Anyone actually have mollies?

NotFishyFishGuy

There’s a reason I’m broke now...
View Badges
Joined
Jan 12, 2019
Messages
975
Reaction score
1,199
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I’ve read about this for a while now and mollies can become fully saltwater if acclimated SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. However, I haven’t actually seen a reef or saltwater aquarium that actually has mollies in them. Anyone have them? If so pls post pics I’d be interested to see them
 

Tamberav

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
9,550
Reaction score
14,629
Location
Wauwatosa, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Jedimasterben on here and nano-reef usually has a single molly in his tanks.
 

jent

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
300
Reaction score
156
Location
Colorado
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tried to very slowly aclimate mollies to saltwater for my frag tank (I hear they are amazing at eating algae). However I think the high flow in my frag tank was always too much, they would hide in the low flow areas and eventually after a few days to a week surcome to it.
 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,466
Reaction score
164,293
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
So I’ve read about this for a while now and mollies can become fully saltwater if acclimated SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. However, I haven’t actually seen a reef or saltwater aquarium that actually has mollies in them. Anyone have them? If so pls post pics I’d be interested to see them

I don't have any at the moment but I have in the past. Are you wondering if it is a fairy tale or a unicorn?
 

Dr. Dendrostein

Marine fish monthly
View Badges
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
9,581
Reaction score
20,789
Location
Fullerton, California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I’ve read about this for a while now and mollies can become fully saltwater if acclimated SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. However, I haven’t actually seen a reef or saltwater aquarium that actually has mollies in them. Anyone have them? If so pls post pics I’d be interested to see them
When I started a little over a year ago I tried to acclimate mollies into my refugium I think I acclimated 2 fast cuz they died quickly
 
U

User1

Guest
View Badges
I used to keep them in the sump and raise the babies for use as live food

I feel so guilty for liking this post but this is actually a grand idea. Don't get me wrong, I like what you wrote but the whole use as live food bit upon first read is a bit dark - even for the mollies :)
 
OP
OP
NotFishyFishGuy

NotFishyFishGuy

There’s a reason I’m broke now...
View Badges
Joined
Jan 12, 2019
Messages
975
Reaction score
1,199
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tried to very slowly aclimate mollies to saltwater for my frag tank (I hear they are amazing at eating algae). However I think the high flow in my frag tank was always too much, they would hide in the low flow areas and eventually after a few days to a week surcome to it.

Did they end up dying or were they fine?
 

Fotocha

I have nightmares of jumping fish
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Messages
684
Reaction score
1,876
Location
Hartford, CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a question that has been eating me for a while now. Why just Mollies?

Most of the live birth group from fresh water will interbreed. Guppies, Platies, Swordtails, and Mollies. I'm curious if it's only Mollies that can be housed in a saltwater aquarium or is it certain types of mollies? o_O
 
Last edited:

Jeight

Mumble
View Badges
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
422
Reaction score
2,164
Location
Akron, Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
reefgirl_ (and use the underscore or it will be nsfw ) on youtube keeps mollies in her tank with great results check her vids out
 

Paul B

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
17,952
Reaction score
60,799
Location
Long Island NY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have 5 of them in my reef. No pictures because they stay in the back and nibble at the algae on the rear glass and never come to the front. They have been in there about 5 weeks. I acclimated them in about 45 minutes, no problems.
They look fine and are eating well.
 

dantimdad

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
9,577
Reaction score
41,634
Location
Hartselle Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sustainable Aquatics breeds them in salt water specifically for reefs. They are great algae eaters and yes, live food when babies.

I used to keep a breeding tank of them in hyposaline water to keep a food source for my predator tank.
 

DanConnor

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
996
Reaction score
1,111
Location
Albany NY area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been involved with some long threads debating the acclimation- it seems like people who just put them in fairly quickly did better then people who tried to do it over a long period.

I have done it in under an hour and they look stressed the first day, then are fine.
 

Peter Clark

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Messages
151
Reaction score
263
Location
Wilmette, IL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
A little over 10 years ago I had a guppy I kept in the sump. Most of the ones I tried to slowly acclimate didn't make it but the one I just put right in did. Go figure. It was originally meant as live food for triggers but it was far faster than them. In the blink of an eye it would be 3 feet away on the other side of the tank. It took less than a week for the triggers to just give up trying and at that point I felt the guppy earned the right to live in the sump.
 

McPuff

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 11, 2018
Messages
1,322
Reaction score
1,514
Location
Plymouth, MI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've tried a couple times but didn't have long term success. First time acclimation was about 1 hour. A few of the fish lasted a few days in the reef. They never looked very happy though and I thought the flow might have been too much.

The second time I used a 3 hour acclimation but none of them even survived a full day/night.

Have heard of some people literally dropping the fish right in with no acclimation. If I try again, it will be in a small tank with low flow. Maybe my QT tank would be a good place. The lagoon is NO GO because of the humu trigger that will certainly eat them all within seconds. :0)
 

Sailingeric

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
1,294
Reaction score
2,883
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a question that has been eating me for a while now. Why just Mollies?

o_O

In the wild mollies live in creeks near the ocean so they can go from fresh to brackish to salt and back. I have not had any in my reef tank but I have seen them in LFS in the salt water section. If I was going to acclimate them I would increase the salinity close to a tidal pattern.
 

Oscaror

Back In It
View Badges
Joined
Aug 13, 2014
Messages
3,626
Reaction score
5,102
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I’ve read about this for a while now and mollies can become fully saltwater if acclimated SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. However, I haven’t actually seen a reef or saltwater aquarium that actually has mollies in them. Anyone have them? If so pls post pics I’d be interested to see them
I know that guppies can live in salt water and even breed in it. How cool would that be :rolleyes:
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 72 51.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.4%
Back
Top