Anybody Doing This?

[metweezer]

I have heard that you can keep a FW Black Molly/Mollie permanently in a SW QT. Is this true?
Thanks, Steve

 

[bjoe23]

No I dont think so. I dont think they will be as happy as being in thier normal freshwater. I did see somebody with a guppy in a SW tank tho. I think it would be best tho to keep it in a FW tank.

 

[mie]

Mollies can be acclimated to saltwater. Sometimes people do it to cycle tanks.
I am not sure if they live a shorter life in salt than fresh.
The question is why would you want to?
They are a cheap unatractive fish.

 

[mcbdz]

Originally Posted by mie
Mollies can be acclimated to saltwater. Sometimes people do it to cycle tanks.
I am not sure if they live a shorter life in salt than fresh.
The question is why would you want to?
They are a cheap unatractive fish.
My thoughts extactly.

 

[metweezer]

It is for my QT. Don't I need something live in there at all times? Besides LR & LS?
I don't know the scientific name but I heard that Mollie's can handle both fresh and salt water.
Thanks, Steve

 

[jonthefishguy]

Mollies can be acclimated to SA & FW. They reason some people do this is to cycle as well as providing a consistant food source. Mollies are live bearers and breed like rabbits. So giving your other fish a treat of live FRY is always a bonus to the tank. There is nothing wrong with doing so and it has been practiced for quite sometime.

 

[dlauber]

My friend used to have a bunch of Mollies in his brackish tank, supposively they prefer a little salt compared to no salt, or ocean like salinity.

 

[tarball]

Originally Posted by metweezer
It is for my QT. Don't I need something live in there at all times? Besides LR & LS?
I don't know the scientific name but I heard that Mollie's can handle both fresh and salt water.
Thanks, Steve
You can keep 1 LR in your QT with 1 or 2 pieces of pvc pipe.
I keep 1 T & straight piece of pvc pipe. I also keep a blue damsel in the QT.
No live sand !!!!
If you QT a fish pull the LR out during QT time period. Also pull the Molly or whatever you keep in QT on a normal base.

 

[ophiura]

YOu do not need something living in QT, you can throw some food in their regularly to keep the tank cycled. COntrary to popular belief, it is not fish but ammonia that keeps the tank cycled. That can come from many sources.
I personally would not keep a fish living in a QT. First, it keeps a fish, a host for parasites, constantly available (instead of leaving the tank without fish for long periods, so that the parasites would die off). Secondly it constantly subjects that fish to periods of hyposalinity, medication, etc. THis could in some sense provide a fish host to a parasite that could become immune over time to your treatments (in theory, at least). Finally, it introduces a possible competitor in the QT. QT tanks are not simply hospital tanks, they allow new fish time to acclimate, calm down, and eat before going into a main display. Having any established fish in a QT, even as "harmless" as a molly (which IMO can be quite nippy at times) is not a good plan.
However, yes, it CAN be done.