What to put with mollies

[Jor124dan]

Attached is my water parameters for my 40 gal tank. Tank is 30in by 15in by 24in high. I have a aquaclear 70 hob filter. I was wondering what I could put with mollies as for a bottom feeder, or something for the algae, or both ! I know I have high ph and was trying to find something what would go well with mollies. I also know my water is more on the soft side. I had livebearers in the past and they did fine. Other fish not so much. (Reason why I'm asking.)

Also im not 100 % sure if i want mollies or platies. Is one better then the other please let me know. I am planing on breeding.

 

[AilyNC]

The tank is little small for Molly. They need 36" length for enough swim space.

Looks like you water is 75ppm Molly & Endlers need 268ppm. Platy need 179ppm. Guppies need 143ppm. So none of these livebearers are suited to your water.

With your high ph and soft water I'm not sure what would suited.

Any ideas @NCaquatics @essjay @Ch4rlie @Colin_T ?

 

[CassCats]

Since your water is soft, if you wanted livebearers, go with Seachem Equilibrium to bring your GH up enough for guppies and platies. Id choose one or the other in this tank. But this is one of the only ways you can keep livebearers longterm.
Ive suggested in your other thread you opened that ghost shrimp would be a good bottom dweller for your tank.

Yes too small for mollies, who get really large for this footprint. Id choose a livebearer platies and smaller.

If you dont want to go the Equilibrium route, corydoras aeneus would do fine with your GH and pH. But you can't do livebearers and would have to choose a softwater fish up top. But to keep cories or other bottom dwellers, you need to change your gravel to sand.

 

[Jor124dan]

Since your water is soft, if you wanted livebearers, go with Seachem Equilibrium to bring your GH up enough for guppies and platies. Id choose one or the other in this tank. But this is one of the only ways you can keep livebearers longterm.
Ive suggested in your other thread you opened that ghost shrimp would be a good bottom dweller for your tank.

Yes too small for mollies, who get really large for this footprint. Id choose a livebearer platies and smaller.

If you dont want to go the Equilibrium route, corydoras aeneus would do fine with your GH and pH. But you can't do livebearers and would have to choose a softwater fish up top. But to keep cories or other bottom dwellers, you need to change your gravel to sand.

Ok thats good advice ill look into. If u were to keep a more soft water fish what are some examples u suggest?

 

[Jor124dan]

Ok thats good advice ill look into. If u were to keep a more soft water fish what are some examples u suggest?

Open for anything that would work well with my water if need be

 

[CassCats]

Ok thats good advice ill look into. If u were to keep a more soft water fish what are some examples u suggest?

Are you looking for breeding or just to keep?

Easy to breed outside of livebearers are cories, many spawn easily and the fry are a little easier to raise than smaller egg layer babies.

But without hardening your water, that leaves out most "easier" species.
If you can get your GH up over 90ppm you could go with ricefish which breed easy.

Unless you can find the mekong ricefish, which can go a bit on the lower GH side.

Oryzias mekongensis – Mekong Ricefish — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

But I think that will be hard to find.

Again if you brought your GH up to over 90, you could also keep least killifish which is a livebearer, which is a guppy relative, just very tiny.


But if breeding is something you will want to pursue with challenge, look into neon tetras, celestial pearl danios, microdevario kubotai, sparkling gouramis, etc.

 

[HoldenOn]

Are you looking for breeding or just to keep?

Easy to breed outside of livebearers are cories, many spawn easily and the fry are a little easier to raise than smaller egg layer babies.

But without hardening your water, that leaves out most "easier" species.
If you can get your GH up over 90ppm you could go with ricefish which breed easy.

Unless you can find the mekong ricefish, which can go a bit on the lower GH side.

Oryzias mekongensis – Mekong Ricefish — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

But I think that will be hard to find.

Again if you brought your GH up to over 90, you could also keep least killifish which is a livebearer, which is a guppy relative, just very tiny.


But if breeding is something you will want to pursue with challenge, look into neon tetras, celestial pearl danios, microdevario kubotai, sparkling gouramis, etc.

Dwarf cichlids are easy to breed .

 

[CassCats]

Dwarf cichlids are easy to breed .

True, and with the low GH id bet german blue rams would be over the moon in their tank.

If thats the case, scrap the corydoras idea and get a pair of German blue rams. They need temperatures above 80F so that will limit stock options for upper level though given also the footprint. And most cories cant do over 80F longterm.

Plus a breeding pair of rams, the cories would be a problem since they share the same area.

 

[HoldenOn]

True, and with the low GH id bet german blue rams would be over the moon in their tank.

If thats the case, scrap the corydoras idea and get a pair of German blue rams. They need temperatures above 80F so that will limit stock options for upper level though given also the footprint. And most cories cant do over 80F longterm.

Plus a breeding pair of rams, the cories would be a problem since they share the same area.

That'd be cool! Only problem would be getting your hands on a pair. You could ask the fish store if you could get 6 babys, post a video after a week or so, and then we could tell you which are bonded and you could take back the rest. You could get neons for tank mates .

 

[CassCats]

That'd be cool! Only problem would be getting your hands on a pair. You could ask the fish store if you could get 6 babys, post a video after a week or so, and then we could tell you which are bonded and you could take back the rest. You could get neons for tank mates .

Neons need cooler than 78F so wouldn't work with German blue rams.

Id go cardinal tetras instead who like it warm

 

[HoldenOn]

Neons need cooler than 78F so wouldn't work with German blue rams.

Id go cardinal tetras instead who like it warm

I couldn't remember if it was neons or cardinals, thanks !

 

[CassCats]

I couldn't remember if it was neons or cardinals, thanks !

Evolution made them look too much alike lol

 

[Jor124dan]

Are you looking for breeding or just to keep?

Easy to breed outside of livebearers are cories, many spawn easily and the fry are a little easier to raise than smaller egg layer babies.

But without hardening your water, that leaves out most "easier" species.
If you can get your GH up over 90ppm you could go with ricefish which breed easy.

Unless you can find the mekong ricefish, which can go a bit on the lower GH side.

Oryzias mekongensis – Mekong Ricefish — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

But I think that will be hard to find.

Again if you brought your GH up to over 90, you could also keep least killifish which is a livebearer, which is a guppy relative, just very tiny.


But if breeding is something you will want to pursue with challenge, look into neon tetras, celestial pearl danios, microdevario kubotai, sparkling gouramis, etc.

Thanks for the info. If I were to "just to keep" and not breed what would be some options?

 

[Jor124dan]

True, and with the low GH id bet german blue rams would be over the moon in their tank.

If thats the case, scrap the corydoras idea and get a pair of German blue rams. They need temperatures above 80F so that will limit stock options for upper level though given also the footprint. And most cories cant do over 80F longterm.

Plus a breeding pair of rams, the cories would be a problem since they share the same area.

Would you have to get a pair of German blue rams or can you do just males? Only other thing would be they stay more to the bottom with the tall tank that i have.