Most fish keepers often refer to Molly fish as the “sunshine of the aquarium.” It is some of the most colorful freshwater aquarium fish you can find. They’re also amusing to watch, but an enormous amount goes into caring for Molly, so you must prepare yourself before bringing one home. But What is the aquarium equipment essential for the molly fish tank?
Some of the essential aquarium equipment you must have to keep Molly fish are Aquarium, Heater, Filter, Thermometer, live plants, sand or gravel substrate, and artificial lighting. In addition, you need to add some decorations and an air pump (if the oxygen level fluctuates more) in the tank for molly fish to stay healthy and happy.
You may need other equipment, too, depending on the size of your aquarium. If you plan to keep Molly fish and want to learn more about what it takes to care for them, keep reading.
What Type Of Fish Are Molly Fish?
These Fish are types of freshwater livebearer, meaning that Molly Fish give birth to their young one by one rather than lay eggs.
Molly fish typically grow between two and three inches in length, with females being more prominent and rotund than the males.
They can come in various colors, including orange, white, greenish browns, and different stripe and spot patterns.
Mollies are an excellent choice for beginners to the aquarium hobby because of their hardy nature, ease in care requirements, and interactive personality.
Aquarium Equipment Necessary for Molly Fish: What to Get and Why
Molly fish are a popular type of freshwater aquarium fish. However, Mollies are sensitive to many tank conditions such as temperature, pH, and water hardness. Therefore, they need some aquarium equipment to ensure Molly stays healthy and happy.
The most important equipment to set up an aquarium of Molly fish are:
An Aquarium/Tank
Molly fish need a place to live, and you need to make sure the captivity passes the vibe of their natural habitat to them.
These fish are relatively small and can live in aquariums of under 20 gallons if there are plenty of hiding spaces to feel secure.
Molly fish are also very active swimmers and need a lot of room. Hence, giving each of the 1.2 gallons or more water is ideal, and it will keep your mollies happy and healthy.
Artificial Lights
Molly fish need a tank light to see and play. Usually, mollies are diurnal, which means they swim during the day. However, they will be very active at night if their tank must have enough light to feel secure or know where everything is inside the aquarium (and vice versa).
Pump or Filter
Mollies are very sensitive to toxins in their water, so you should often clean their tank. If you fail to filter or air pump their tanks, Molly fish will die from toxic water poisoning.
But so that you know, your molly fish can survive without an air pump as long as the filter helps in oxygenating the tank.
Molly fish are small, peaceful tropical fish, but they still need a proper filtration system. A simple filter hung on the back or side of your tank will work fine for most Mollies.
However, ensure you get one with the sponge and activated carbon, as mollies are sensitive to water conditions. Get Penn Plax Cascade 400 Submersible Aquarium Filter from amazon.
It would help if you ensured that the filter had biological filter media. The beneficial bacteria present in the filter will perform the aquarium nitrogen cycle and prevents ammonia poisoning.
Heater
Molly fish can’t live without a heater because Mollies come from tropical climates and need warm waters. So you need to maintain the water temperature between 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit all the time.
The increase in the ideal temperature will increase the metabolism rate, making mollies hungry all the time. This can result in health issues and invite diseases in molly fish related to overfeeding and hunger.
Heaters with temperature control will work best, but make sure you buy one appropriate for your tank size! I recommend you use AQQA Submersible Aquarium Heater.
Thermometer
Molly needs to live in water between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, so it needs a thermometer. You can also use the same one you bought for your heater!
Aquarium Substrate
Molly fish are pretty sensitive when it comes to their tank environment. They like clean tanks with gravel on the bottom because Mollies spend most of their time on the bottom of the tank.
Mollies feel much happier with a cleaner and more comfortable environment! But you can always choose sand for the substrate as these fish don’t really mind having sand or gravel in the molly fish tank.
Choose aragonite sand substrate as it leaches minerals in the tank or gravel coral with a smooth surface and the same feature as aragonite sand substrate.
Aquarium Plants
Molly Fish like to play around with plants in a river or lake, so you should have plenty of live aquarium plants in your Molly’s tank.
But make sure to use live plants sparsely. Your molly fish don’t prefer a densely planted tank that feels overcrowded rather than home.
Remember, mollies need plants in the aquarium to have a vibe similar to home. Do not deprive them of the feel they get even when the molly fish nibble the little part of leaves from the live plants.
Aquarium Decor
Molly Fish likes to play in the water current as well. Make sure you have an air pump connected with tubing or a bubbler inside your tank so that Molly feels comfortable!
Also, make sure that your decor is smooth because it likes jumping and injuries due to sharp objects. You might end up with a molly fish that jumps out of the tank when things go south.
Aquarium Lids
Molly fish can be jumpy, so make sure you get some aquarium lids for your tank. They jump when the aquarium condition is not favorable, so please try to keep them in an environment similar to their habitat.
Similarly, automatic fish feeders and water conditioners are necessary for Molly care. They will help you control and manage the aquarium when you are not home.
How To Set Up An Aquarium With Equipment For Molly Fish?
Setting up an aquarium is important if you want your Molly fish to live a healthy life. Molly fish is a freshwater species. Therefore, they require a clean aquarium to survive in their natural habitat.
