leonphoenix said:
So I am trying to breed my mollies. I have had two sailfins breed and give birth too six fry. I have removed the male sailfins so now I have 2 male ballons and 1 female sailfin, 1 lyretail female. Any others I should get to promote cross breeding?
I have also heard I should be adding Salt to my water but other sites advise againts it, what benifits does salt have in the water?
I will respond to your salt question, and leave the cross-breeding to those with more experience with that.
Salt is not essential or necessary for mollies, but having said that, some aquarists do add salt for this fish. This must be proper salt, preferably marine salt, if it is used. There are other components than "salt" in the sense of table salt or sodium chloride.
And this is where we get to the essentials. Mollies, like all livebearers, do best in moderately hard or harder water. Mollies in particular must have this, or they simply will not last. Many mineral salts make water hard, primarily such as calcium and magnesium. If the GH of your source water is on the moderately hard to hard side, with a pH above 7, you are fine as is. If you have soft water, it is easy enough to use calcareous sand or fine gravel such as crushed coral and aragonite (together) either in the filter or as a substrate. Calcareous substances dissolve into the water, adding these essential minerals and raising the GH and pH. Crushed coral alone is not sufficient, as it is only calcium, and the other "hard" minerals are required too.
Provided your water is on the hard side, and here I would suggest the GH be no less than 10 dGH (= 180 ppm) but preferably above this, you will be fine with respect to water conditions and salt will not be necessary.
Byron.
