Molly fish are a popular choice for many hobbyists looking to add something new and exciting to their tanks. They’re relatively easy to care for, but setting up a tank specifically for these little guys can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. But, on the other hand, if you maintain a proper environment for your fish, they can happily live. So, do you know how to set up a tank for your Molly fish?
You can set up a tank for molly fish by arranging a proper tank size with a good filter, heater, substrate, decorations, live plants, and proper lighting. Make sure to perform water changes once every week and give them good quality yet a variety of fish food every alternate day.
This article will cover everything from choosing the right tank size, filtration system, substrate, decor, etc. We’ll break down the process into seven easy steps to make it as simple as possible.
What Do You Need To Set Up A Tank For Molly Fish?
Mollies are great starter fish. They’re fun to watch and can come in a variety of colors. Most owners also use Mollies as feeder fish because they breed so rapidly.
Usually, Mollies will eat pretty much anything you give them. Thus, it’s important that you set up their tank correctly, or else the water quality will go down quickly, resulting in Molly Fish dying.
Molly fish are slower swimmers than most other types of tropical fish. So they’re good for a beginner to start with and perfect for kids because they aren’t difficult to care for or any more dangerous than goldfish. To set up their tank correctly, you’ll need the following supplies:
- A proper Molly fish tank (no smaller than 30 gallons)
- Molly fish tank heater (For tropical fish, the ideal water temperature is 78 degrees Fahrenheit or 26.0 degrees Celsius.)
- Molly fish filter system (Good filters at 100 to 300 gallons per hour and include a sponge pre-filter.)
- A submersible air pump for the filter (helps circulate water and provides Molly Fish with fresh oxygen)
- Molly fish food (Make sure the Molly Fish Food you choose is appropriate for their size.)
- And, of course, tankmates for your Mollies. (Such as other types of Mollies, Dwarf Cichlids, Rams, Discus, Keyhole Cichlids, and Severums)
Additional Equipment To Set Up A Tank For Molly Fish
There are other supplies that Molly fish owners often need are:
- A thermometer to measure temperature
- Aquarium gravel or small rocks to create a natural environment
- Plants that can provide sufficient hiding place for Mollies
- Decorations include stones or other materials that don’t have sharp edges.
Step By Step Guide To Setting Up A Tank For Molly Fish
Molly Fish are extremely popular, and they come in various colors. Due to their peaceful nature, you can easily keep them with other Mollies or even Tetras species. This fish is one of the most adaptable livebearers that exist, so it shouldn’t take too much effort on your part to find success when keeping them.
However, the steps to set a tank for Molly fish are:
Step One: Tank Of Perfect Size
Molly fish grow to a maximum size of around three to four inches. So, the ideal tank size for Molly Fish is at least 20 gallons of water per six Mollies.
But it is always better to have more space than less for them as they like swimming a lot, and healthy Molly can be quite active inside the tank. Remember, the minimum tank size for mollies is 10-gallons, so please don’t choose anything less than that.
Step Two: Look For Right Substrate And Decorations
It’s best to use a fine substrate you prefer, as Molly Fish swims in the top part of the tank and won’t care much about the bottom section.
Most aquarists struggle to choose between gravel and sand for molly fish, but just a mix of sand and gravel is perfect. Coral gravel and aragonite sand substrate is my go-to substrate for molly fish tanks.
You can also add some driftwood or rocks inside their tank. But make sure they are not sharp so that these fish do not hurt themselves while swimming through them.
Step Three: Choose The Right Filter
Molly fish are heavy feeders and produce a lot of waste, so you need to have an efficient filter in your Molly tank. The filter should be capable enough to handle the amount of feeding that Molly Fish does daily.
Make sure the filter has biological filter media that contains aquarium beneficial bacteria. These bacteria will perform the aquarium nitrogen cycle and keep ammonia poisoning in the fish tank at bay.
Step Four: Maintain Proper Water Quality And Parameters
Molly fish can adapt to almost any water condition, but it is advisable to maintain some specific parameters for Molly fish.
