I have lots of fish and tanks!,more of the hardy type, guppies,platies,bettas, simple fish, I reccently bought a 36 gallon tank and was thinking of getting 3 black mollies 1 male 2 female, Iv read somewhere that they get ich or whitespot very easily, Is this true, And are they as hardy and easy to care for as guppies and platies, And do they require Salt in the water?, Thanks
2007-05-30 05:12:20 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
All great answers so far. :) I agree with most of what everyone has said. Mollies are hardy, easy to care for and - since you're already used to taking care of Guppies, Platies and Bettas, you should be completely ready to take on a tank of Mollies! :)
One piece of advice - from my experience, my male Mollies have been much happier when they have 3 or more Females in the tank. Maybe consider getting 4 Mollies...1 Male and 3 Female. :)
Good luck!
2007-05-30 07:37:06 · answer #1 · answered by Becca 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mollies can be raised the exact same as you have raised your guppies and platies. They are very closely related. The rumor for ich being more prevalent is on black mollies showing white easier because of their color.
When we see ich, we are seeing the reproduction stage. Ich is a parasite that exists in probably all fish but only is a problem when the fish is stressed or it's health is weakened. A healthy fish can fight it off on it's own. If you keep the water quality good and take proper care of your fish, which it sounds like you do, everything should be fine.
2007-05-30 12:32:26 · answer #2 · answered by ibewhoever@yahoo.com 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They can only "get" ich if the parasite is introduced to the tank. It doesn't appear by magic. Mollies (or any fish, really)can be more susceptible to any diseases or parasites if they're kept in stressful conditions, including poor water quality, wrong temperature (they like high 70s-low 80s), overcrowding, etc. They can be just as easy to care for as the guppies and platties, though, if you give them the proper environment.
I know people who keep mollies without salt added, but IMO, they'll do better if you add at least a small amount - usually 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons is enough. Your guppies and platties will also appreciate the addition of some salt to their water (true for all livebearers).
2007-05-30 12:24:45 · answer #3 · answered by copperhead 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Mollies are no more prone to get ich than any other fish. The reason that fish get ich is temp variations and poor water conditions ( also if you bring a fish home with it). Keeping steady temp ( 78 to 80 ) is very important to maintain health. Also make sure that your filter is 10 to 20 % larger in capacity than recommended. The reason for this is because as the filter ages the efficiancy of the filter drops some.
2007-05-30 12:20:11 · answer #4 · answered by mustang 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mollies are easy to care for, I have over 50 mollies. They do require aquarium salt in there water, 1 teaspoon for every 5 gallons. None of my mollies have had itch or white-spot, all the mollies I have right now have been born in my tanks.
2007-05-30 12:33:11 · answer #5 · answered by jra60411 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
fresh water, will get fungus if there are extreme water changes, esspecially in temp.
pretty easy to treat, yes they are hardy.
i raised mine in an indoor pond like environment, they did great!
i actually got some of the common type to grow tall fins w/blue and red in it!
they were really cool!
2007-05-30 12:18:40 · answer #6 · answered by bearfox_traders 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