Nipping Mollies

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Etee

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
8
New to tropical fish. We had a 75 gal many years ago but the wife took care of it.
Anyhow =, we jumped back in and have started with a 36 gal. bow front.
In order to get it established we settled on tiger barbs and was told of the different fish we could add later. Among those fish were Mollies, Guppy's, some strains of tetras and cat fish and a variety of others.
Once we had the tank tested and determined that we could add more fish we did some research and asked questions. Most answers were straight forward and we felt we had the best info we could get.
So after joining AgAdvisor and intending to build our stock around the barbs. I plugged in the Tiger Barbs and with the angel fish my wife wanted and was told at the pet store that we could do it as long as we had more than one angel.
AgAdvisor suggested I add 2 barbs for a total of 10 and to add 1 more angel for a total of 3! This was agreeable with the fish store and so we ought 2 more barbs and 3 angels. We ended up selling the barbs and they were gone with in 20 minutes of posting an ad.
So with our 3 angels we added 5 Pristella Tetras, 2 platys, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1male and 1 female Mollie. We also added 2 albino cats. These fish are all 1"to 1-1/2" and the tank was harmonious until a yesterday. We noticed that one of the angels had a lot red near its gills. It died with in an hour but we noticed that the Mollies were harassing the devil out of them and nipping at them. We had the water tested and were advised to remove 5 gal of water and replace it with treated water. We did that and the Mollies were still being ornery to the angels and picked one in particular. We took the Mollies out for the night and put in a smaller environment and the angels recovered from the stress. I put the Mollies back in today and all was well for 10 minutes and the mollies began nipping the angels again so I was able to catch the female mollie and put it in a smalleer tank. The male chases the one angel but the angel is able to give him t the slip!
I know that I am at my limit for the tank and maybe just 10 inches over but these fish are small and I will be getting a larger tank! But there is room for them at this time until they grow some.
What I have learned in a month is this. If your are buying fish, choose carefully and heed the notes that if a fish may get nippy or CAN be territorial, or that it might be ok with this or that fish in numbers, ask questions or make another choice! Don't put it in with a a peaceful fish. We want the Mollies and we want to raise as my wife used to do, but they will have a designated tank until I make a decision on good tank mates for them.
I will be experimenting with fish in larger tanks in smaller numbers!:banghead:
 
From what I know of angel fish, they generally have large fins, right? Mollies are supposed to be the more peaceful ones with angels being the fish that truly become territorial as they get older. The problem here was 1) the mollies are like a lion pride... you must have multiple females for one male, otherwise the female will become stressed from the male and become outwardly aggressive, also making the male stressed and act out as well. 2) mollies are known in the aquarium world for having a knack for nipping at large fins. a general rule of thumb is to never community them with large-finned fish unless the tank is so large they can roam opposite sides of the tank, but even then one is risking this outcome.
I wish you luck at your endeavor! Don't be afraid to ask if you come across any problems! We've been there. :flowers:
 
Thats pretty sound info. We asked about each fish as we considered and looked. The lady seemed to be knowledgeable but she said that our choice of fish was a good mix. The wife still wants to try the Mollies in the bigger tank with the other fish, I think since the plan is for a bigger tank, I will get another female mollie or 2. I know that when I took the female back out the second time, the male would chase the one angel but then divert another direction as if to taunt it.
The tank was going to be my new hobby since health is keeping me from woodworking(number one passion) and I'm nearly home bound in the winter and most humid days in the summer. My wife wanted Angel fish so I was willing to share the experience but I am trying to convince her that we can have what we have now and build another that can have some other variety. That scares her because I'm thinking 125 gallon at least but 55 to 75 gallon will be more realistic.
Anyway ,thanks for the reply and some good advice!
 
No problem! When I first started my tank, I was given bad advice by fish shops left and right. It caused me to lose upwards of ten fish before I started doing the research myself.
Mollies are indeed wonderful. Tell your wife that if you feed the mollies by hand, they will start kissing you! :lol:
Good luck!
 
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