JChacon

Today, I purchased 6 Mollies as well as 2 Zebra Fish. They are supposed to be compatible with eachother, but when I placed them in the aquarium together, the Mollies began to attack the much smaller Zebra Fish. It was actually a dalmation Molly that was nipping at the fins of one of the Zebra fish. Is there any way to actually train them or something to prevent the attacks, or should I just return the Zebra fish?

Also, I've made a ghetto "quarintine" area for the Zebra fish to stay in. It's basically a gallon-size Zip-Loc bag filled with the aquarium water and placed in the aquarium. I thought this could be a way for the fish to get used to eachother... but that would perhaps make the Mollies feel dominant since the Zebras are isolated to such a small space.

MaddieLynn

What do you mean by "zebra fish"? Do you mean Zebra Danios?

If your tank is only 1 day old, like it says on your profile, with that many fish you will have about a 99.9% chance of losing at LEAST one because of the nirtogen cycle not being completed.

If it were me, I'd take back both of the zebras. Also, 6-10 mollies will be too many. They can grow to 4 inches, but the normal size is about 3, so with 6, you'd have 18 inches of fish and with 10 you'd have 30. I'd reccommend only 4 mollies for that size.

catfishlover123

Well, when my gourami attacked my cory, I tried to build a divider but it didn't work. Then after a couple days, my gourami stopped. I hope your fish stop fighting with each other.

Barbrella

Is the 16 gal listed in your info? If so, it's WAY too small for all those mollies, never mind anything else.

These two species ( I assume you mean Zebra Danios?) should be compatible but if the zebras are very small, the Mollies may see them as food.

Danios shouldn't be kept as a pair. At least 5 or 6 is good for a school.

The most you can keep in this tank is maybe 2 mollies and 5 zebras, so you might want to return all the other fish unless you're planning to get a bigger tank. Mollies, like all livebearers, are heavy polluters of water, so fewer of them can be kept than say, tetras.

Not to mention that mollies will breed non-stop and your tank will soon be overflowing with them.

ETA: You beat me, Maddielynn!

Did you cycle this tank before adding all these fish?

catfishlover123

I agree with MaddieLynn. Your fish will probably die because you didn't cycle it. But I think danios are hardy fish and might live through the cycle.

agabr123

agreed, you're definitely overstocked in your 16 gallon which is probably why you're seeing the aggression. i'd either just stick with four mollies in the tank and no zebra danios, or i'd go with the school of zebras and maybe one or two mollies

since you're probably not cycled as your tank has only been set up for a day, i'd recommend doing 50% daily water changes with a water conditioner like Prime or stress coat +. here are some articles to give you a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle
http://www.fishlore.com/Articles/TheNitrogenCycle.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

i'd also get a test kit if you don't have one already, API freshwater master test kit is a little on the pricey side but will last a whole lot longer than the strips and is also much more accurate. that will allow you to keep track of the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in your tank

EDIT: lol, ninja'd!

JChacon

Alright, I'll check the nitrogen cycle out. Thankfully, my cousin is big on pet fish and he offered to take them in for now.

catfishlover123

Thats a relief! Although I read in the article in the nitrogen cycle that some people use zebra danios to start the nitorgen cycle.

JChacon

Yeah, I just read the nitrogen cycle article. My cousin is coming by right now to drop off a tank that's already set up and he's going to help me with it



Although he got really mad at me for not doing it Thanks for the help guys!

catfishlover123

Your welcome.