Mollys and aquarium salt...

[OohFeeshy]

I read in a book that mollies can develop whitespot like symptoms in FW, but I don't think that's true. I'm getting a silver molly for my albino/hybrid project and she will be in FW.

 

[morgan]

If it helps, none of my Mollies or any other fish have ever had whitespot and I never use salt. I have Dalmation Mollies.

 

[black angel]

if you dont want your mollies in salt then dont salt, but in my experience most types of molly do prefer their water at least with a bit of salt in it. i'm not talking aquarium salt but tonic salt which has added minerals in it.
in the wild mollies live in both brackish and freshwater yes, but did the article tell you that the freshwater carries natural salts which carry the minerals mollies need?

 

[Opcn]

The mollies you get have been bred for generations in relatively salt free fish farms, Just like cardinal tetras and neons from florida they can survive for a while (long enought to breed a few times of course) without any apperent problems, but they would be more at home in there natural environment, Mollies are light brackish to Full salt fish in nature, they are rarely found in full on fresh water. Sure I suppose by some deffinitions they dont need salt, but as fish keepers we need to do what we can to keep them healthily and that includes salting there water IMO, just as keeping oscars involves keeping them in something bigger than 55 gallons, sure it works and the fish lives, for a while, but it is by no means a good way to live. Mollies without salt seems like a very newby thing to do IMO, as fish keepers we try and recreat there natural habitat, if you don't like the habitat dont get the fish.