Can I put mollies in the tank?

[rachel1811]

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???

[Oldfishlady]

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......

[rachel1811]

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

[Oldfishlady]

AFD-African dwarf frog....

[rachel1811]

I'm not feeling the frog thing but thanks

[Oldfishlady]

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.....

[bettafreak33]

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

[turtle10]

Originally Posted by bettafreak33

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.

[Oldfishlady]

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.

[dolphgal]

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:)