Aggresive Molly Tank Mate Ideas???

[jmpgop]

Hi!

I have an aggresive male silver molly in a 10 gallon tank. The tank used to hold 2 chinese algae eaters (that I found other homes for) and 1 danio. It is now holding just the Molly and a yellow mystery snail.

I'm looking for ideas of a few other fish I could put in with the molly. The molly doesn't seem to have any problems with danios - I just don't think this tank is enough room for a school of them.

What about a school of neons? If the Molly got along Okay with danios (didn't feel threatened) do ya'll think it would do Okay with neons?

And how do I know it is aggresive? I tried to have it in a tank with a gourami in there and it immediately started attacking the gourami. Before I could get the molly in to a breeder's tank, it tore a small hole in the gourami's fin (btw - the gourami recovered nicely!)

So - any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[librarygirl]

It's a small tank, she may feel she needs to defend her territory in such a small amount of space. You could add more Mollies, both male and female, a good group of 2-3 males and 5+ females could help. But I doubt your tank would support it. Maybe upgrade and try to give her some Molly friends? Is the water brackish? I think Mollys prefer some salt in their water to live to their full potential as well.

Not sure about the neons; they are pretty small fish. Also they are very active swimmers and a 10 gal wouldn't give them the space they require, IMO. Maybe 1 or 2 Platy but I'm not sure how the Molly would react to them either (although don't add salt if you are going to add other fish than Mollys to the tank).

Also Mollys can get quite big; she's really too large for a 10 gal.

 

[jmpgop]

I appreciate your reply.

The 10 gallon with fish came from my sister n law and I am *fostering* it for her. When I got it, there were the two CAEs (1 about 4 inches and the other about an inch and a half, that I found new homes for since they are awful fish), and a danio. I added a 36 gallon tank of my own and put the danio in there in a school that I made. So I already added a 36 gallon tank and this male molly cannot get along with my gourami that it in there. I found that out the hard way. So this Molly cannot go in my 36 gallon - I'm a bit partial to my beautiful pearl gourami and I don't want her killed

I'm not adding another tank and I need to keep this 10 gallon running for when she takes it back. Since I have re-homed of 3 of the 4 fish that were in there, yea - I'd like to replace it with something that compliments the tank vs. fighting against it and give her some fish back.

I am really not interested in more molly fish. This Molly has already killed another molly (before I got the the tank) and I have no interest in dealing with live births of fish and feeling the need to save them. And I don't plan to go brackish being that there is a snail in there. I have a snail in my 36 gallon too and I don't want them breeding either.

(((sigh)))

Not sure what else I can put in this tank. Or should I just leave the molly alone. Kinda sad to give my sister n law back a tank that is completely different (with 1 fish and a snail) then when I got it. I suspect they will take it back next summer.

 

[Aces11]

I've never kept them, but I always read people suggesting Pygmy cories for 10g tanks. Not sure what kind though, so maybe somebody can help me out with that.

 

[jmpgop]

Pygmy Cory (Corydoras pygmaeus) - Seriously Fish

That is interesting about pygmy cories. Here is a link that would suggest what you are saying. If the Molly wouldn't be intimidated by them, then perhaps? Hmmmmm...

 

[absolutangel04]

Did you try putting the molly in the 36 with the gourami, or did you put the gourami in the 10 with the molly?
Pygmy corys are a maybe. Honestly, I am sorry, but the mollie really is too big for the 10g IMO. They can get decently sized, are active, and have a heavy bioload. If you are set on keeping it there, your tankmates will be limited. The corys could work since they will stay out of the mollie's way.
Also, my experience has showed that mollies do not need salt in their water. IME, they do fine without it. Thats up to you.
Neons could maybe work, but they are sensitive, so they might not do well in there with all the mollie's mess and they get stressed easily. Thats a toss-up.
Personally, I think you would do best to leave the mollie alone, but I understand that you want to keep the tank looking nice for its real owners.

