Need Help With Mollie Care

[hjkaga]

Exactly what salt should I use? I have a small blue box that says aquarium salt on it. Will that work or do I need something like Instant Ocean? How much do mollies need? I was told 1 tsp per 5 gal (US).

What all else can live with mollies? I like gobies but aren't they aggressive? What can be used to clean algae off of the tank?

thanks.

 

[theotheragentm]

Are you trying to create a brackish water setup or just add some salt to buffer the nitrates? If you're just adding a little bit of salt to buffer the nitrates, aquarium salt will work fine. You can keep Platies and Guppies in the tank with the 1 tsp per 5 gallon rule with aquarium salt.

 

[hjkaga]

im just trying to add whatever the mollies need to be healthy. everything i have read says all they need is 1 tsp per 5 gal.

 

[theotheragentm]

Mollies are found natively in brackish water conditions, but most fish you are going to find in your fish stores are going to be acclimated to freshwater. The theory is that salt helps to reduce the effects of nitrates in your tank, which Mollies seem to be more susceptible to than other fish. Salt is not necessary if you keep an immaculately clean tank as far as bioload goes. That means keeping up with water changes regularly and not overstocking the tank.