# Can I put mollies in the tank?



## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

I really want to put 1 or 2 mollies in the tank with Po. Its a 30L and hes by himself. If they arent flowy fins surely they will b ok???


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

That would be about 7gal....correct.....I would say no to the mollies in a 7gal tank...they get way too big and IMO they shouldn't even be kept in a 10gal....also mollies tend to do better in more brackish conditions-not that they can't do well in freshwater...they can...they just do better in brackish and a Betta wouldn't tolerate those conditions and still thrive.....

IMO...7.9gal you really don't have room for any fish tankmates along with the Betta...shrimp, snail or even AFD would work....however, I don't know anything about AFD's but see many folks keep them with Betta....shrimp and snails will add interest to the tank...but this can vary as far as the tolerance level of the Betta....some will not let shrimp live long and others could care less......


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

I dont know what an AFD is sorry!! But thanks for mollie advice


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

AFD-African dwarf frog....


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

I'm not feeling the frog thing but thanks


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Me neither...I like frogs lol....but I have never kept them in my aquarium.....I have read mixed reviews on them as well....some say easy and some say really hard to keep due to feeding problems......and they are often mixed up with the clawed frog and these get pretty big and will eat your fish.....lol....no thanks...laffs......

Have you thought about adding some shrimp and/or snails.....they can both be really interesting......but that can also depend on the Betta....like I posted earlier....some Bettas tolerate them and other do not.....


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm not totally sure what oldfishlady is saying is totally true.I have mollies not with my betta though.Some can only grow to be 1.5 to 2 inches long.The wal mart near me sells mollies and they are really small,but I would consider getting only females because males can sometimes become aggressive.Mollies do not ABSOLUTELY need brackish water because all of mine are in fresh water and are doing great.Just my two cents


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

bettafreak33 said:


> I'm not totally sure what oldfishlady is saying is totally true.I have mollies not with my betta though.Some can only grow to be 1.5 to 2 inches long.The wal mart near me sells mollies and they are really small,but I would consider getting only females because males can sometimes become aggressive.Mollies do not ABSOLUTELY need brackish water because all of mine are in fresh water and are doing great.Just my two cents


What isn't totally true?

And no one said they absolutely had to have brackish.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

You are correct...Mollies do not have to have brackish water, however, they will thrive much better in brackish than freshwater....

There is a difference in surviving and thriving......a fish can survive in the wrong conditions but rarely will they thrive.....

When you stock fish- you stock based on more than how big they will be as an adult and tank size...you also need to stock based on social needs, territory needs, water chemistry needs and compatibility.....even when all these needs are not met they can survive but they rarely thrive...its the hobbyist job and responsibility as the pet owner to try and meet their needs as best as they can.


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## dolphgal (Feb 21, 2011)

I have 3 mollies (also not with my betta) and I've actually had a few issues with them being aggressive to each other. They are getting quite big too. I do love them though, they are so friendly and excited to see me


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

A lot of the mollie fish care sites say 20 gallon minimum, BTW.


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

OK so we've established not mollies. If a bigger tank......platys or guppys??


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

What size are you thinking of?


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

Iv got a tank that is 50l im refurbing


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

That would be about 13gal......if you want lots of color and movement....guppies, at least a trio-2-females and 1-male and soon you will have lots of guppy fry....add a Betta in with them and they will help a little with population control...not much....but a little...usually less than what the female guppies will eat...they are limited on the size they can eat and the guppies are much faster than a male Betta especially with more space....harder for them to corner the fry.......

I keep lots of guppies- longtail fancy type with my Bettas and have never had any issues with the Bettas confusing species or thinking the guppy was a Betta due to their fins....this is often the other way around in some cases...in that the guppies nip the long fin Betta...especially when kept in the wrong size tank....this is usually when you will have problems....but this is usually with any species......

Platies are also a really nice livebearer that come in lots of different colors.......

