Many people love keeping Molly Fish in their aquariums. But unfortunately, there are a few mistakes that often owners make with these fish. One common mistake is picking the wrong type of water for Molly fish in their tank. The most important thing you’ll need to keep your Mollies healthy and happy is freshwater. However, you need to watch out for a few different things regarding the type of water your Molly fish needs.
So, what type of water do Molly fish need? Some Molly fish are a type of tropical fish that come from saltwater. At the same time, the other Molly fish are freshwater fish that can be present in ponds, lakes, and different types of groundwater. Whatever the water they come from, all the mollies need ideal water parameters in their tank.
You’ll need to make sure the water in your aquarium stays between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you must invest in an expensive heater, filtration system, air pump, and lighting.
In this post, we’ll be focusing on the water type of Molly fish. First, we’ll cover the basics of water they need and the important information like pH levels and specific gravity.
What Type Of Fish Are Molly Fish?
Mollies are a type of fish that can be present in freshwater habitats. They also commonly live in brackish water near estuaries and other locations where saltwater mixes with freshwater. Molly fish belong to the Poeciliidae family characterized by ovoviviparous reproduction.
What Are The Types Of Molly Fish?
There are a variety of different types of Molly fish. Some common species include:
Sailfin Molly Fish
Sailfin Molly is the most common type of molly fish. These Mollies can be present in various colors but are typically famous for their bright and vibrant coloration. However, it would help if you kept these fish with other brightly colored saltwater fish as it may trigger aggression that could result in the different fish feeling stressed or even death.
The male Sailfin Molly is typically more prominent than the female. In addition, she will develop a large dorsal fin and extended ventral fins, making it popular among aquarium hobbyists who want to add diversity to their tank.
Dalmatian Molly Fish
Dalmatian Molly fish is a type of fish that is unique and can help give your tank a new look. These types of fish are usually black with white spots, but sometimes the color of their skin will fade, and they will become gray.
The temperament of dalmatian mollies is usually excellent, but you should never keep dalmatian mollies with fish that are aggressive or fish that are larger than them.
In addition, you should also make sure your tank is at least 30 gallons for this type of fish. If you overcrowd them in their environment, it can cause them to have health problems and ultimately shorten their life expectancy.
Balloon Belly Molly Fish
Balloon belly Molly fish is a trendy and exciting type of freshwater fish. They have a large size, vibrant color, with engaging personalities. These fish are around 3 inches long, have large round bellies with thick bodies.
The balloon belly molly fish got its name because the female’s stomach becomes very large when it matures. It is usually due to eggs that have been developing inside of her. They are generally peaceful fish. However, they can become aggressive when other fish invades or threaten their personal space.
So, it is best to keep them in 30 gallons or larger tanks, where they get a lot of swimming space.
Amazon Molly Fish
Amazon molly can also be present in warm, fresh waters in the Tuxpan River of northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande and the Nueces River in the southern parts of the U.S. state of Texas. They come in various greens, oranges, and even black spots.
You can keep these types of Molliesy fish in Poecilia Formosa. Usually, they can be present with any combination of yellow, orange, red, or black colors on their bodies.
The Amazon Molly is famous for having beautiful bright females, red/orange tails, and large rounded fins. The average size of the Amazon Molly fish is around three to four inches in length and can live up to five years if properly taken care of in captivity.
What Type Of Water Do Molly Fish Need?
Mollies are some of the most beautiful fish you can add to your aquarium. They have bright, vibrant colors and patterns that make them stand out from other species of tropical fish.
One thing molly fish require is a specific type of water. Just any old tap water cannot meet their needs. There are three main types of water that mollies can live in – brackish, saltwater and freshwater.
Fresh Water And Molly Fish
Mollies can live in freshwater with the correct equipment and care. The tank should have an efficient water filtration system and good water quality. It’s best to keep the pH levels of the tank between six and eight for mollies, as anything beyond that is too alkaline.
Some examples of freshwater Molly fish are black Mollies, Dalmation Molly fish, Lyretail Molly Fish, Balloon Belly Molly Fish, etc. However, though these fish thrive well in freshwater still, they need saltwater and brackish water at some point in their life, especially during illness and breeding seasons.
Salt Water And Molly Fish
To keep your new molly fish in the tank with saltwater, you’ll need a lot more equipment than if they were freshwater. A marine aquarium will need a protein skimmer, saltwater mix, and a heater. The tank should also have the live rock to make the environment as natural as possible for your fish.
Some mollies like Pocelidia latipinna (Sailfin Molly) and P. sphenops (common molly) can live and grow well in fully saltwater. Moreover, they prefer this type of water to breed and give birth to their young ones.
