Hi!

[swimmingfriends]

Hi, I'm new here.

I have a small aquarium, between 3 & 5 gallons.

I had a single betta living in there for almost 2 years. He recently passed, then I cycled the tank, and recently got 2 Platys for the tank.

I'm a novice fishkeeper, but I really enjoy it, and I've learned so much already. Looking forward to learning more.

 

[Mrc8858]

Welcome to AA but a 5 gallon tank is to small for mollies. Really the only thing that should be kept in that size tank is a betta when it comes to fish. Have you considered upgrading to a larger tank?

 

[swimmingfriends]

Thank you.

Hi! And yep--I've been considering changing sizes.

Are Mollies the same way as Platys? I have 2 Platys . . .

Things I had read before online seemed to indicate that 2 Platys would be OK in that size tank, but I wasn't sure.

My Betta did seem very happy alone in that size & was very healthy up until the end.

 

[Mrc8858]

Nope two different fish but mollies should be kept in a 20 or larger. They are prolific breeders though and will overpopulate quickly if unchecked so I wouldn't go with any smaller then a 29 or 40breeder

 

[swimmingfriends]

Wow, yeah--I'm not looking to do any breeding. I researched how to differentiate males from females with the Platys, and I got 2 females, so I'm hoping I won't need to worry about that.

 

[Mrc8858]

Oops thought you had mollies for a second there lol but platys are big breeders to so don't add any males if you don't want babies. They can be kept in a 10 gallon though but imo id always just go with a 20 long before a 10 just for the added water volume and footprint

 

[swimmingfriends]

Thanks for your help!

 

[Samzter]

The chance is that the females might already be pregnant. They can store sperm for 7 months , all they need is contact with a male and they're probably pregnant.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

to AA

 

[swimmingfriends]

Until a week or so ago, I didn't even think about trying to find a fish forum. I'm glad I did -- I think it'll help me to take better care of my little friends.

 

[swimmingfriends]

Oops thought you had mollies for a second there lol but platys are big breeders to so don't add any males if you don't want babies. They can be kept in a 10 gallon though but imo id always just go with a 20 long before a 10 just for the added water volume and footprint

What are the specific advantages of the added water volume and footprint? I never thought of that.

 

[Mrc8858]

The more water you have the more stable it is because it takes more to effect the larger body of water. The bigger footprint gives you a better chance to scape more naturally since you have more room to work with so tend to be more appealing to look at and also creates more territories for your fish to claim lowering any possible aggression.

 

[swimmingfriends]

Thanks for the info--that's helpful!