Aquairum Stocking 20 Gallon

[Rollxr]

How long is a 20 gallon tank? The smallest molly species needs a tank at least 36 inches long. When you add in the fry the mollies and probably the platies will have (if the platies have been in a tank with males at some point) the tank will soon become overcrowded.

The GH is borderline low for mollies, which do best in GH over 250 ppm. It's fine for platies.

Well the store where i bought my fish the platies were not kept with males so they can’t be pregnant. So you’re saying that the tank is fine but its the breeding part that becomes a issue right?

 

[Essjay]

The tank is OK for platies but a bit small for mollies.

If/when the female mollies have fry, if any survive the tank will become overstocked quickly. With 2 females having fry roughly every month, that's a lot of fry.

 

[Rollxr]

No they can't. They are in different genuses - mollies are Poecilia, platies are Xiphophorus. I haven't given a species name as most mollies and platies sold in shops are already hybrids of different Poecilia and Xiphophorus species.

EmeraldKing will be able to tell us of any physical differences which prevent cross breeding.

How long is a 20 gallon tank? The smallest molly species needs a tank at least 36 inches long. When you add in the fry the mollies and probably the platies will have (if the platies have been in a tank with males at some point) the tank will soon become overcrowded.

The GH is borderline low for mollies, which do best in GH over 250 ppm. It's fine for platies.

The tank is OK for platies but a bit small for mollies.

If/when the female mollies have fry, if any survive the tank will become overstocked quickly. With 2 females having fry roughly every month, that's a lot of fry.

Well the fry won’t be able to survive would they? since they will have a high chance of being eaten. Another thing, So can the mollies be in a 20 gallon or is it the breeding that becomes a issue?

 

[Byron]

Mollies are too large to be in anything under a 30-inch or preferably 36-inch length. That is the issue.

And with two mollies spawning every month, they cannot possibly eat all of the young. Besides, this is not the way to go with fishkeeping.