad about having to kill 'SweetPea' though...see my other thread you have replied to.

It is so upsetting to have to euthanise any fish, but balloon mollies are just too cute. I hope I did it right and having caused her too much suffering. She was only really young as well...oh just listen to me! I sound like i'm talking about a pet dog that has died! I'm going to check in the freezer now... :eek:
 
Fishy... The mollies in the wild that live in salt water environments live in water with marine salts and marine minerals. The salt you are adding... generl aquarium salt is just table salt without the anticaking agents and iodine. I have kept mollies my whole life. They live in freshwater. They live outside in a pond in the summer and come inside the rest of the year in freshwater. No one here is saying that mollies cannot live in salty conditions. I said that mollies can live fine in fresh, brackish, or even FULL salt water. But the point of all this is that salt is NOT needed for mollies. And if you want to keep mollies with other fish that do not like salt, then its best to not add salt. And its doubtful that salt has much benefit to mollies. Salt acts as a medicine for fish because it irritates their skin. This irritation causes increased mucus/slimecoat production that can relieve some parasites, fungus, sores. But most of us do not recommend adding salt on a permanent basis because its not needed all the time. SO yea mollies can live in brackish water AND they can live just fine in freshwater with no salt added. A lot of those sites contain many of the myths real aquarists are trying to dispell. The aquarium trade has been trying to get everyone to think they need to purchase expensive aquarium salt for so long that everyone began to take it as a fact. But its not.
 
Ok, I will discountinue using salt, but I'm still not entirely convinced...I mean, is it really soooo bad for the fish?
 
fishy
you are a real classy guy, you ask for peoples advice and then berate them when they give it to you. if you trust so much in your lfs then by all means do what they say but dont be such a jerk to people trying to help you


Onepawnup
 
fIsHy13 said:
Oh. That is so strange because I have read tons of articles on the internet urging people to add salt. When I brought the mollies it even had a notice next to the tank saying that all mollies do well with a little salt in their water. The aquatics shop itself is the place I always go to get my fish stuff, and the staff there always grill me about the size of my tank and whether or not I've got compatible tank mates before they allow me to buy any fish. Do you really think a good, proffessional aquatics store like that would make a mistake about something? I will remove the salt in my next water change, but if the mollies get ill i'm blaming YOU, Orion Girl!

Have you even keot mollies before? Because you can't go around claiming stuff that you know nothing about.
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Are these the same experts who told you the goldfish and mollies would be compatable? You should look up a chemichal analysis of brackish water, you will find that there is much more to it than simple NaCl.

I could not find the article you tried to link but in an answer to question on a sick molly, docfish mentioned the use of SEA SALT, not sodium chloride.

I wish I could find the article you are talking about, there is much more to finding a scientific conclusion than a single variable and no controll group. perhaps the addition of salt replicated hard water (as suguested by OG) and the origional water was simply not hard enough? I would watch who you call experts, experienced fishkeepers, some of which make this thier life passion, or the guy at the fishstore trying to make a buck.
 
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Okay, I honestly didn't read all of the replies, but I will say mollies are warm water tropical fish. They prefer brackish water, though fancy ones generally are raised in freshwater. The like 75-80 d. F.

Goldfish are COOLwater fish, and need 20-35 gallons each (depending on type). They grow large and messy (8-12 inches depending on type).
 
Goldfish Crazy,

I already know that...that discussion is old. I moved my goldfish out ages ago, but thanks for the advice anyway...
 
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