Brackish Water And Molly Fish
Some types of Mollies live well in brackish water. But still, experts do not recommend it unless you know what you’re doing. To make a saline environment, it requires a salt mix and life’s rock to replicate the natural environment of mollies. Otherwise, they don’t tend to thrive.
The natural habitat of Molly fish consists of a marine environment with saline water and brackish ditches and lagoons. So, salty water is a prevalent type of water where Mollies survive and grow comfortably. All you have to do is maintain other essential water parameters. Usually, most aquarium strains such as P. latipinna and P. velifera live in this type of water.
Molly fish are native to the rivers of South America, which means they cannot survive in just any type of water. But a common mistake is to add tap water from your sink or even reverse osmosis (RO) purified water straight into an aquarium with mollies. Unfortunately, this can quickly kill your fish.
What Types Of Molly Fish Live In Freshwater?
Molly fish are a type of freshwater aquarium fish that live in temperate climates. These types of Molly fish can be present worldwide, especially in North America and Asia.
The most common types are Poecilia reticulata or wild mollies with longer bodies with slightly different characteristics than their domesticated cousins. They have a life span of four to five years and require at least 15 gallons of water per molly fish to live comfortably, but they can grow up to three inches long!
What Types Of Molly Fish Live In Saltwater?
There are a few different types of Molly fish that live in saltwater. These include the Sailfin Mollies, Endlers Livebearers, and Poecilia Latipinna or Polka Dot Mollies. All three species require slightly different water conditions to stay healthy and happy while living in our home aquariums. However, the most common species of Molly fish that live in saltwater are the Sailfin Mollies.
One of the most important aspects of keeping a happy and healthy Saltwater tank is getting the correct type of water for your molly fish. When setting up their aquarium, the first thing one needs to do is decide what kind of water they need. It depends on where you live and what type of Molly fish you want to keep in your tank.
What Types Of Molly Fish Live In Brackish Water?
One type of Molly fish that lives in brackish water is the Sailfin Molly. This type has a blue-colored body and bright red fins, making them easily noticeable to predators (and humans). There are several types of Molly fish that live in brackish water. These include Brown, Black, or the Endler’s Livebearer.
Molly fish are small. But their size does not limit them from living and breathing in brackish water. Mollies will eat anything that you feed them. Most of what they consume is natural to the environment. These species devour aquatic plants, while other molly types prefer crustaceans, insects, or small meaty food.
What Type Of Water Condition Is Best For Molly Fish?
The type of water is not as important for Molly fish as it is for many other types of freshwater aquarium fish. They are one of the few species that can survive in a large number of different conditions and will adapt to whatever you provide them within their tank. Some of the water requirements that suits Molly fish are:
- pH level between six and eight
- Water temperature between seventy and eighty degrees Fahrenheit.
- Water hardness between one and fifteen dGH.
However, the best condition for Molly fish is clean water without any chemicals or chlorine. If you are using tap water, you should dechlorinate it before putting it into your aquarium to ensure its safety. You can do this by adding a dose of potassium permanganate or by using some other water dechlorinator.
Some FAQs
Can Molly Fish Live In Tapwater?
Molly Fish can sometimes live in tap water, but this is not the best option for them. It’s important to check your water and ensure it does not have anything that would harm a Molly fish, such as chlorine or chloramines, which are present in tap water. It is because these chemicals can be harmful to Molly fish. You should take steps to ensure that your water has no chlorine or chloramines.
Can I Treat The Tank Water To Get Rid Of Chlorine?
Chlorine and its byproducts can be harmful to your fish. The more of these that are in the water, the harder it will be on them. It is even possible for a fish to die from ingesting enough chlorine. It means you must ensure they do not get too much exposure and treat their tanks with dechlorination chemicals.
This process would involve letting the treated tap water stand for 72 hours before adding it to an aquarium containing Molly Fish, allowing the chlorine to dissipate.
What Type Of Water Does Molly Fish Need?
Molly fish like moving or still low pH neutral water with a hardness between 18-30 degrees dH. They do best in waters with carbonate hardness (KH) is at 21 mg/L and a pH between seven to eight. It’s important to keep the water quality high as Molly fish are sensitive to environmental changes. So it’s best not to change anything without consulting an expert or doing your research first.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Molly fish need water that is clean and fresh. They will want to have a constant supply of oxygen in the water, so be sure to add an air pump into your tank if you will keep them inside. They also need a place to get out of the water and onto dry land. Finally, be sure that you do not use any chemicals in your tank because it can be harmful to Molly fish if you expose them to too many chemicals.
Thank you for reading! I hope this post has helped you learn more about the type of water Molly fish need and what they want in their tank. Please let me know if that was true by leaving a comment below. Also, if there are any other topics related to freshwater tanks, I would be more than happy to write about them.