New fish mom. Help!

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Tweetysmamma

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My dad had fish when he was growing up so he knows pretty much the basics of taking care of fish. My brother got these 2 from a friend that was moving & she said they was guppies but we think they might be mollies? Any ideas on what they are?

And the best live plants to get them??

They came in a 3 gallon plastic tank that had big rocks in the bottom (like one's you would find outside in your yard) & a piece of driftwood. Their water was so nasty you couldn't even see them in the tank. So we got a 5 gallon glass tank from Walmart that came with a light, & filter. & We used the same pump that they came with & bought new tubes for the air bubbles. Got gravel that is actually for fish. Sea Shell's. & A pirate ship for them to hide in. They seem really happy in there new home!

Big one on the left is Thunder, Little one on the right is Lightning
 

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Welcome to Fishforums.net. Sounds like you're giving your fish a good new home. Enjoy our forums.
 
Can we get some more pics? They look a little larger and fatter than guppies but hard to tell without anything else to compare them to. Anybody else?
 
Here's some kind of clearish pictures. They don't like getting pictures taken
 
They are definitely not guppies, but they don't look quite right for mollies either . Or platies or swordtails. Could they be one of the less common livebearers?

We need one of the livebearer specialists to take a look.
 
One thing I might mention is that as big and long as they look in the pictures (and I know how deceiving that can be), they probably need to be in at least a 10 gallon tank so they can swim a more lengthy distance. Definitely upgrade if you think about getting more fish. The website I was on actually recommended a 30 gallon tank for Mollies (if they get to 4" long) and a 20 gallon tank for most swordtails since they are a little smaller. I guess they like long distance swimming.

I haven't seen mollies since I was a kid, but looking at pictures in the online stores and comparing them to yours they look like mollies or swordtails to me. Total amateur opinion, I've never owned one. But even in a 5 gallon tank I'm sure they are 100% better off - thanks for taking them in. It's probably like wonderland to them!

I don't think mollies are particularly temperature sensitive, but depending on the temperature in your house this winter they may need a heater - I think they tolerate cooler water (upper 60's) ok but can also enjoy waters into the 70's and low 80's - sounds like they are a fairly easy fish to care for. So just a thought. Most heaters aren't too expensive - the cheaper ones just set the water temperature at 78 (a good temperature for tropical fish) but that may be warmer than they need so you might want an adjustable heater.

Congratulations on being a fish owner! You'll find there is plenty more stuff to buy and people like me always recommending it - at some point you just do what you can afford.
 
I think their mollies. I had them many years ago. The best temp is 72-78 degrees if I remember right. I would go on the net and check for info. Are you aware of how to cycle your tank? It is very important.
 
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I think their mollies. I had them many years ago. The best temp is 72-78 degrees if I remember right. I would go on the net and check for info. Are you aware of how to cycle your tank? It is very important.
My dad was talking about it a couple days ago but he never fully explained it :oops:

The only per I've ever owned is a parakeet & she's going to be 6 years old in February. My Dad is allergic to almost all pets except for birds & fish. My brother had a goldfish when he was little but then after he died dad said we couldn't have another pet :( They we found Tweety (my parakeet) in our front yard & we couldn't find her owners so he said we could keep her for a little bit. Every so often when I'm walking back into our living room where she's at I hear him talking to her even tho 'She's just a bird' :rolleyes: No dad she's family :D
 
I also had parakeets many years ago. I had two that would land on my finger and walk up my arm and sit on my shoulder. They would gently peck at my ears if I wasn't paying attention to them and yes I would talk to them too. I left their cage door open so they could fly in and out.
 

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