The ideal pH for mollies is between 7.5 and 8.5, and the temperature is between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit (22 – 25 degrees Celsius).
Molly Fish also needs slightly hard water with a KH of at least 50 ppm. These fish also need a movement water level as they are very good swimmers.
Trust me; your mollies prefer a little water current and appreciate you doing that for them. A bubbler or an air pump and even a filter can do that for you. But go with bubbler if you are all about aesthetics and prefer seeing mollies playing with bubbles.
Step Five: Choose The Right Lighting
Molly fish come from murky waters. So it would help if you used some low-light plants in your tank and the substrate because Molly fish like to hide inside them. You may also include floating aquarium plants as Molly Fish like to rest under them.
Step Six: Make Sure You Have The Right Number Of Molly Fish
Molly fish are very social, and you should keep them in groups of at least six Mollies. Usually, six Mollies can survive well in a tank of size 20-30 gallons. But if you want to keep more of them, you should increase the size of the tank.
The best way to calculate the perfect number of Mollies for a tank is to provide around 1.2 gallons of water for each Molly.
Moreover, Molly fish are exceptionally compatible and live peacefully with other non-aggressive fish. Therefore, in a community tank, you can keep Mollies with guppies, tetras, and different types of mollies.
But be careful that all the fish are of similar size. Furthermore, setting a different feeding schedule and time for each type of fish is the best way to ensure all the fishes get their nutrition. Finally, it would help if you were more attentive to keep Mollies in a group or with other fish.
Step Seven: Choose The Right Food For Molly Fish
Molly fish is omnivorous. Moreover, these fish are voracious eaters. So, they will eat just about everything from snails to algae and other fishes available in the tank.
The best diet for Molly fish is to give them flake pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimps, and some veggies. This diet will fulfill all the nutritional demands of Molly fish.
I recommend you read Can Molly Fish Eat Bloodworms? and Can Molly Fish Eat Pellets? for more help regarding their diet.
Furthermore, it would be best if you fed Molly fish at least twice a day so that they do not start preying on the tank fish.
If you want to attract Molly fish into your aquarium, it is best to keep the plants and substrate unkempt as Molly fish like to hide under the leaves of low light plants.
Also, if you have a Molly Fish tank with other Molly species or Guppies, make sure there is enough food. These mollies will nibble on algae or start a war if there is not enough food in the tank.
What Are The Different Types Of Tank For Molly Fish?
Molly fish are livebearers, and thus, they reproduce very quickly. So it is necessary to have a tank that can house many Mollies do not overpopulate the aquarium.
On average, you should get at least 20 gallons per Molly you plan on keeping, while smaller species require a minimum of 15 gallons per Molly.
However, different types of tanks for Molly fish are:
Breeding Tank
Molly Fish breed very quickly and reproduce almost every month. Therefore, you should keep them in separate tanks if you want them to produce. It is because fry of Molly fish might suffer from diseases when you house them with other types of fish.
Besides this, Molly’s fry is beautiful with vibrant colors. So, these tiny creatures can catch most tank species’ eyes and become the easy prey of predators.
Hospital Tank
Molly fish can suffer from different diseases like swollen gills, fin rot, parasite infection, swim bladder disease, etc. Keeping Molly in a hospital tank will make it easier to treat these diseases without the fear of infecting other Molly fish species in your main aquarium.
Tank For Mating And Raising Fry
You can start breeding Molly fish at a very young age. So, if you keep Mollies together, you will get new fry every month.
The small fry is easy food for most fish, and even the parent Mollies will also start to eat their fry in an overcrowded tank.
Thus, it is necessary to have one aquarium for mating Molly fish and another tank to raise the fry until they grow.
Also, read more about: How To Breed Molly Fish At Home? and Molly Fish Breeding Cycle.
Aquarium With Mollies
These tanks house Molly Fish alone or with tiny fishes that do not pose any danger to the Molly Fish, such as White Cloud Mountain Minnows. You can keep them with other livebearers such as Guppies and Platys.
