mollies

[abbeyspal]

How would one acclimate mollies to the saltwater tank? I would like to keep a few in there for my frogfish to eat.

 

[Anonymous]

I kept them in a 10g fw tank, just buy a bunch, then slowly raise SG to the tanks level.

They are nice algae eaters too

 

[Ben_Wilson]

Usually acclimate to salt over a period of 24hours. Most people don't take the time to mess with it. However, mollies once acclimated do make a healthier choice than ruby reds. Lower in fat.
________
Ben

 

[Anonymous]

wow 24 hours? I did it over a weeks time

 

[Anonymous]

You can go as fast as just a few hours. Drip setup works best. HOWEVER! Watch those scales for that pinecone appearance, if they even begin to look that way you've got to back it off fresher again, or you're going to pop them.

 

[HClH2OFish]

Hmmm...I knew these fish could be acclimated to S/W.
I'm now wondering as to their use as a feeder fish for a lion. I know you shouldn't feed freshwater fish as it causes problems (ie liver failure I believe)
Is this a factor with the mollies???

TYIA

 

[Steven]

Any one ever keep Mollies in their tank for longer than it takes a frog fish to eat them? Not that I have any, but a breeding trio would produce live food (fry) for the other fish on a regular basis. Plus, they are pretty good ate algae control. The tank would have to be large enough to justify taking room away from real SWF, though. Just a thought.

 

[Expos Forever]

Steven

IMO they can live long when properly acclimated, not housed with a frog fish though...

The only way I could see it done with lions, frogs and the like would be to place them in a sump/fuge or separate tank.

 

[Anonymous]

I used to keep mollies in my seahorse tank for the fry.

 

[WannaBeReefer]

You mean a regular Black Mollie?

 

[Anonymous]

Yep!

 

[Anonymous]

Same here, but not for seahorses, the fry was for the rest of the tank

 

[ReefRian]

I kept 2 mollies in a small saltwater tank to feed to my bangaii cardinals. I had the white and white/black spotted kind. I had them for probably half a year and the did breed, but not fast enough for me so I got rid of them. Mine only seemed to breed about once a month or longer. But the lived and grew great in the saltwater tanks.

Rian

 

[buoymarker28]

heck i just threw mine in there....they are pretty hardy. Have you every actually tried to kill one?

 

[cdeakle]

heck i just threw mine in there....they are pretty hardy. Have you every actually tried to kill one?

mmmmmmmkay?!?!

 

[Anonymous]

No.. well, yes, I've had to whack quite a few mollies (they were gonna fink!). I killed my first molly I was trying to acclimate to salt, I mixed a "super-brine" and added it way too fast. That's how I know about the pinecone bit.

From what I understand, you're actually much better off going with the plain black mollies (closest to wild variety as possible) because, apparently the newer strains just don't seem to care for that saltwater bit.

 

[Luis]

Are mollies 100% reef safe?

 

[brandon4291]

And on the trendy note our Mall LFS here in Lubbock actually has sailfin mollies, lyretail mollies and standard blacks all swimming in and out of their GSP rocks and acropora twigs. It looks so wierd to see a huge group of them swimming around in the reef tank and then the same batch for sale three tanks down in the FW section. That is very interesting physiology/osmoregulation in those critters if I must say. I think putting mollies in an unfamiliar environment (reeftank) has some concerns, such as what will happen to them when they bump into a hammer coral or BTA? El stingo/dead mollie if I had to place a bet... IIRC they are estuarine and not native to full-blown reefscapes

 

[Anonymous]

You are indeed correct, Brandon.

 

[Steven]

Any concern introducing diseases with the mollies? I'd imagine any FW parasites, bacteria or other nasties would just die during the change over to SW.