Ok I was a bad person. I went to get a couple more fish and didn't do my research first. I ended up picking up a book at Petsmart and that was my research. Talked me out of getting a Silver Dollar so I guess that was a good thing. Anyway, I ended up with a black molly and dalmation molly. Everything I read says they need aquarium salt. I have never used this before. Will my other fish be ok if I use it? I have tiger barbs, platies, and ottos. Do I really need to use the salt?
Molly question
- Thread starter stacic8679
- Start date
Some will say it's not neccessary but personally, and from my own experience, I've found that adding a bit of aquarium salt can reduce the risk of ich and fungal infections on mollies. I've had awful ich outbreaks in the past without a bit of aquarium salt in the water.
I'd say all your fish would be fine with the addition of salt apart from the ottos, which I don't think would appreciate it, they're notoriously hard to please and take a while establishing in an aquarium. See how it goes without salt for a while, you might be fine if you keep your aquarium pristine.
I'd say all your fish would be fine with the addition of salt apart from the ottos, which I don't think would appreciate it, they're notoriously hard to please and take a while establishing in an aquarium. See how it goes without salt for a while, you might be fine if you keep your aquarium pristine.
None of the other fish you have need salt, and otos cannot handle any. While mollies do best in brackish water, they can be kept in fresh more easily than the rest you already have can acclimate to brackish.
You have a bad mix of fish sadly. It would be better to return some to the fish store and keep what can be kept together. The mollies are the odd-balls in the group you have. The rest all can be kept in the same tank easily.
You have a bad mix of fish sadly. It would be better to return some to the fish store and keep what can be kept together. The mollies are the odd-balls in the group you have. The rest all can be kept in the same tank easily.
So what kind of fish do you recommend with the tiger barbs, platies, and ottos? I was trying to replace my gourami that died over the weekend. I have about 5" of fish available and I wanted something larger like a gourami or molly, you know like a centerpiece fish. I LOVED my gourami but from what I have read they are bred in bad conditions and usually end up with some sort of disease (like mine did after 3 months) so I wanted to stay clear of them.
as MadridKid indicated 
..Mollies are pretty hardy and can adapt fairly well. They will do OK but will not thrive without the added salt. When I first started with tanks, I had a general community tank with the standard 7.0 pH. I had a mix of mollies, angelfish, cardinal tetras and catfish. The mollies did fine even though their preferred pH is up around 7.6 and I never added salt until I went with a molly species specific tank.
..Mollies are pretty hardy and can adapt fairly well. They will do OK but will not thrive without the added salt. When I first started with tanks, I had a general community tank with the standard 7.0 pH. I had a mix of mollies, angelfish, cardinal tetras and catfish. The mollies did fine even though their preferred pH is up around 7.6 and I never added salt until I went with a molly species specific tank.Livebearers are very, uhm, prolific
If you have a male molly in the tank and your female is not yet pregnant, it won't take long. From what I have heard, gestation is around 45 days or so but can be as early as 30 days and as long as 60 days. It is harder to determine pregnancy in the Dalmatian and Black mollies until they start to "show." In other livebeares, like swordtails, you can actually see the gravid spot, the dark or orangey colored spot, in the fish's abdomen. An easy visual test of a mollie's "baby" status is to look down on her from above. The belly will round out..makes her look sort of like a little football.
If the molly is a new addition, the chances of her already being pregnant is pretty high, but is not a guarantee. Obviously, if you don't have a male molly in the tank, she isn't going to get pregnant if she isn't already.
If you have a male molly in the tank and your female is not yet pregnant, it won't take long. From what I have heard, gestation is around 45 days or so but can be as early as 30 days and as long as 60 days. It is harder to determine pregnancy in the Dalmatian and Black mollies until they start to "show." In other livebeares, like swordtails, you can actually see the gravid spot, the dark or orangey colored spot, in the fish's abdomen. An easy visual test of a mollie's "baby" status is to look down on her from above. The belly will round out..makes her look sort of like a little football.
If the molly is a new addition, the chances of her already being pregnant is pretty high, but is not a guarantee. Obviously, if you don't have a male molly in the tank, she isn't going to get pregnant if she isn't already.