Cycling my 210g FOWLR with Mollies

[sneakerpimp]

I'm going to cycle my new 210g(with 75g sump) and was considering using mollies. What are the advantages of using mollies opposed to just leaving a dead prawn in the tank to start the cycle? And how many mollies should I use for this size of tank?

Also, will mollies eat pods?

[kdogg85]

Well, the advantage would be dead mollies after the ammonia goes up and then they rot and get the cycle started.

The raw shrimp will do the same as the fish, whether it's poop or decaying shrimp, the end result will be the same.

If you have live rock in there, wait before adding anything to see how much ammonia will come from the die-off on the rock. If the ammonia doesn't amount to anything(less than 1ppm), add the raw shrimp and let it decay until the cycle completes. Just test everyday for ammonia and make sure it doesn't go over 4-5ppm, if that happens you will have so much ammonia it will kill the bacteria as well.

A couple months patience is better than buying fish left and right for nothing. Don't take the first sentence as a smart mouthed comment, I was just saying what will more than likely happen, at the very least the mollies would have ammonia burns and not live very long.

[melosu58]

There `s no advantage to using live fish. Only putting them through sewer like conditions. Read this for a good perspective

Cycle your salt tank

[sneakerpimp]

Thanks, I didn't know it was that hard on the fish. I was also thinking of using them as part of the clean-up crew after a month or so after the nitrate levels have dropped off. I hear they are good for controlling algae and sifting the sand.

But if it's cruel to keep them in salt water, I'll drop the idea.

[harmy4993]

what is a molly? i was thinking fw mollies but that cant be it.

[melosu58]

Yes Mollies can be made to acclimate to SW. We were not saying that mollies could not be in SW. We were saying that live fish should not be used to cycle a tank.

[harmy4993]

ya i know that part about live fish. hehe i preach the same thing. i just didnt know mollies were also sw fish

[sneakerpimp]

Originally Posted by harmy4993

ya i know that part about live fish. hehe i preach the same thing. i just didnt know mollies were also sw fish

When I found this out it blew my mind. There are some attractive mollies that I wouldn't mind having in my tank. They will breed in SW and seem like a good fish to have for clean-up.