Molly Size

[Rorie]

Hi, i have been desperately been trying to find out just how big mollys will get in a 90L tank, but i am getting so many conflicting answers....maybe some true molly owners will know the answer?

I have heard they can grow past 4 inches, but i dont want them taking over my whole tank - i want a community tank

Some advise and opinions please? I presume i should get 3 fish to start with to encourage breeding?

 

[Curiosity101]

It really depends on what type you buy. Some sailfin mollies can reach 3-4" easily.
It's not a case of 'how big will the grow in 'x' sized tank'. It's a case of getting the right sized molly for your size tank.

As you don't seem to want the larger mollies then stick the the smaller varieties, normal and balloons should be ok for you.

 

[Rorie]

Thats cool thanks.

I guess by 'normal' you mean non sailfin ones?

Can you give me an idea of roughly how big a 'normal' molly will grow?

How many would i need before they started breeding? It is one female and 2 males?

Thanks!

oooh, and i see you have khuli loaches..... i think they are really cool and i will get them once my tank has developed a bit more. I gather they do not grow very big, and are better in a group? As they hide all/most of the time, can i add them without worrying to much about how much room they take up? Obviously i wont go crazy and over stock though!

 

[Jenste]

for any livebearer you need a ratio of atleast 1 male to 2 females - - always have atleast double the amount of females as males, males can try mating with a female so much that they will exhaust her to the point of death - - more females means he spreads his attention around

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Rorie.
I find that many things enter into the potential size of mollies bedsides nominal full size numbers. I grow out my own molly fry in a nominal 55 gallon tank. That means that my own fish are seldom limited by any external factors. They grow, as you might expect from domestic strains, to about 2 inches SL. That does not mean that vyou cannot hqve fsh grow kargre than that. It merely means that it is th e na=mqaximum size that I HQVE WEEN