Help! Molly chasing Betta?

[ekwerle]

I have a 29g tank that I inherited a little unexpectedly. There are:
2 ghost glass catfish (there were 3, 1 died)
1 peppered cory (I think)
1 black/orange guppy
1 betta, Remy

All of the fish except for Remy came with the tank. I checked several resources before adding him to the mix and for all intents and purposes, all the fish should get along just fine. Things have been going surprisingly well until today when I noticed the molly shadowing Remy relentlessly. I've quarantined the molly for fear that it (not sure if male/female) will exhaust Remy. Should I be concerned about the behavior? Is the molly trying to mate with Remy? Do I need to find a new home for the molly or add another molly? I really don't want to end up with molly babies. Has anyone had this happen before?? Not sure how to procede from here and I hate to leave the molly quarantined for too long...

[ekwerle]

I stayed up last night doing some research before I let the molly go free. He's a male, for sure. This morning he wasn't all up in Remy's grill -er, gills- and both fish looked fine, no stress.

[hedgehog]

I know you said your molly problem was under control but I wanted to let you know that cories are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least four of members of the same species.

[ekwerle]

Thanks! I read that last night while researching. =( The previous tank owner said he'd had all the fish for about 2.5 years, but he's only ever had the one cory. He (Pumba, the cory) appears extremely happy and well adjusted, but I'm hoping to talk to the fish expert at the local store this afternoon. I'd like to get him some company, and soon, if it would help him thrive and be even more content.

[diablo13]

Ok, I'll correct you with everything I see. In your list of fish, is it the Molly with all of those or including the Molly? If it's including it, is it a Molly or a Guppy? Glass Catfish need at least 6 in there, and it isn't prefer, they need. They get very stressed and might contract any number of diseases. I've heard of cories being alone, but they're really much happier in a group of 4+. And Mollies, I try to stress this, cannot be with bettas. They will hurt bettas( they get about 4 inches long) and they're brackish fish. They can live in freshwater, but they have shortened lifespans and they won't be happy. Good luck with your tank!

[hedgehog]

Diablo the same goes for cories. Cories when not kept in groups of at least four get very stressed which makes them more prone to disease. They also exhibit abnormal behaviors.

[diablo13]

YEs, sorry, I forgot that.

[ekwerle]

Thanks for the advice! I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't agreed to take on this tank on an impulse. Or at least that the previous owner had done more research. =/ But I'm learning as I go and hopefully I can try to do the right things for these guys!

Sorry, it's a molly, not a guppy. That was a mis-type. I am surprised that mollies shouldn't be with bettas though. I checked a few sites, this compatibility chart in particular: http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/f...lity_chart.cfm before adding my betta. Yesterday when I was panicking I asked my husband's best friend if they could re-home the molly for me. I'm not sure what kind of fish they have, but they're going to look into compatibility with what's in their tank and let me know.

So my next question is whether or not my 29 g can handle the addition of 3 more cories and 4-5 ghost glass catfish? Not all at once, but within the next month or so. It would bring the total #s to: 1 betta, 4 cories, 5-6 ghost glass. I don't want to overload the tank, but I would also like to give these guys optimal living conditions (i.e. their appropriate numbers for schooling). I can probably look into re-homing the ghost glass too, but I'm rather fond of them now!

Thanks for everyone's advice and patience, btw! I haven't had a tank in a LONG time and it seems there's a lot to catch up on.

[diablo13]

The thing most people don't get about Mollies is that they're brackish fish. They come from 2 completely different water types. I'll look into the stocking for you, what kind of filter do you have? And am I correct in saying it's a normal 29, 30" L, 12" W, and 18" H?

[ekwerle]

It's a bow-front; I think the measurements are about 24" L, 21" H and 15" at the widest. I have an Aqua Clear 30 which seems to be working pretty well.
Since I can't provide the right conditions for the molly I think I'm going to take him to a specialty fish shop near our house that will accept him. I'm pretty sure my husband's friend does not have the right tank conditions either and I'd rather him find a good home. =/ Thank you for looking into the stocking options! I'll keep researching and looking around.