Mollies, Salt + Communal Tank?

[electric yellow]

Ok...it is my birthday on Friday and one of my friends has given me fishies for my tanks

While i love my fishies...shes given me a selection of mollies in amongst.

Ive never had mollies before and have read through this forum that they require salt?

In my tank i have the following...

7 neons (present)
2 large gold gouramis
4 mollies (present) 2 black 2 spotty
1 dwarf blue gourami (present)
3 bristol nose plecs
2 large clown loaches
1 tiger barb
1 silver fox
1 albino corydora
2 feeder fish
2 rosy neons

3ft tank
ph: 7.0 neutral
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: 0ppm
external aqua one cf 700 filter
air stone
hippo air stone aswell
two plants and a tunnel
large peice of drift wood

Ive heard that you cant put salt in a tank with some of the fish i already have?

 

[5teady_2012]

Have the mollies been living in salt previous to you getting them?

They live fine without salt and most lfs tend not to use salt in thier tanks so there is not much point in changing thier way of living, your best not to put salt in your tanks anyways with some of those fish.

I have kept mollies a very long time throughout my time in the hobby and ive never used salt for them and they do great.

 

[mezzic]

As said by 5teady no salt, i've got molly's which are more than happy and breeding well.

 

[layne2000]

I agree.
If these Mollies have never lived in salt water then leave well alone.
All my Mollies live perfectly well in a normal unsalted tank and thrive and breed

 

[electric yellow]

One of the mollies died overnight...the two black ones seem to be settling in ok. They were eating this morning. The spotty one whos mate died has been pretty inactive today.

I dont know it died...the water was slightly acidic.

 

[shelaghfishface]

are you sure your test results are accurate?? u dont have a reading for nitrate

 

[omega59]

i have had mollies for a while now and i never add salt to my tank and they are all thriving... funny thriving more than some platies i have LOL!

 

[5teady_2012]

Just out of curiosity what test kit u using?

If your using a api liquid test, make sure you shake the number 2 bottle up really well (vigarously) and then do the test again..

If this bottle is not shaken well, you will get a reading of 0 nitrates, or very little.

If your using any other liquid tests, same thing, make sure you really shake the nitrate bottles up very well.

 

[shelaghfishface]

are you sure your test results are accurate?? u dont have a reading for nitrate

 

[OldMan47]

Mollies do not need salt in my experience but they do need hard water. They will not do well in soft water with a pH below 7.0. Where they will do well is with a pH between 7 and 8 and a hardness of at least 10 degrees. The same is true of many of the common livebearers but the mollies are more sensitive to soft water than most of them. The typical salt provides something that mollies do need and that is a high level of total dissolved solids, TDS. Salt made for saltwater aquariums also has a high pH so it will help that aspect of keeping mollies too. The trouble with salt is it makes it difficult for other freshwater fish to do well and kills lots of plants. Most fish do OK in higher pH and hard water but don't tolerate the salt as well as mollies.