Question

[jade71301]

Can Platties, guppies and Mollies be in the same tank and get along? I have a 5 gal tank and only have 4 male fish in it 2 platties, one feeder guppy and one fancey guppy, and want to add maybe 2 mollies to the tank. They seem to have more character than other fish I have seen besides betta fish. I want fish with character lol Mine are soooooo boring Any other ideas of fish I can put in my tank that have Character? Thanks for your answers.

 

[VirgoWolf]

I think with a 5gal you are pretty much stocked. I would definitly avoid mollies in this setup, they just get too big for anything under a 20gal IMO. Even a 20gal is pushing it. Just stick with what you have in the 5gal unless you can upgrade.

 

[angel51431]

Heh character - what do you expect them to do, tell jokes? Really, swimming makes up the agenda of most fish.

They would all get along, yeah. But your tank really isn't big enough to fit anymore. I'd suggest you upgrade to at least a 10 gallon. First of all, you could afford to house more fish without expecting huge fluctuations in water chemistry levels as there tends to be in a small tank. Second, filter media that is available for a 10 gallon is much better than what is out there for tiny tanks. Better filter media also makes it easier to house more fish. A good powerful HOB filter is much better than sponge filters that are available for tiny tanks. Not that i should advocate it, but with good filter media and large consistent water changes, you could ever afford to overstock a little.

That goes to say that you could probably house five or six guppies in a 5 gal with no problem, since they're relatively small fish and don't create a huge amount of waste. But platies are bigger, which means messier, which means not comfortable in a small tank. Mollies are even more so. some mollies grow to four inches long! Also, it is recommended to keep mollies in a brackish tank, with a good amount of salt (especially sailfin mollies, it seems), which is not necessary for other livebearers.

Also, if you're really looking for "character" I'd suggest swordtails. They have the most attitude of the livebearers, imo. Well, they're active, they're fin nippers, and... the males have cool tails But again, definitely not for a 5 gallon tank.

 

[Fishrockmysox]

I agree with VirgoWolf. You don't need anything else in the 5gal. And plus the Mollies DO get too big. I had 2 or 3 in a 20g before and they were, in an odd way, begging for more room and they QUICKLY outgrew the tank o.o

 

[MissFishy]

As was said above, your 5 gallon is stocked if not overstocked as is, please don't try to add anything else to it. Upgrade to a 10 or 20g and you'll have a lot more interesting stocking options. If you really want to add something now, you could probably get away with a mystery snail. They're very fascinating. No more fish though.

 

[lauraj]

A good option for an entertaining fish, but that's only if you can upgrade to a 10 or 20 gallon, would be a school of cory catfish. They are definitely the most entertaining of all my fish! You do not have the room for them in your current tank though.

 

[jade71301]

Ok well I won't get anymore fish. I bought a oto cause my tank is full of green patched of algae. The oto was fin for a while, but then started hurting and picking the head of my cory fish, so gave him away. Now my tank is still full of algae and getting worse, and don't know how to get rid of it, or what is causing it. I scrub it off and in a week its back So I was thinking of getting another oto fish just am afraid it will attack my cory again. What should I do. I have a big huge snail in my tank already and it is not enough. If I got 2 otos do you think they will leave my cory alone? My tanks seems to be the only tank with the algae problem. My friends tanks are algaeless. I clean the tank and filter like I am supposed to. My parameters are fine. ARGH DUNNO WHAT TO DO ITS GETTING ME ANNOYED The light is on usually for a hour to 3 hours a day or i forget sometimes to put it on cause i work at night. I give them a pinch of food everyday so its not over feeding and I have red algae on my tank and its a aqua clear filter.

 

[MissFishy]

Hmm, sounds like that oto wasn't really an oto. Are you sure you didn't have a "chinese algae eater" instead of an oto? CAE are violent nasty fish that will definitely attack other fish in the tank, especially in a tank that small. Why not get a mystery snail to clean up the algae? But first things first, you need to figure out why you have an algae problem in the first place. Is your tank in direct sunlight for any portion of the day?

 

[jade71301]

