Help with Mollies?

Question

Hello I have two mollies and I was wondering if someone can help me with some basics of keeping them ie: best water temp do they need salt , live or dry food etc.

Thanks

Answer 1

I'm going to try to leave out as much science and chemistry as possible and make this as easy to grasp as I can. Actually fish are quite easy to keep if you follow the basics, stick the basics and never deviate from the basics. Firstly, mollies are freshwater fish that prefer warmer water from 22 up to 26 degrees Celcius, so you will need to get a heater that is the correct size for your aquarium and a good thermometer to check that the water temperature doesn't go over or under the maximum and minimum. Any fluctuations in temperature of more than one degree Celcius per day will stress your fish making them more susceptable to diseases or will outright kill them. Secondly, your water needs to be clean and clear at all times. For that you need a good filtration system which you can easily rinse using old tank water every two to three weeks, and weekly water changes of up to 20% of the total volume of the tank's water. Remember to treat the new water with a dechlorinator before adding it to the tank. The old water that you remove can be used to rinse the filter with. The best way to remove the water from the tank would probably be with a gravel cleaner which would also ensure that all debris from dead plant material, uneaten food and fish waste is removed. This ensures that there is as little waste that would create ammonia spikes in the water as possible. We use old tank water for rinsing the filter media so that all good bacteria that will eventually grow on it are not killed by the chlorine in regular tap water. The good bacteria break down alot of the chemicals that will form in the water that can kill your fish. Generally it is not neccesary to add any salt the water although many people add a little salt as it is said to keep the fish healthy. I don't use salt so perhaps someone who does can advise you on the amount and type you could add to the water. Thirdly, don't get fish the first or cheapest store you visit. Check out a couple of places before buying. Speak to the sales people and ask their advice. Compare the advice given with what others tell you. Do research on the net to verify and get more info. This will help you to keep your fish as healthy for as long as possible and also be a good guide as to which pet store actually knows how to take care of the stock they keep. A store that is knowledgeable on their stock and on disease control will always give you the best possible fish. Fourthly, you should only your fish as much food as they can eat in about a minute. That would mean about 1 0.5mm sized flake per fish. You can also give live food. Again only as much as can be eaten in about a minute. You don't want to overfeed because any uneaten food will fall to the gravel and rot and effectively poison the sytem. Number five: get a good testing kit from a pet store. Ask them to demonstrate it or explain how to do each test and what you should do if the results are higher or lower than the required measurements. MAny testing kits will tell you why you need to test for something like ammonia, how to test properly, what the ideal levels should be and what to do if the levels aren't correct. Other than all that you can check out forums like http://guppiesforyuppies.co.za for answers and good advise.

EDIT
Oh and as for diseases mentioned by the first person who answered. Funguses can be easily treated as long as you treat as quickly as possible. Try to isolate the fish in a seperate tank - called a quarentine tank and use a remedy for funguses that you will find at your local pet store. As for the itching the disease is called Ich. First symptoms are rubbing their sides on any surface, even the gravel. Thereafter you will notice small white spots starting to appear on the fish. Ich can be treated by slowly raising the tank temeprature to about 28 degrees Celsius, adding some salt and also an Ich treatment. Remember though that buying fish from a reputable store is the key. Keep the water clean and you should be fine. Remember to allow the tank to cycle before adding the fish and any new fish should be kept in the quarentine tank for at least a week to ensure that they are disease free.

Answer 2

Ok, mollies are kind of hard to keep in one respect. They get fungus and something else I cannot recall that makes them scratch on rocks. At least for me they were hard to keep healthy until I learned to put a little aquarium salt in the water and keep the temps correct for them.
There are some links pasted below that might help you out.

Answer 3

they like 76-78 F, salt is a plus and flake food is fine.