flounder

i just bought 4 lil black mollies yesterday and i can't wait to see some babies. i'm so new at this though. and i dont have those fancy tanks.mine's just a plastic aquarium,is this enough?

i have several questions and would appreciate any help:

1) how do i tell if a female is pregnant? i have 3 females.

2) i dont know if i bought the wrong type of food. i have not seen them eating so far,is this normal? its the little round red and green stuff. should i get flakes?

3) flounder sometimes goes ballistic and starts swimming in a squirmy way. am i doing something wrong or is it some weird mating swim-style?

4) do i have to get those oxygen crystals?

5) do i really need aquarium salt or is it optional? they dont use aquarium salt at the pet shop i bought them from.

flounder

oh,another question. i sleep in an air-conditioned room set to 20 degrees celcius. is this too cold for my fishies? is it better for them to be in the sunlight or out of it?

JustinT

First of all, your room shouldn't be too cold if you have a heater in your tank. If you don't have one, just pick one up at the petstore and follow the directions on the box for getting your tank to the right temperature. I go by Farenheit where I live and you'll want your tank around 75 degrees F. (I'm not sure what that is Celsius). I would keep your tank out of the sunlight just because it promotes algae growth. The light in your hood should be enough.

1)I think with mollies, you can tell they're pregnant just when they get really fat! I'm not sure how else to tell.

2)If your fish aren't eating, then definately try a different food. I use flake for my community tank.

3)I don't know about your fish swimming strangely. Sometimes it means they're sick, but sometimes they just swim crazy! I'd say, keep an eye on him and if he keeps acting up, you may want to isolate/medicate him.

4)What are oxygen crystals? (so, in other words...no, I have a successful tank without them.

5)Normally aquarium salt is used when a fish gets sick, or has fin rot, or open sores. Salt speeds up the healing process. You don't need salt otherwise. Some people may disagree, but I don't use it. Oh, and if you have a scaleless fish (like a catfish) don't put salt in at all...it will kill a scale-less fish.

If you have any other questions...ask away! And sorry it took a few days to respond...it's usually not like that. (I've been out of town.)

JustinT

Change of advice! I just read that mollies like a little bit of salt. Not much, but a little. How much you put in, of course, will be determined by the size of your tank. I would say, a tablespoon per 10 gallons?

fletch

Dont go without a heater, you shouldnt realy rely on air conditioning (you posh bugger) to keep your fish. Most tropicals like a temperature of between 20 and 27 degrees. Its also a good idea to have a heater just incase you go on holiday and the air conditioning fails.

0morrokh

Mollies will only thrive with some salt in their water. 1 Tablespoon per 5 gal is good. Trust me, you will know if your Molly is pregnant! They get really fat. You do know that Mollies have a taste for their babies, and the fry will only survive if there is dense planting? And if you don't have a heater, get one! They only cost $15-20 (US) for your size tank (get a 50 watt), and they are essential for maintaining a correct and stable temp for tropical fish. 74-78 F should work for Mollies. During feeding time, stay with your fish. Offer them some food. If they don't eat it, fish it out, as it will spoil the water. A nutritous diet includes tropical fish flakes (a couple brands if possible), freeze-dried or frozen (I prefer the first one) live foods (bloodworms and/or brine shrimp) and raw vegetables (such as lettuce, peas, zuccinni, cucumber.....). The veges are especially important for Mollies. They should be fed at the same time 2 times a day, only what they can finish in 3 minutes. After that, uneaten food should be removed. Have fun with feeding--they can learn to take food from your hand!