Breeding Balloon Mollies + Other Fish? Help!!

[Deitta]

Ok, I fell in love with this websight weeks ago, but just now got enough computer time to be able to sign up and post my questions.

I am breeding ballon mollies, and I want to breed for specific traits. Ambitious of me, no? My neons seem to ignore the mollies at all sizes so they have been good tank mates. My problem is that I want to add at least one bottom feeder or other interesting fish, but don't want them eating all of my fry. If they snack on an occasional fry, it wouldn't break my heart since my females brood approx 120 new fry each month, but I am tired of bringing a "good community fish" home from my LFS and watching it devoure more than 5 fry in as many minutes. "Oh yes this tire-track eel would be great for your tank, they don't grow big at all".... 36 hours later I was missing 8 neon tetras, 2 $8 shrimp and all of my latest batch of fry.... and he hadn't even touched the live blood worms. (His curiosity killed him when he jumped out of the tank.) OR "Gourami are great passive community fish, they won't hurt the smaller fish." Two weeks later only once gourami is alive - and moved to the only other tank I am allowed to have. (Good husband, only really bad trait is a prejudice against multiple fish tanks.)

So anyways.... Who would be good tank mates for my breeding ballon mollies?

 

[Fruitbat]

Deitta...

You don't say what size tank you have but I can unhesitatingly recommend pretty much any of the Corydoras species of cats as a 'bottom feeder'. They'll get along just fine with your mollies and your tetras and will not gobble down your molly fry. Unless you have a very small tank...try to get at least 2 or 3 Corys. They like to stay in small groups.

Loaches are good too but in my experience they'll occasionally wolf down a fry or two or three or five.

 

[Deitta]

I have a 29gal planted tank with an AquaClear 150 with the intake tube pulling from the up-take tube of the undergravel. I also am on a well with pretty normal specs, except it is very hard water. I don't want to go to extraordinary methods for lowering the hardness, and my fish seem to not mind too much since they get at least a 30% water change (with vacuming every time) every two weeks. I try for 30% each week. I had read a book where the author stated that the more water changes you do the healthier the fish, and it really has been working with my tank. Since I started to do the larger water changes more often, I haven't had any outbreaks or deaths. And the batches of molly fry just keep getting bigger with less culls.

Do corys eat snails?.... that would be a bonus!

 

[Fruitbat]

No....Corys don't eat snails....but loaches eat 'em like popcorn!! If you want to go that route and don't mind losing an occasional molly fry....try some Yo-Yo Loaches (Botia almorhae). Your lfs can probably get them if they don't have any in stock.