However, if you decide to keep different types of fish in your Mollies’ tank, you need to clean the tank regularly.
Mollies and other fish produce excessive waste and pollute the tank faster. You must install a proper filtration system, air pumps, live plants, and heater in your aquarium.
Community Tank
Even though Molly is not schooling fish in general, they are active and social. So you can keep them with other small species of fish that are not a threat to them.
If you have a community tank, you can support different types of fish with Mollies. The only thing that you must consider is to observe these fish.
In addition, all these fish must be non-aggressive and have a similar size. Since most fish enjoys a meat-based diet, smaller fish can easily be prey to larger ones. Thus, you must be careful about these things when you want to keep Molly happily with other fishes.
What Is The Best Way To Set Up Molly Fish Tank?
Setting up the Molly Fishtank is not as hard as it sounds. As long you know what to do and how to go about the process, setting up Molly’s fish tank can be a fun activity for Molly owners or Molly lovers.
First, Molly Fish needs what we call a “cycled tank.” You must change at least 50% of the water weekly to remove harmful chemicals from your tank. You can use filters, air pumps, and airstones for this. Just make sure that there are no nitrites, nitrates, and uneaten food left in the tank.
The tank also needs a heater set at 78 degrees F to avoid Molly fish suffering from diseases. Usually, this temperature is the most favorable for breeding Mollies. In addition to this, Mollies mostly prefer a little primary environment, so keep the water pH at around 7.5 to 8.5.
Furthermore, Mollies need enough live plants to hide, rest, and give birth to their young ones. So, it would help if you placed different types of plants in their tank. Just be careful that the plants are not toxic to Mollies and survive in Mollies’ environment.
Finally, it would help cover the tank with a lid to prevent them from falling out. Besides this, Molly fish are diurnal fish active during the night. Therefore, they need proper light to avoid bumping into plants and other fish when searching for food.
Moreover, Mollies live in the deep ocean with almost zero sunlight. So you must make sure that the night is not too intense enough to disturb their sleeping pattern. You can use about a watt of light for each gallon of tank.
Some FAQs
What Does Molly Fish Tank Need?
Molly fish thrive at tropical temperatures of 70-78 degrees Fahrenheit and the ideal tank water pH level should be between six and eight. The Molly needs a place to hide from other Molly species or bigger fishes that prey on them. They also need plants, rocks, sand, and driftwood in their tank. Molly fish need at least a 20-gallon tank because they are active swimmers and will use all the space in smaller tanks.
What Are Different Types Of Filter For Molly’s Tank?
Molly fish are very active swimmers, and they need a solid filter to keep the water clean. The best filters for Molly’s tank would be HOB (hang on back) or canister filters because both of these types have suitable filtration mechanisms that will maintain the quality of Molly’s Tank.
What About Molly Fish Food?
Molly fish eat a variety of flake, frozen, and live foods. Mollies are omnivores, meaning they will eat anything, including brine shrimp, bloodworms, tubifex worms, or daphnia.
They are not picky eaters, so pellets will do just fine if you don’t have live or frozen foods. It is best to feed molly fish at least twice a day because they are active swimmers and hungry.
Lighting System In Molly Fishtank:
Lighting plays a vital role in Molly’s fish tank because it needs six to eight hours of light every day. If you plan to keep live plants, then make sure they have the required lighting. The best lighting Molly fish tank is a fluorescent lamp for around six to eight hours every day.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Molly fish are easy to take care of and make great pets. In addition, it is relatively inexpensive, making it a good choice for someone looking for their first pet or just something low maintenance.
You can keep Mollies in the community tank with other fish. As long as you provide them with enough food and a perfect environment, they can thrive happily in any tank. Thus, these fish are an excellent choice for aquarium fish.
If you are thinking of keeping Molly Fish, this post will give you all the information to properly set up a tank for them. Hopefully, you now have everything you need to know about Molly Fish and how to set up a tank for them.
Thanks for reading our blog post on Molly fish. We hope this information was helpful!
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