Something about Molly fish attracts most aquarists and makes them fall in love. I have been there, and all I could think of was how beautiful those molly fish colors would pop up in the aquarium. And the best part is you will find molly fish living happily in the brackish water without complaining a bit. So, the question when you keep them in a freshwater tank: Do Molly fish need salt in this tank?
No, Molly fish don’t really need salt in their tank, but they can adjust to the brackish water, thanks to the origin of mollies. So you don’t have to worry about maintaining the salinity; however, you can use cichlids salts to adjust the pH and hardness of tank water.
Many owners have questions regarding this, but the answer is somewhat tricky. There is no one definite answer that will work for every type of fish and each person’s situation with their tank, so we will look at some factors you need to consider when deciding whether your Molly needs salt or not.
Do Molly Fish Need Salt?
Technically speaking, your molly fish don’t need salt to survive in the aquarium. And honestly, there won’t even mind having salt in the water.
Either way, your molly fish are hardy fish that can adjust to more water ranges than anyone can imagine. Can you imagine a freshwater fish living in an aquarium with salty water? Have you ever met an aquarium fish like that?
If you have not, meet molly, my friend; they are such a cute wonder package. Molly fish are livebearers from the point where rivers and oceans meet. These fish come from the river, streams, harbors, water around the roots of mangroves, lagoons, and brackish ditches of parts of Central and Sothern America.
Hence, their salinity tolerance is not that surprising if you know the molly fish origin story. It is just that these fish are like, “Okay, if you keep me in an aquarium with a certain level of salinity, I will acclimate myself for a while and live there,” or ” I am okay in the freshwater aquarium, but that doesn’t mean you need to drop salt once in a while.”
Thus, you need to understand that even when you see mollies in the aquarium with salty water, you should not assume they need salt for their survival.
It just means these mollies are unique and will happily adjust in either type of water as long as you maintain ideal water parameters in the molly tank.
Mollies That Will Stay Happily In Saltwater
Not all types of mollies will stay in the tank with high salinity. So, it would help if you chose wisely before dropping any mollies in the saltwater tank.
I recommend you to do the research thoroughly before making your mollies suffer in a completely different environment.
Now, I will list the mollies that are quite okay and happy to stay in a saline environment:
- Sailfin Molly
- Giant Sailfin Molly
These are your best bet, trust me, they won’t give you a hard time in a saltwater aquarium.
How Much Salt Do Mollies Need?
Some species of Molly fish need about two teaspoons of salt per twenty gallons of water if they are used to living in the saltwater tank.
However, do not use more than one teaspoon of salt in the 20-gallons freshwater molly tank. Stop making your molly go through war just because you hear that these can handle saline waters in the pet aisle.
It is so wrong to put mollies through hell to prove the fact that they can live happily in brackish water. Yes, they can handle one spoon of salt in the 20-gallon tank, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to give them time to adapt to the new environment.
To be honest, our mollies don’t even need salt as long as they are not from their natural habitat and are used to living in a freshwater tank.
And if the water pH and hardness are ideal for molly fish, don’t even think about using salt. Your mollies will stay fine without it; trust me, it is an experience speaking here.
How Much Salt Do Molly Fish Tolerate?
Molly fish can live in a wide range of salinity, including freshwater environments. These fish can tolerate the salt level similar to the brackish water in the wild.
But if you are dealing with the mollies from the local breeder and living in a freshwater aquarium, I don’t think they will tolerate salt as cutely as the wild ones. So you might have to go through all the acclimation steps before making them live in saline water.
Also, Molly Fish does not need more than one teaspoon per ten gallons of water added during this process. Too much salt will only make the Molly Fish sick or kill them over time, so stay alert. Although salt in their water will reduce stress, this is not a natural way to avoid damage or stress.
Can Molly Fish Live Without Salt?
Molly fish is a member of the Poeciliidae family from South and Central America. These fish can live without salt, but they prefer it as their natural habitat to thrive happily.
Some of the species of Molly fish will happily swim around in the tank with salt content, while the mollies that are bred in the freshwater tank might have problems with salinity. So, make sure to understand the origin of your fish before dropping them in the tank.
