# Betta and Two Mollies?



## kcrcoylie (Aug 8, 2016)

So I have an older male betta fish in his own separate tank currently, but I'm hoping to move him into my community tank that has two male mollies and a plato in it. The mollies seem like they're not aggressive even though they're both males, but they do chase each other often though there's no biting involved. It takes him a bit of time to become aggressive with a mirror placed in front of him so I'm guessing he isn't very aggressive. I want the best for my betta, but I'm wondering if moving him into that larger tank would be better or worse for him. By the way, the tank is a 30-gal filtered tank, if that helps. There's a whole lot of space in there for more fish :grin2:


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Mollies can fin nip bettas. It's a chance you would take putting them together but it could work. I don't think you would know unless you tried and you should be prepared to observe and separate quickly if needed 


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

Plus mollies are hard water fish and bettas are soft water. Personally I dont trust any livebearer with bettas since they can be so nippy and nasty to a bettas fins


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Platy won't nip 


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> Plus mollies are hard water fish and bettas are soft water.


+1, Contrary to popular opinion this matters lots.



> The relationship of a fish to their aquatic environment is unlike that of a terrestrial animal. Fish have a much closer interactive relationship to the water than land animals have to air, meaning that fish are more affected by anything that is not "normal". To say that adding any substance to the water has not been detrimental to the fish is like saying that a person who lives in a tobacco-smoke filled house is not being affected. In both situations, the effect may be down the road. Read the blue citation in my signature.
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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

fernielou said:


> Platy won't nip
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


'
Platy can nip


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

I've had dozens and never had an issue even with rose petal and veil tail


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

My molly bothered my betta tons, poor girl betta was so bothered so I seperated them. The molly didn't take out bites of the tail, but the pestering and chasing is stressful, so unhealthy to keep them together. 

As babies, I raised a petco betta with some free mollies, when they are small they didn't bother each other, but as they grow, apparently the molly got bossy. Betta still lives in a community tank, the molly doesn't, not what most expect of the two.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

fernielou said:


> I've had dozens and never had an issue even with rose petal and veil tail
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


And thats prob why you had no problems, Because you had *dozens*.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Not all the same time. Usually 2-3. Betta aggression was more problematic. The only thing platy seem to study is mating. Some of the darker strains are mutts with swordtail and they can be more aggressive but the lighter ones I have never had any problems. 


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

In the 1980s, if I remember correctly, a majority of Cardinal, Neon, etc., were still live caught so it makes perfect sense they wouldn't do well in hard water. And considering the fish had lived several years before cut open it is almost positive they were experimenting on live-caught. However, today Cardinals and Neons, according to Rachel O'Leary, co-author of _101 Best Freshwater Nano Species_ and noted aquatic expert, are tank bred and often raised in waters unlike their native habitat and aren't adversely effected. My question to Rachel was specifically about Neon in my semi-hard water.


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