Mollys

[mypapercuthurts]

Well i've had my mollies for a while and my female has not gotten pregnant. It has been over a month and no fry or any sign of pregnancy. My male has on several occasion courted her but to no avail.
What is wrong? I have introduced more females into the tank and hopefully I will have fry.

 

[Annastasia]

Adding more females is a good start. What are your parameters, and are you keeping them in salt?

 

[mypapercuthurts]

I dont know what my parameters are. I cant add salt because of the loaches. (or can I?)
The water temperature is good for breeding.

 

[Annastasia]

No, you can't add salt with the Loaches. Would you be willing to look into another tank? Because Mollies really need to be in Brackish water to thrive. Stress from being in fresh could be causing your female issues with getting pregnant too. How often do you do water changes?

 

[mypapercuthurts]

Like every two weeks or so. But i seriously doubt another tank because im just 14(various reasons).
I have real plants and plenty of rocks if that effects anything.

For salt, golden algae eaters will take it too? and how much for the loaches?
Thanks

 

[mypapercuthurts]

Bump

 

[millym]

hi
do not add salt if you have loaches in the tank.they are 'scaleless' fish and DO NOT tolerate salt & you may kill them.
its true mollies do best in salted water but they can and do live quite happily in freshwater, they just be a little more prone to outbreaks of fungus etc in freshwater. we have mollies in freshwater & they have been there over 2 years & apart from 2 minor dustings of fungus on the female a couple of times after shed given birth (for which i moved her into our hosp tank & put salt in with her for a couple of days cured it quickly) they are healthy & happy.

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Recently my Daughter wanted me to buy a Black Balloon Molly for my Community Tank setup, as fathers do I weakened. I have no other Mollies in the tank, but after about 2 weeks she gave birth to about 25 young !!
I made the mistake of not netting them out quick enough, and most got sucked into my external power filter.
I started to rear the rest in a fry seperator unit floating in the main tank, as I heard that the mother can sometimes eat the young.
After about another month or so she gave birth again to around 25 fry again. This time I was quicker at netting out the young.
I can only assume that Mollies can hold the male sperm and use it when needed? or was it an imaculate conception? She must have been pregnant when we brought her from the aquatic store, and judging by the colour of the young she must have mated with a silver or white Molly as the fry are various colurs, not just jet black as the mother.
I dont know if you live anywhere near me, but you are welcome to some fry if you want some?
I wont be able to release into my main tank as I have Angels that will snack big time at their current size.
By the way I know Mollys are brackish water, but I use no salt and mine appear to be in good health.

 

[nmonks]

Arggh!

Intolerance to salt has _nothing_ to do with whether a fish has scales. It is to do with whether the fish is a "primary freshwater fish" or a "secondary freshwater fish". The former evolved in freshwater and have little tolerance for salt while the latter evolved from marine ancestors and have a high tolerance for salt.

Thus, there are fish without scales can be adapted to brackish or marine conditions, such as true eels and pufferfish, and fishes with scales that will die if put in brackish or seawater, such as gouramis and tetras.

The idea that somehow salt "burns" fish is nonsense. Salt kills fish not adapted to it by drawing out the water from their cells. Conversely, a marine fish put in freshwater "drowns" because its cells fill up with water that it is unable to get rid of.

Livebearers evolved from marine ancestors and have a high tolerance for salt. Mollies can easily be adapted to marine conditions, while guppies and Endlers can be adapted to seawater if you do it slowly. Swordtails and platies will take anything up to half strength seawater, but this isn't recommended. Likewise freshwater halfbeaks will tolerate brackish water, and indeed most halfbeaks are marine fish.

Cheers,

Neale

do not add salt if you have loaches in the tank.they are 'scaleless' fish and DO NOT tolerate salt & you may kill them.

By the way I know Mollys are brackish water, but I use no salt and mine appear to be in good health.

Just wait... sooner or later, you'll notice a patch of white on the skin, or a slightly mouldy bit of fin membrane. Assuming you have the same water as I do in Berkhamsted, the Tring water supply is hard and alkaline, and that will help somewhat. But if you are keeping the molly only with other livebearers, consider adding a little marine aquarium salt, something like 2-5 grammes per litre. Your livebearers will all be pleased you did, and you'll save a lot of money (and lives) over the long term.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Hi Neale

Your right, megga hard water in Tring. Unfortunately my other fish probably would not like salt (clown loach, neons, leopard catfish, bristle nose plec, rummy nose tetra, angels).
Where is your favourite local Aquatic supplier in the area? I go as far as Maidenhead Aquatics in Oxford for my fish, and Hobby fish in MK for my plants and supplies.
regards

Brian

 

[nmonks]

Hello Brian,

Well, in my opinion, this region of Herts is a desert as far as good aquarium shops go. There are two places near St. Albans that are good, a Hertfordshire Fisheries at How Wood (I think) and the big Maidenhead Aquatics. There's a little shop in Hemel which is OK for the basics, but it's a goldfish bowl kind of place really, and for whatever reason, the brand of bloodworms they get, my fish don't like!!!

World of Water in Watford is just plain bad. Sick fish, overstocked tanks, inexpert staff. Fine for heaters and filters, but I'd not buy fish there. I'm sure there used to be a place in Tring, maybe 10 years ago, but I think it has been gone now for quite a while.

I usually end up shopping in London or going on jaunts to places like Enfield.

Yes, you're quite right, the rest of your fish wouldn't like the salt! Best to just keep an eye on the molly, and perhaps consider getting another tank just for some mollies down the line. They really do better in salty water.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[millym]

Arggh!

Intolerance to salt has _nothing_ to do with whether a fish has scales. It is to do with whether the fish is a "primary freshwater fish" or a "secondary freshwater fish". The former evolved in freshwater and have little tolerance for salt while the latter evolved from marine ancestors and have a high tolerance for

thanks for the info neale...........i dont pretend to be an expert on anything fishy by any means and as for having tertiary education in anything other than human biology........ definitely no, i learnt from people on this forum that salt is not tolerated by scaleless fish such as loaches and i was only trying to emphasise to the poster that putting the salt in with the loaches he/she has is not a good idea.
i would not recommend keeping mollies in freshwater either my other half appeared one day with the mollies we now have and it wasnt until i did some research later on that i found out they should really be in brackish water but i dont like returning fish to lfs unless there is absolutely no alternative so after more research found out that although not ideal it is poss to keep mollies in freshwater.
if my mollies were continually sick & unhealthy/unhappy i would not be keeping them i would either try & squeeze another tank into our teeny flat or rehome them.
but its always good to learn more accurate info which is why i use this forum.