Do Mollies Absolutely Have To Have Salt?

[rebrn]

Hello, I have a really quick question regarding mollies and salt - is it an absolute must for mollies? The reason I ask this is I was thinking of putting, mollies with danio, loaches, cories, and maybe a couple of angelfish, but I have heard that cories and loaches, being scaleless cannot handle salt at all. Yet when I did compatibility searches, it said mollies, cories and loaches were fine together, so do mollies absolutely have to have brackish water or are they fine with no salt? Or am I wrong in assuming that all cories and loaches are scaleless and can't handle salt?

Also, i know that danio and angels also can't handle truly brackish water, which is the other reason I ask: How much salt do mollies really need?

Thanks

 

[KittyKat]

Depends on the species. Most you will come across are fine in freshwater, but they do need quite a large tank (3ft+).

 

[rebrn]

Hello, I was actually looking to put them in a 55 gallon community tank, and specifically looking at dalmation mollies. Thanks

 

[Truck]

Providing your water is quite hard, it should be fine.

 

[rebrn]

I really need to get a GH/KH kit, I have never tested eithor, my tank pH usually stays around 7.4-7.6, from tap 7.2-7.4, lowest pH during fishless cycle has been 6.8 with nitrites at 5 and nitrates at 80+. Also, when I first started I had strips, so I no not very aqurate, but the hardness according to the strip was medium to hard. So I guess it will be ok. I am actually going to get a GH/KH kit today or tomorrow, what numbers am I looking for inorder for mollies to be good without salt?

 

[james_fish]

I really need to get a GH/KH kit, I have never tested eithor, my tank pH usually stays around 7.4-7.6, from tap 7.2-7.4, lowest pH during fishless cycle has been 6.8 with nitrites at 5 and nitrates at 80+. Also, when I first started I had strips, so I no not very aqurate, but the hardness according to the strip was medium to hard. So I guess it will be ok. I am actually going to get a GH/KH kit today or tomorrow, what numbers am I looking for inorder for mollies to be good without salt?

I have 4 Dalmation mollies and i have not added any salt whatsoever. And the fish are as happy as can be. I hear they thrive at a PH value of 7.2 to 7.5, i keep mine at 7.0 to keep all species happy.

James

 

[OldMan47]

Like others here, I keep my mollies in purely fresh tap water. In my case the water is fairly hard and has a relatively high pH at 7.8. The end result is lots of breeding and lots of fry, like these.

 

[crimsontsavo]

That is a very pretty molly.

 

[backtotropical]

Whether or not to keep mollies in salt depends on if you want them to survive or thrive.

They do need mildly brackish water to thrive, but many people keep them in fresh water, where they can appear quite happy.

The tell-tale signs that they aren't thriving when in fresh water is their increased susceptibility to disease, particularly fungus.

I am not criticising keeping mollies in fresh water, I have done it myself several times.

The key to keeping them in fresh water, as already mentioned, is the water hardness, the harder the better.

The harder the water, the less susceptible they seem to be to disease.

Mollies would breed in battery acid, so I wouldn't class that as a sign that they are thriving.

To summarise, they can be quite happy in fresh water, but for them to really show their true colours, brackish is the key.

 

[rebrn]

Thanks for the responses guys. I am still not quite ready to start stocking, still waiting for my heaters to arrive, should be here Monday or Tuesday. Also having a mini cycle (bought the tank/filter used, and think I may have lost some bacteria in the transfer) nothing major, going pretty good, but still want to have a complete qualifying week just to be sure. But during the wait, I have been looking at all sorts of various fish, I may be rethinking the mollies now. Will have to see what is available when the time comes to buy.

Thanks again.