Betta Fish Forum banner

Molly or betta?

4K views 28 replies 11 participants last post by  Pearl2011  
#1 ·
So I have been planning on getting a 20 gallon tank, and have also been planning on putting a betta sorority in it.....but now I am getting increasingly interested in just getting a molly instead.....What should I do???
 
#3 ·
Well the reproducing thing wouldn't be a problem because I only want one....I'm thinking since they get so big I would have to get a 20gal long....if I get the bigger kind..... I don't know how much more research I can do....It's just a matter of deciding...I just want opinions of what people like better.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and not to be mean or anything, but it really upsets me when people tell me to do more research. I am a research FIEND and I look up everything for hours lol :)
 
#5 ·
Yeah I'm pretty sure the sail fins only get that big.

Are they boring though? Are they not spunky and cute like bettas?
 
#8 ·
After rescuing Sid the molly a few weeks ago I really will never have mollies on my own. Sid goes to his new home on friday and I'll be glad when he's gone. He constantly poos leaving tons of strings of poop everywhere which I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up. He's aggressive towards EVERYTHING! My plants are destroyed and to be honest, he's not as enjoyable to watch as my other fish. I think you have to be a molly person to appreciate them. But I am glad I rescued him because he's been in nice clean water and didn't meet the sticky end he would have even if we havn't seen eye to eye.

Oppinion on what you should go for? Betta sorority. :)
 
#9 ·
I had one male for a month, he constantly tried to mate with my male two spot blue gourami and the poor gourami was traumatized and hid in the constantly. Now 4 months later, and 3 months after giving the molly to a friend my gourami is mentally recovered.

finnfinnfriend
Are they boring though? Are they not spunky and cute like bettas?
I think they are a little boring with little character, but people who are fans of the molly and have had them longer will probably be able to tell you more about their character
 
#10 ·
My sister and I have had bother male and female mollies (and 30 baby mollies born the first night). The males tend to be overly aggressive. One of our males harassed the betta we had in with him so much the betta ended up shredding his fins. This same molly (Through better judgement from my sister this would never have occurred) was also beaten up by an angel as well as a freshwater aquarium shark (This kind: http://www.thatpetplace.com/freshwater-sharks-article).

Mollies are very hardy, but they're incredibly messy and destroy live plants quickly. I find they don't really have too much personality at all, and this is even with the mollies that I have raised from birth. Keeping both genders together, the male constantly harasses and bullies the females into mating, which can be annoying to watch happen as well.
 
#12 ·
Funny. The male molly was talking about was a black one.

Unfortunately our Dalmatian male passed away unexpectedly from unknown causes. Our silver female had some sort of deficiency resulting in shakes, a curved spine, and difficulty swimming. she passed on her own while we were trying to correct her diet. We've had very good survival rates from the fry, all of which are the general orange molly. Their mother had to be put down because of an unknown illness though.

If you do want to get a molly or a few of them, be sure to get them from a good source. I'm sure you already know how to tell male from female due to your research, but always be prepared to have babies and a lot of them sometime within 3 months of buying a female. they're pretty much guaranteed pregnant when you buy them since they don't separate genders.

Mollies are also not such a good community fish. They harass a lot regardless of gender (Males more so though) and they do produce an ungodly amount of waste for a fish their size.

Platys however have some more spunk tot hem and do well with bettas. Raised a fry in our sorority tank and she acted like one of the girls. They do eat live plants, but nowhere near as bad as a molly does and they can make quite a mess. Overall, I think a platy or a group of them along with a sorority would be very good together as well as entertaining for you.
 
#19 ·
Well I did just want to get one male and put him in in the 20 gallon all by himself. Then bullying and pregnancy wouldn't be a worry at all :). But from what I am hearing, they sound like little jerks, so now I'm still not sure.

Could I just get a single male platy?
 
#14 ·
I've found mollies to be worse in a community than any betta. They seem to harass other species to the point of death. My mother in law who I rescued Sid from had awful trouble with him where he harassed the balloon mollies to the point where 4 of them didn't come out ever, not even to eat and look like floating eyes because they are so malnourished and 2 actually died eventually. I took him because I couldn't see him terrorise them anymore and I new people who could take him willingly. He goes friday to a lady who breeds mollies and has room for a male. I actually said to people who wanted him I would only give him to people who had the correct ratio of male to female and no other tank mates.
 
#17 ·
Black mollies are very pretty, they look almost like black velvet I just don't like the personalities of them. They are sorta brutish. Shame because they can be so attractive.

Sid is bright white with a yellow tint to the tip of his dorsal. I called him Sid cause he reminds me of Sid Vicious and it fitted his brutish personality.
 
#22 ·
hmm....well if I want to get a group, then I would probably go with the sorority...

I can't decide!!!
 
#24 ·
My daughter has mollies. I got her 6 for a 20 gallon in her room and expected at least a few to die... she's 10 and this was her first solo tank, she feeds them, cleans them (with some supervision) and does water changes. So out of the six we got I thought she might end up with 2 or 3... Nope! All 6 are thriving and while they're still little now, I know I'll have to get another tank.. >.<

She has 4 normal dalmatian mollies (3 girls and a boy).. we call them "the puppies", because they really don't have personalities, they just like chasing fingers. Honestly I haven't found any personality to any of them.. they're kind of fun to watch interacting with each other and the tank, but they're not nearly as intriguing as a betta.

She also has 2 sail-fin mollies, a little black marble male and a HUGE white female. The female is so sweet but a little pushy. She watches my daughter do her homework.. just floats there by the glass watching, even when no one is interacting with her. The male probably has the most personality of them all. He sleeps in a cave, keeps the other fish in line, jumps for his food and follows fingers, but still... not even half as much fun as a betta, at least in my opinion.

I'd go with a sorority.. I LOVE mine. The girls are so much fun, they interact with each other and I spend a lot of time just watching them. They've each developed personalities, like Rosie who has an obsession with checking every single inch of the decorations for.. er.. something, and Princess who thinks she's in charge (when Tidbit isn't around) even though she's the smallest. By far, this is my favorite tank to watch.
 
#27 ·
A sorority would be a lot more fun. :) I like guppies because they act like puppies, following you around, and Endlers, because they have such funny antics and are so beautiful, but mollies and platies do nothing for me, really. There's always something going on in a sorority - plus, all those beautiful colours! :)
 
#29 ·
Get a sorority! Females bettas have sooo much spunk and make the tank look gorgeous! I have 4 in a ten gallon (was supposed to be five but turned out to be a male) and they have so much personality. They learn to recognize you and as soon as I turn on a light in my room they swim to the front of the glass. I love them!