You also have Endlers that are really colorful and fun to keep


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks  Uv been very helpful. I'll have to keep an eye out for a bigger tank to do up for the mollies :lol:


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## Cravenne (Dec 20, 2010)

Agreed about the guppies. I have ywo 'leftover' females in with one of my boys and they don't interact at all except at feeding time..

It's actually rather funny that they clamour and jump and bump eachother out of the way at feeding time.
I will say that some female guppies get very....cranky as they age. I haven't had any real fighting though.

Guppies are among my favourite fish for a lot of reasons..I think you'll really enjoy them AND the babies!


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

I know for a fact that my mollies are thriving.


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## Dragonlady (Nov 29, 2010)

For years, I have kept smaller types of mollies in a 20 gallon all female betta tank. I have never tried keeping mollies with male bettas, but I don't think it would be a good idea to put a fully grown sailfin male molly and a male betta in a 10 gallon tank together. ;-)


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

Dragonlady said:


> For years, I have kept smaller types of mollies in a 20 gallon all female betta tank. I have never tried keeping mollies with male bettas, but I don't think it would be a good idea to put a fully grown sailfin male molly and a male betta in a 10 gallon tank together. ;-)


 So it is okay to put a small molly in there right? If it were a female.


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

Oldfishlady said:


> You are correct...Mollies do not have to have brackish water, however, they will thrive much better in brackish than freshwater....
> 
> There is a difference in surviving and thriving......a fish can survive in the wrong conditions but rarely will they thrive.....
> 
> When you stock fish- you stock based on more than how big they will be as an adult and tank size...you also need to stock based on social needs, territory needs, water chemistry needs and compatibility.....even when all these needs are not met they can survive but they rarely thrive...its the hobbyist job and responsibility as the pet owner to try and meet their needs as best as they can.


 Mine are thriving.
How do I know that?:Their colors are VERY vivid,they are VERY active,they eat flakes,bloodworms,and algae wafers, they are in 125gal.tank,And I have about 20 molly fry.;-)


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

bettafreak33 said:


> Mine are thriving.
> How do I know that?:Their colors are VERY vivid,they are VERY active,they eat flakes,bloodworms,and algae wafers, they are in 125gal.tank,And I have about 20 molly fry.;-)


No one ever said they weren't.


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

Just sayin'.


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## kash (Feb 24, 2011)

*my betta with a mollie*

I've had a lone blue crowntail male betta in a 2.5 gal tank and thought it might be nice to add a friend for him. My local pet store said I could add a mollie so I chose a pretty gold dust mollie to stand out from my blue fish. I started the introduction and new there would be some resistance. My betta would swim up, puff himself all up, then swim off and seem to hide, but repeats this routine every little bit. I'm hesitant to put my mollie in there if it will be bad. How long after I put the mollie in would I be able to tell if my betta will accept him/her? I don't want anyone too traumatized or killed.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Mollies are schooling fish and need to be kept with multiple other mollies. A 2.5 gallon is too small for a betta to have fish tank mates. In a2.5 gallon you could add some shrimp or maybe a small snail, but be aware that the betta could try to eat them.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

kash said:


> I've had a lone blue crowntail male betta in a 2.5 gal tank and thought it might be nice to add a friend for him. My local pet store said I could add a mollie so I chose a pretty gold dust mollie to stand out from my blue fish. I started the introduction and new there would be some resistance. My betta would swim up, puff himself all up, then swim off and seem to hide, but repeats this routine every little bit. I'm hesitant to put my mollie in there if it will be bad. How long after I put the mollie in would I be able to tell if my betta will accept him/her? I don't want anyone too traumatized or killed.


You need to get at least a 20 gallon for your mollie and his necessary tank mates.


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## kash (Feb 24, 2011)

ok, I'll try something else. Thanks for the info - obviously my pet store was less than knowledgable.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

You should never trust anything pet store employees say, they usually are wrong. I am sure you can return the mollie though.


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