Molly Fish Care Sheet | Petmd

Molly fish overview

Mollies lives in fresh and good (or some salt) water throughout northern, southern and Central America. This care sheet describes basic care needs for a variety of Molly types, including:

Mollies are available in a variety of colors and patterns, and their color can change or fade with stress or age.

While some hobbyists recommend that mollusks can adapt to living in a full salt water aquarium over time, this is not recommended. Mollies are not native in salt water environments and should only be kept in a fresh water or brack aquarium.

Molly fishing properties

Molly Fish Supply Checklist

To keep a Molly happy and healthy, have these basic deliveries at hand:

If you decide to house a larger group of mollusks, you must provide at least three liters of extra tank space per fish in addition to your first two. For example, a school with four mollusks (which is also the recommended minimum school size) will need a 16-gallon aquarium or larger, such as Fluval Aquarium kits, 16-gal.

All aquariums must be secured with a mounted lid or roof to prevent fish from being fleeed and damaged. Always give the largest possible living environment, as water parameters are less stable in minor tanks.

Choosing tankers

Mollies should be stored in a group of at least four fish of the same species. They are of course social, so if the aquarium is spacious enough, a larger group is even better! If you decide to keep a school with mollusks, have a male for every three women in the tank to minimize aggressive behavior.

Although molluscs are of course docile, they can become aggressive when housed in the same aquarium as aggressive fish. However, they can be stored in a social tank if it is filled with fish that have peaceful temperament, including:

Gradually introduce new tankmates to an aquarium. Remember that the tank's ammonia, pH and nitrate levels will change when a new fish is introduced. Monitor these parameters carefully after adding new fish.

Do not keep fish in overcrowded aquariums, as these conditions often lead to stress and disease in the tank.

Filtration

A filter system is important for all aquariums. It keeps the tank clean, removes harmful toxins like ammonia and adds oxygen to the water so that the fish can breathe.

Choose a filter that provides slow to moderate water circulation, to mimic the currents found in Mollie's natural habitats. Power filters (also known as Hang-on-back filters) and external capsule filters are recommended because they offer effective mechanical, biological and chemical filtration and do not take up any space in an aquarium.

Tip: Your filter should be powerful enough to process all water in the tank at least four times an hour.

Water health

Test the aquarium's water regularly to ensure its pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels remain stable and secure. An aquarium test kit can quickly and accurately measure these important parameters.

Many Molly species benefit from the addition of freshwater salt. If you use it, keep the specific gravity of the water at 1.004, with no more than one +/- 0.001 change of 24 hours.

Examine the needs of your specific species of Molly before adding fresh water aquarium salt. Use a hydrometer or refractometer (salt level tester), as the immediate sea testing hydrometer for aquariums, to carefully monitor salt concentration and specific gravity.

While exact needs vary between species, most molluscs are thriving in water temperatures from 72 to 82 F. The temperature should not vary up or down more than 2 degrees in 24 hours.

Use an aquatic heater with a thermostat, such as the Tetra HT30 submersible aquarium heater and electronic thermostat, to keep the tank stable and check the water daily with a water thermometer.

When choosing a heater for their tank, you should have some things in mind:

Decor and accessories

Substrate

Line the bottom of a Molly's tank with 1 to 2 inches of freshwater sand or gravel. Always rinse the substrate with clean running water before adding it to the tank.

Plants, stones and hides decor

Mollies needs lots of hiding places to feel safe and secure. Both living and artificial plants work, although living plants also provide an extra source of food.

• Higher plants, such as Java Fern and Anubias, are ideal.

Cleaning and maintenance

Perform routine water changes (maximum 10-25% of the aquarium's total water volume) every two to four weeks. Remove a fed food from an aquarium daily with the help of a fine network network.

Avoid emptying and replacing the entire water volume of the aquarium, as it will remove the favorable bacteria in the tank that keep the habitat ecosystem healthy.

Most aquariums will need a complete cleaning once a month, depending on the number of fish and invertebrate animals in the tank.

Molly fish food

Mollies is omnivorous and thrives on a varied diet. Offer a mix of:

• Cereals

• Pellets

• Freeze -dried and frozen foods (thawed before feeding)

• Small amounts of algae, such as spirulina, algae or algae wafers

To stay healthy, molluscs need variation in their diet and should not be fed the same food every day.

Feed one to three times a day (depending on size/species) and only as much as they can consume within one or two minutes.

Remember: Never use a microwave oven to thaw or warm frozen food and never offer food that is still frozen. Discard any frozen food – does not loosen it, as it can encourage the growth of bacteria.

Molly Fish Veterinary Care

Annual care

If your Molly Tank is the correct size, maintained properly and you perform Routine water quality tests and water changes, you usually only need a veterinarian if a problem arises. Schedule A first check of your installation with a veterinarian within a week after setting up the tank. Find an aquatic veterinarian who calls, as transport can be very stressful for fish.

Signs of a healthy Molly include:

• Clear eyes

• Complete movement of fine movement

• Intact fins all the way to the edges without discoloration

• Regularly and active swimming pattern

• Large appetite

• Swims at the top of the water player

Contact your veterinarian if you notice any of the following in your Molly:

• Color changes

• Last swimming

• Decreasing fine edges with or without discoloration at the edges

• Decreased appetite for more than one day

• Itching

• Quick breathing, sometimes with flared gills

• Gill color changes

• Presence of lumps, bumps or masses

• White growth or spots of any kind

• Cloudy or bulging eye (s)

• Elevated scales

• Weight loss

• Bloating

Common Molly Fish Diseases include:

• Nice or tail root

• Dropy (Fluid-Filled Coelomic Cavity)

• Parasites

• Bacterial infections

• Cancer

• Ich

• Tip

• Fungi oral or skin infections

• Swimblower disorders