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For those who are questioning why to do this.

Lets say you just want to get the hang of things (SW Wise). Why kill a $25 from a mistake when you can take the same risk with a $2.50 fish?

Using Livebearers has always been an option in my mind for a sw tank. Basically, I can get use to taking care of SW with cheap fish, instead of killing a $50 Flame Angel.

If you acclimatise Black Mollies carefully, they'll go in SW, no problem. Just takes due care and attention. And, if you're getting a marine aquarium stabilised, and using the Mollies to keep the filter system ticking over while waiting for the main arrivals (which, as I agree with the above poster, should be done after fishless cycling is complete!) then Mollies are tough enough to take any fluctuations other than the catastrophic.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Oh I think a Black Molly looks very nice in a SW tank. My lFS uses them to cycle his SW tanks Oh how I hate hearing people cycle with fish.Bio-Spira works faster and is great.

Another reason for keeping some Mollies in saltwater: velifera sailfins are usually found preferentially in brackish and full SW in the wild. I've seen old Cousteau footage of the Yucatan with a velifera molly swimming alongside some corals!

Plus, velifera sailfins grow bigger in SW, and the male dorsals are reputedly more impressive. Mind you, you need a very large aquarium to do the job properly if you're intent on raising jumbo velifera sailfins with huge dorsals!

Not every Molly prefers SW, but velifera sailfins do. Brackish at the very least.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

WOW, I can get them for about $10 for a dozen, and already in SW. It's amazing how some fish become cheaper when they are listed as "feeders", lol.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Strangely the only Mollies I've seen already prepared to live in full SW were in the $10+ range.

I guess its cheaper if you buy a FW Molly and do it yourself, but by the time you figure in your labor cost, it really cost you more than $4 anyways

He has a point, if he says he's starting a tank with damsels, then many would say don't get them.



Dan

HUSH

Don't burst my bubble. And $2.50 is still cheaper than $4.

Not to mention they are still easier to breed.

EDIT: Not to mention how territorially aggressive damsels are *grumble* stupid damsel With a molly, you can add other fish and not have to worry about your molly chasing them and killing them.




Last edited by Racso at 03-Feb-2005 05:55

thats what $4.00 chromis and damsels are for though

I have read that it is possible to keep a molly in a saltwater tank if it is acclimated slowly. I was wondering if anyone has tried this, and if so how has it worked? Thanx.

Thanx for the info. And no i wasnt planning on setting up a molly salt water tank . I was more or less just curious and using them as feeders does make sense. Thanx again.

I used to keep them in SW, and they grew and bred in SW same as if in FW. I used them for feeders.

Actually most all live bearers can handle the SW without problems, and will breed in SW as well. The molly is just the chosen one, as it is probably the cheapest to do this with.

The main reason for doing this in the first place, is that gold fish are actually a damaging fish to feed your SW fish, if using feeders. As they have an enzyme in them that breaks down one of the vitamins in the SW fish. I beleive it is either vitamin B or vitamin C. This causes the SW fish to have liver problems, and thus usually dies from eating too many goldfish feeders, over an extended time. So, the next best choice was the mollies.



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There is always a bigger fish...

I remembered that once I posted and was too lazy to go back and edit

Actually Nate, if I'm not mistaken' Steve already has a SW tank.

I'll agree to saying that if you acclimate very slowly, they will be okay...we keep all our mollies at work in pretty brackish water.

But I have to agree with Mikey in that IMO they're pretty unattractive. Something about their faces.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Perhaps he was looking to bread feeders, or was simply curius. Yes they can live in SW. I started to keep them for a short time as feeders, but never keept up with it.



Dan

You can do it fairly easily, it just takes some time.

I have no idea why you would want to do it though, as far as SW fish go, a Molly would probably be about as unattractive as you could get. :lol:

You have to slowly acclimate them to full SW over atleast a weeks time. It in no way harms them, or makes it so they cant thrive......IMO they actually do just as well if not better in SW.


My only questions is this.

Why would you want to start a SW tank to keep a molly that you can keep in a FW tank?

I have seen a couple of threads about this. Please don't try its cruel to them. They can't thrive in saltwater and that should be the first goal in fishkeeping.