However, it makes them more sensitive to water quality changes and environmental stressors than their saltwater counterparts.
Therefore, it depends on what type of Molly you get. For example, if you have a molly that has lived its entire life in saltwater, it will die when there is a shift in the salinity level.
But if you have a molly living in the freshwater tank, it will live happily without the salt or the salinity level.
Why Do Molly Fish Need Salt?
Molly fish come from the saline water ditches, hence the salinity tolerance level. However, you do not need to maintain the salinity level as these fish will happily live in the freshwater tank without complaining about once.
You have to set up the tank properly while maintaining the water temperature for molly fish along with other water parameters in the molly fish tank.
But there are days when the water conditions fluctuate too much, and your molly fish might start to get sick out of the blue.
We often think it is due to the absence of salt, but it is not. Do check the ammonia level in the tank and make sure the heater and filter are working.
This can fluctuate the pH and hardness of the aquarium water, which is exactly where the need for salt comes in.
Cichlids salts can help you increase the pH to the ideal level for molly fish as well as maintain the hardness of the water.
It can get quite difficult to recreate the brackish habitat for molly fish similar to the wild, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible.
And the main point is you can use salt to maintain the water parameters in the molly tank; however, these fish don’t need salt for their entire survival journey.
Can Molly Fish Live In Saltwater?
Yes, molly fish is a beginner freshwater fish that can surprisingly live in saltwater. The origin of this fish is the reason why it can do so.
I have already mentioned how these mollies originally belong to the brackish water part of Central and South America, where rivers and oceans meet.
You can keep these mollies in the saltwater tank after transitioning them by slow drip acclimation process from freshwater to saltwater for nearly 4 hours.
Do not drop a molly that has been living in a freshwater aquarium directly into a saltwater tank. You might end up with a dead fish.
A direct drop is shocking for both molly fish and its body leading to various organ damage and diseases. Killing is definitely not part of your plan, now is it?
The best thing about this is that you can have a low-budget saltwater aquarium with mollies for a confidence boost if you are a beginner in a saltwater aquarium.
And of course, aside from the low expense, these beautiful fish with vibrant color and active nature will bring new wonders to the tank.
But all in all, molly fish can live in the saltwater if you acclimate them by a slow drip acclimation process for 3 to 4 hours.
How To Meet The Salt Requirement Of Mollies?
If you decide to keep molly fish in brackish water, you need to maintain the salinity all the time. Once they acclimate themselves to the saline water, they will feel like it is their home. So, when there is a change in the saline level, it will mean a fluctuation in water parameters in the tank.
This can create havoc in your beautiful aquarium and bring diseases to molly fish. Don’t worry; there are some tips you can follow to meet the salt requirement of Molly fish are:
- Add one teaspoon of salt per gallon of water to the tank of Molly fish
- Feed Molly fish with saltwater brine shrimp
- Add salt to Molly fish’s food at a ratio of one teaspoon per cup of feed.
- Add a pinch of salt to the Molly fish’s tank
- Use marine salts or iodine-based supplements for Molly Fish.
Where To Buy Salt For Molly Fish?
The best thing you can do to meet the salt requirement of Molly fish is by using marine salts. Most of the time, these salts are available at most stores that carry pet supplies.
But if your store doesn’t have them, there’s always Amazon. You can also find Kaytee Aquatic SeaSalt and Tetra Marine Fusion Iodized Salt on Amazon.
That way, you know it’s safe for Molly fish’s health as these products contain all vital minerals required to keep their cells functioning correctly and will not harm them whatsoever.
Conclusion
In conclusion, molly fish do not need salt to stay alive; but they won’t mind having a little saline water in the tank. So, you need to adjust and acclimate them in the tank before dropping salt lumps. The shock of changing water type can make your fish sick and develop disease out of the blue. So, it is always better to shake hands during the acclimation process before changing water parameters.
Your mollies will always tell you what they want; are you willing to listen? Research well before making any decisions. Just because they are hardy doesn’t give you the window to make blunders in the tank.
Please drop them in the comment section below if you have any questions or queries.
Good Luck!!
Happy Fishkeeping!!