In addition, Molly fish needs 20 gallons of space per individual, so you should set up at least a twenty-gallon tank for them with the required equipment.
Moreover, the steps to set the aquarium for Molly fish are:
Step One: Setting Up The Tank
First, you have to set up a twenty-gallon aquarium with plastic plants and an aerator. Molly fish will swim in every direction except towards the glass sides of the aquarium, so don’t place their aquarium near the window or direct sunlight. Make additional space between two tanks as Molly fish requires more oxygen than other fish species.
Step Two: Setting Up The Heater And Filter
You should set a submersible aquarium heater to maintain the temperature between 75-81 degrees Fahrenheit. Mollies are tropical species, so they require warm water conditions.
Moreover, Molly also comes from an Amazonian swamp with no cold season. To make your Molly fish feel at home, make sure that the filter should keep the water clean and aerated.
Molly fish will survive in any filtration system. However, if you want to give them a good life, invest in the canister or internal filters with adjustable flow rates.
Step Three: Setting Up The Substrate
You have to choose a light-colored substrate to make Molly feel at home. Molly fish is a bottom-dwelling species, and they like to spend their time at the bottom of an aquarium. Moreover, the substrate helps Molly hide from predators when it comes out at night for feeding.
Step Four: Setting Up The Lighting
It’s important to set up an efficient lighting system with a minimum of 0.75 to 1 watt per gallon of aquarium water.
Usually, this is because Molly fish are diurnal species, and they spend their night searching for food. However, Molly likes to rest on substrate or plants during the day, so make sure that your lighting system does not disturb Molly’s sleep pattern.
You can go with any lighting system, such as fluorescent or LED but make sure you use led one because they produce less heat, and Mollies are susceptible to the changes in temperature.
Step Five: Setting Up The Power Filter
You can use power filters in Molly’s aquarium as they are very effective for getting rid of waste from Molly fish.
However, a power filter is unnecessary if you have a regular filtration system in your aquarium. Moreover, a sound filtration system can handle Molly’s wastes effectively without an additional one.
Step Six: Setting Up The Decorations
Molly fish is a schooling species, so they like to swim in groups. Molly also comes from swampy areas with no rocks and corals. However, you can decorate your aquarium with plastic plants or driftwood.
Step Seven: Setting Up The Tank Water
Finally, set up clean tap water in an aquarium by using a gravel siphon and make sure that Molly fish should have access to fresh water.
Molly also likes to swim in clean water, so you can add some dechlorinating chemicals into your aquarium to make Molly’s home safe.
Now it’s time to set up Molly fish into their new home and start watching them live happily ever after!
What Are The Best Plants For The Aquarium Of Molly Fish?
Molly fish are very curious, and they will explore anything in the tank. Molly fish also love to dig, so make sure you put their favorite plants on a higher surface or use fake ones. It is because Mollies hiding and digging behavior often uproots these plants. Plants best for the aquarium of Molly fish are:
- Cryptocoryne species
- Ceratopteris species
- Anubias genus
- Amazon sword
- Vallisneria
- Ceratopteris
- Java moss
- Java fern
- Hornwort
Some FAQs
How To Decorate Molly Fish Aquarium?
A Molly fish tank decoration is not unlike other freshwater tanks; as Molly likes to explore, you can use one of many types of artificial plants or live plants for the Molly fish aquarium.
It is also important to understand that Molly’s fish tank needs good hiding places and plants to create a good environment with natural light, as Molly likes this type of lighting.
Molly Fish Diet: What Do Molly Fish Eat?
Mollies eat live food such as brine shrimp or daphnia, but Molly fish also eat flake food or algae wafers. These fish generally eat all types of flake food, Small sinking pellets, and frozen live foods.
They can also feed on some plants as they are omnivores which means that Molly eats various plant-based particles such as algae or decaying matter in the wild.
Molly Fish Tank Mates: Who Can Live With Molly?
Molly can live with other types of tropical freshwater fish, such as guppies and platys. However, they are very social animals, and it is better to keep them in groups of at least five for Molly fish to feel comfortable.
Molly can get very aggressive at times, so you have to consider their tank mates carefully and only get Molly with other more peaceful species of tropical freshwater fish such as Tetras or Goldfish.
Molly Fish Breeding: How To Breed Molly?
Breeding Molly in an aquarium setting is quite easy; all you have to do is get three females and one male in the same tank during spawning season.
These fish breed during the rainy season; hence you can trigger breeding behavior in molly fish by sprinting water from the top of the tank.
Ensure not to keep two male mollies together in the tank if there are not enough females to balance the ratio. It is quite easy to identify male and female mollies if you know where and what to look.
In addition, Molly Fish need live food such as brine shrimp during the breeding season, which makes it even harder for Molly fish hobbyists who do not have a Molly fish breeder nearby.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Molly fish are a fun addition to an aquarium, and by keeping Molly fish, you can create a peaceful community. Remember, they enjoy warmer water than most other types of freshwater fish. If you decide on getting Mollyfish, make sure the tank is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or else they will not survive your climate.
Molly fish are fun and easy to care for with a bit of effort, are beautiful, and make excellent pets, so don’t wait. Just bring them home and watch them swim. The only thing you need is the best equipment for the aquarium of Molly fish.
Good luck with Fish Keeping.
