Mollies/swordtails Swimming Against Glass

[callaghan]

I have 3 mollies, and 2 swordtails in a 10 gallon tank..

I just started with this hobby so bare with me! I have had these guys for about.. 3 weeks now and just got the swordtails a few days ago. I let the tank cycle and did everything the pet store told me to (big als)
anyway, all they usually do is swim up and down against the glass. it seems they dont do it as much but still wondering about it? i put some aquarium salt in it, 2 tbl spoons as i have read and learned that it reduces stress..

i called big als and they said there used to a 30 gallon tank from the store and that is probably the problem..

just getting a second opinion??
thanks guys


lee

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Callaghan. You have a very fully stocked tank there. I have a single adult molly in a 10 gallon as a birthing tank and she is acting the same way. Mollies and swords are both good swimmers that like lots of open space for swimming. In a small tank, it is not unusual to see them at the end of their swimming area trying to go further and looking for a way to keep going the same direction, beyond the glass. For sheer swimming room, I would look to get at least a 20 gallon tank for those particular fish. I know that is not always possible but they would seem happier in a longer tank.

I am glad you have cycled your tank for a month or more before adding any fish. That will save us trying to help you move through a fish-in cycle with all of its challenges. It can be done but is really not good for the fish. I am curious with the heavy stocking you have whether the ammonia and nitrites have stayed at none detectable in that tank. Even a good cycle might become marginal at first with that stocking level.

What you have read about salt is pretty much a fantasy of the salt maker's invention. It does get repeated in lots of places so no doubt you have read it more than one place. Salt can be a useful medication for some parasites but otherwise has no place in a freshwater tank. Some people will insist that salt is needed for mollies but what they really need is a fairly high pH and hard water. Salty / brackish water can often be used as a substitute for the proper water parameters but is not the same.