 

[jmpgop]

Well... Here is the story. My LFS (before I knew anything about fish tanks) thought my angel and gourami would be just fine in a 10 gallon tank with 4 other fish in there! LOL! Cha Ching - rings up the fish and I go on my merry way! (and these both are larger fish - not young babes...) What was he thinking?

Anywho.

Perhaps he was setting me up to buy a bigger tank? Who knows.

When I put the gourami and angle in, the molly attacked the gourami. Molly got put in a breeders tank within hours (at the advice of a friend who is much smarter about fish). Within hours my gourami had a hole in its fin.

I bought a 36 gallon bow literally the next day (I had been thinking about a 16 bow, but my friend said GO BIGGER - now I wish I would have went even bigger!!). And also not knowing anything about the fish, he said to put rock from the other tank in a mesh bag (so I could pull it out-but he never said when but it is out now that the tank is fully cycled), and a filter from the 10 gallon, wait 24 hours and plop the fish in). So I used the Molly and danio to cycle the tank. Of course I didn't find out until after I had the fish all over crowded in the 10 gallon and the molly in the 36 gallon that you need to cycle a tank (from here). Lucky for them it went very fast, my ammonia never got over .5 and if the nitrites spiked, I missed it - and I tested EVERY day execpt the first 2 (because I went out and got a test kit with advice from here).

Then once cycled, I put the angel and the gourami in to the 36 gallon - the molly attacked the gourami again. So - the molly had to go back to the 10 gallon.

I haven't tried to put the molly back in to the 36 gallon now that the gourami has made it home.

I do wonder though if the molly would be more interested in chasing the cherry barbs around now then my gourami?

- This is just one of my stories of becoming a new fish owner -

 

[CleverBs]

Pearl Gourami question

I wouldnt have them together

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

I had an aggressive male molly as well, and he did good with cory cats. Never messed with them, and they are super fun to watch.

 

[absolutangel04]

Well... Here is the story. My LFS (before I knew anything about fish tanks) thought my angel and gourami would be just fine in a 10 gallon tank with 4 other fish in there! LOL! Cha Ching - rings up the fish and I go on my merry way! (and these both are larger fish - not young babes...) What was he thinking?

Anywho.

Perhaps he was setting me up to buy a bigger tank? Who knows.

When I put the gourami and angle in, the molly attacked the gourami. Molly got put in a breeders tank within hours (at the advice of a friend who is much smarter about fish). Within hours my gourami had a hole in its fin.

I bought a 36 gallon bow literally the next day (I had been thinking about a 16 bow, but my friend said GO BIGGER - now I wish I would have went even bigger!!). And also not knowing anything about the fish, he said to put rock from the other tank in a mesh bag (so I could pull it out-but he never said when but it is out now that the tank is fully cycled), and a filter from the 10 gallon, wait 24 hours and plop the fish in). So I used the Molly and danio to cycle the tank. Of course I didn't find out until after I had the fish all over crowded in the 10 gallon and the molly in the 36 gallon that you need to cycle a tank (from here). Lucky for them it went very fast, my ammonia never got over .5 and if the nitrites spiked, I missed it - and I tested EVERY day execpt the first 2 (because I went out and got a test kit with advice from here).

Then once cycled, I put the angel and the gourami in to the 36 gallon - the molly attacked the gourami again. So - the molly had to go back to the 10 gallon.

I haven't tried to put the molly back in to the 36 gallon now that the gourami has made it home.

I do wonder though if the molly would be more interested in chasing the cherry barbs around now then my gourami?

- This is just one of my stories of becoming a new fish owner -

Well, You could always try to put the molly in the big tank again. now that the other fish are established, maybe there wouldn't be an issue. But, keep an eye on it.
If you want to keep the mollie in the 10, I think pygmy corys would be the best tankmates. Make sure they are PYGMY though. Other cory species are a bit big for a 10, and the smaller ones have less bioload which is important since the molly has a heavy bioload. IMo.