Two male black Mollies in a 5 gallon, I really want to liven the tank up

[Lilputian]

Hello! I’m super new to fish keeping and did the bad newcomer thing and bought a tank that fit my space and then put whatever fish was pretty into it. The three guppies got too stressed out and died, so now I have the two male black mollies left (happy I think). I’ve read that they should be in a bigger tank and I’ve also read that it’s okay for up to four of them in a 5 gal and blah blah blah, so I thought I’d just ask for help myself. If I have these two guys in here (a 5 gallon filtered and heated) already, who can I add to the tank to liven it up? I had planned on guppies again but wondered if I should go for something else. A beta? A platy or two? I read so many mixed reviews on everything that I have no idea what I can do while trying to also be a good caretaker!
Edit: The tank is cycled and all levels are good, nitrites and nitrates are at 0, ph is at 7.5, and there is no ammonia present. The water is kept at 78 degrees but has an oxygen thing in it (I forgot the term). I do 50% water changes every week. This is the tank:

 

[UnknownFishies]

No bettas. They are aggressive and will likely kill the fish. Maybe some nerite snails would be good for the tank or some cherry or amano shrimp. Mollies should be kept in groups of 5 or more so idk if you should get more. If you post pics and give us the dimensions of the tank i’m sure someone with more experience than me is likely to give you a better answer.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

No bettas. They are aggressive and will likely kill the fish. Maybe some nerite snails would be good for the tank or some cherry or amano shrimp. Mollies should be kept in groups of 5 or more so idk if you should get more. If you post pics and give us the dimensions of the tank i’m sure someone with more experience than me is likely to give you a better answer.

Mollies don't need a group of five or more, they're not a schooling/schoaling species

Sometimes a small-ish group can help disperse territorial/pecking order squabbling in a male only livebearer group, but it's not always necessary if the males are mellow

Hi OP! Welcome to the hobby and the forum!
The mistakes you've made as a beginner are so super common, so don't feel too bad, you're not alone! So many of us decide we just want a little, simple fish tank, only to find out that it's way more involved than it seems, and the learning curve in this hobby is really steep at first! But you're doing well in knowing about the cycle and water parameters like ammonia/nitrite/nitrate - you've clearly been doing your research

Your mollies look like youngsters, so you have a little time (not long, they grow fast!) but a little time before they're going to need something bigger. Are you able to upgrade to a larger tank? Only mollies can get relatively large. I'm mourning my black molly trio who passed away of old age over the last few months, more than five years old, they were easily four inches long;

Those big black/silver dappled fish? Those are the large mollies, compare them to the adult male guppy above them.. mollies can get really big! These three lived in a 57 gallon tank,and used all of it.

You can keep them in a smaller tank than that of course, just to illustrate that they really will need a larger tank in order to grow properly and live a long healthy life. Mollies are also strong swimmers and active, curious fish, so really need the space to stretch their fins. I wouldn't personally keep them in less than a 20-30 gallon tank.

If you can upgrade to a larger tank, you'll have a lot more options for fish to keep with the boys you have! A five gallon really isn't large enough to keep many species or many individual fipsh I'm afraid. You could potentially add a snail or two, or shrimp if you provide a lot of plant cover and hides, since mollies are pretty greedy and are likely to pick off the young shrimplets, and maybe the adults too.... expensive fish food! Then again, the adults might be okay, especially since your mollies haven't reached the size of my beasties in the above photo.

Also apart from Bettas being pretty territorial and aggressive, also bear in mind that mollies are a hardwater fish, they like water with a GH of 250ppm or more, while bettas need much softer water. Not ones to keep in the same water. Do you know what the GH of your water is? That can help narrow down which fish would be best suited for your water.

 

[UnknownFishies]

Mollies don't need a group of five or more, they're not a schooling/schoaling species

Sometimes a small-ish group can help disperse territorial/pecking order squabbling in a male only livebearer group, but it's not always necessary if the males are mellow

Hi OP! Welcome to the hobby and the forum!
The mistakes you've made as a beginner are so super common, so don't feel too bad, you're not alone! So many of us decide we just want a little, simple fish tank, only to find out that it's way more involved than it seems, and the learning curve in this hobby is really steep at first! But you're doing well in knowing about the cycle and water parameters like ammonia/nitrite/nitrate - you've clearly been doing your research

Your mollies look like youngsters, so you have a little time (not long, they grow fast!) but a little time before they're going to need something bigger. Are you able to upgrade to a larger tank? Only mollies can get relatively large. I'm mourning my black molly trio who passed away of old age over the last few months, more than five years old, they were easily four inches long;
View attachment 132942
Those big black/silver dappled fish? Those are the large mollies, compare them to the adult male guppy above them.. mollies can get really big! These three lived in a 57 gallon tank,and used all of it.

You can keep them in a smaller tank than that of course, just to illustrate that they really will need a larger tank in order to grow properly and live a long healthy life. Mollies are also strong swimmers and active, curious fish, so really need the space to stretch their fins. I wouldn't personally keep them in less than a 20-30 gallon tank.

If you can upgrade to a larger tank, you'll have a lot more options for fish to keep with the boys you have! A five gallon really isn't large enough to keep many species or many individual fipsh I'm afraid. You could potentially add a snail or two, or shrimp if you provide a lot of plant cover and hides, since mollies are pretty greedy and are likely to pick off the young shrimplets, and maybe the adults too.... expensive fish food! Then again, the adults might be okay, especially since your mollies haven't reached the size of my beasties in the above photo.

Also apart from Bettas being pretty territorial and aggressive, also bear in mind that mollies are a hardwater fish, they like water with a GH of 250ppm or more, while bettas need much softer water. Not ones to keep in the same water. Do you know what the GH of your water is? That can help narrow down which fish would be best suited for your water.

I honestly thought they were a schooling fish?. Good to know they aren’t.

 

[Sgooosh]

Hello! I’m super new to fish keeping and did the bad newcomer thing and bought a tank that fit my space and then put whatever fish was pretty into it. The three guppies got too stressed out and died, so now I have the two male black mollies left (happy I think). I’ve read that they should be in a bigger tank and I’ve also read that it’s okay for up to four of them in a 5 gal and blah blah blah, so I thought I’d just ask for help myself. If I have these two guys in here (a 5 gallon filtered and heated) already, who can I add to the tank to liven it up? I had planned on guppies again but wondered if I should go for something else. A beta? A platy or two? I read so many mixed reviews on everything that I have no idea what I can do while trying to also be a good caretaker!
Edit: The tank is cycled and all levels are good, nitrites and nitrates are at 0, ph is at 7.5, and there is no ammonia present. The water is kept at 78 degrees but has an oxygen thing in it (I forgot the term). I do 50% water changes every week. This is the tank:View attachment 132937

5g is too small for those little guys when they grow up, so i would not add anything.
bettas prefer soft water
livebearers need hard water....

what is your ph and gh?




sorry i did not read other threads

 

[fish48]

get your facts right bettas don't need soft water they prefer soft water

 

[Sgooosh]

get your facts right bettas don't need soft water they prefer soft water

there ya go, i editied it