My tank is on the left hand side when I walk in my bedroom. It is located in back of my bedroom door on a old dresser. No light hits it, cause the door blocks the light. Plus I only have sunlight in the morning on that side of the house. I clean the tank every 2 or 3 weeks I vacume and a week after vacuming I clean the filter by rinsing the spong and stuff with aquarium water. Water changes are every week cause water evaporates fast. I take about 2 tall cups of water out and add a jug or half a jug depending how much water is missing. When I vacume, I clean the algae off the glass but it is really hard to come off and it keeps coming back. Also forgot to mention I have tons of baby snails in my tank they came off a plant I bought last year and they keep multipying. You would think it would be algae free in that case but noooo Its all on the back glass and now starting on the front glass of the tank. Anyway dunno what else I can be doing wrong. Parameters are fine no changes. I am baffled and so are the people or experts I asked at the pet stores. Its almost depressing cause it keeps getting worse instead of better. Also about the otos they looked like small little clearish sharks to me lol With a line down his body and few small spots on him usually along the line on him. SO WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST I AM SUPPOSED TO DO?? Thanks for all that respond. I am ready to throw in the towel soon I am getting so fed up.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Otos have a sucker mouth and don't get much over an inch and a half long (or so). They are mostly white/gray with a black stripe down the side... shouldn't look like a shark because they don't have a pointy nose... they have a broad head. They do a nice job on algae clean-up, and you could have one in the 5g.

Is there anyone you can give the cory away to? They really need to be in a group and you don't have room...

How high are your nitrates? High nitrates act like fertilizer for plants (algae included), so can contribute to an algae problem. You can also try adding some real plants (stick with low light plants - java fern is a great one), to use up some of the nitrates before the algae can.

 

[jade71301]

I just did my nitrate test the result is 0 or 0.1 It looks clear to me the water after the test. Now about the Cory fish. Can't give it away cause had it too long past a year. He is doing fine, he plays with my guppies hehe. The oto did a fantastic job, too bad had to give him away cause he was picking away at my cory's head that the skin was peeling off. If I were to get 2 otos do u think it will leave my cory alone or am I better to wait till my cory dies to get one??

 

[MissFishy]

Like I said before, I think you had a CAE, not an oto. Oto's don't have "spots" they just have a solid black line down the sides. I suggest going to the store and getting an oto and see if that helps. Oto's will never pick on other fish, a CAE will kill other fish as it gets older, they get very aggressive. Here are pics:

CAE: Chinese algae eater - Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

Oto: Robyn's Otto Page

 

[jade71301]

u are right it is a chinese algae eater. Thanks for the pictures. My bf has him though in with his big sailfin mollies and is scared to attack any of the fish hehehe. I will get an oto when i get the chance to get to the store but you are 100% sure it won't hurt my cory? Also should I buy 2? THANK u sooooo much

 

[VirgoWolf]

Otos won't hurt anyone... I'd get 2, they really like company.

 

[MissFishy]

Otos are harmless and like company. I would get two, however, when the algae is gone, please make sure to throw some algae tablets in as those guys will starve quickly.

 

[jade71301]

Well I have done some thinking. Instead of getting an oto fish, I am going to tear apart my whole tank for 2 reasons. 1 The algae is soooo bad. and 2. MY snal infestation is getting out of hand. SO going to change the rock buy new plants and clean out the tank of the algae and stupid baby snails. I just hope I get them all cause don't want another infestation. I am telling you there are at least 50 or more baby snails in my tank. Then after all the new set up is done I will get one or maybe 2 otos. I need to buy a new bucket I guess to keep the tank water in when I do the clean up right? Or can I use new water, without changing the filter bags? Only rinsing the bags and filter with aquarium water before I out it back on the tank, to get those snails out of there. I need Tips PLease cause this is my first time changing the tank since when I started it a year and a half ago and don't want any fish to die. Thanks guys 4 all of your help and patience u are gr8.

 

[missdixie256]

You could always just leave them in the filter itself just make sure it doesn't come into contact with any clorinated tap water That will kill the bacteria and you start over from stone 1.

You can use fresh new dechlorinated water in the tank. I would. Keeping the old water wont help you if you are thinking it contains all of the necessary bacteria. Mostl of your bacteria is in your gravel and on your filters. If it were me I would keep little to none of the old water... JUST enough to keep my filters wet

 

[MissFishy]

This will be difficult because you want to keep your filter bacteria alive AND get rid of your snails. The issue here is that you could possibly have some snails on your filter. However, here's what I would do to minimize snails...

Fill a bucket with TREATED water at or close to your tank temp. Take out your filter media only, and put that in the bucket. Next, take out the fish and put them in the bucket. Now you want to remove everything from your tank and clean it out like crazy. I would use vinegar, but I'm sure others will have other suggestions, just NOT soap. You want to make sure to rinse and thoroughly dry everything that is going back in the tank, i.e. the filter intake, thermometer, heater, etc. to make sure no snails or snail eggs are on them. You don't want to leave your fish in the bucket for too long though, so make sure you can get all of this done within one time period.

 

[jade71301]

ok but the snail eggs are in little clear pouches with white dots in them , easy to see. I hope i get rid of everything. going tomorro to buy gravel anda new bucket. gravel color i want is purple and redish pink and i will mix the 2 i think it will look nice. plus going to get new plants too. Then next week on my day off i will do the big clean up. just hope its nice so i can use the hose outside to clean the tank and scrub it down.