What fish would be compatible with my molly & catfish?

[Hokieokieamy]

Hey all!

I recently upgraded from a 10 gallon to a 36 gallon tank. I have one molly and 2 corydoras catfish. I definitely want to get another cory (maybe 2). What are some good fish that are not sand dwellers? I really like the shark species, I am afraid they will be aggressive to my corys or molly. I may get another platy because in the past, my platy and molly had babies so that was fun. However, I am looking for more 'exotic' fish you can say.

Let me know your suggestions

Thanks

 

[FallenPepper]

Everyone is going to tell you more Cory's and molly's. Just be ready because corys are a big deal on the forums

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Everyone is going to tell you more Cory's and molly's. Just be ready because corys are a big deal on the forums

Lol thanks for the heads up

 

[JxsPxxle]

Hey all!

I recently upgraded from a 10 gallon to a 36 gallon tank. I have one molly and 2 corydoras catfish. I definitely want to get another cory (maybe 2). What are some good fish that are not sand dwellers? I really like the shark species, I am afraid they will be aggressive to my corys or molly. I may get another platy because in the past, my platy and molly had babies so that was fun. However, I am looking for more 'exotic' fish you can say.

Let me know your suggestions

Thanks

First of all we need to know your water parameters. Mollys are live bearers which should be kept in hard water. Some fish are not as tolerant as corys and have specific water quality needs.

As mentioned already, corys need to be in a larger group, of 6-8 at a minimum, but preferably 10. So before anything, go with some more of them. Also, I would suggest you get more mollys, identify the gender of the one you currently have. If you want babies, keep one male to multiple females (this is necessary anyway to avoid fighting of males). Female mollys you get from your lfs will already be pregnant and can store sperm for several months, and is this time have multiple batches of babies. So go with more mollys, more corys, and maybe a species of tetra if your looking for something that will not be low dwelling. Or you could go with a dwarf gourami, but this all depends on your water.

 

[seangee]

First of all we need to know your water parameters. Mollys are live bearers which should be kept in hard water. Some fish are not as tolerant as corys and have specific water quality needs.

Please check on this before buying more cories (or anything else). Mollies would die within weeks if the water was "perfect" for cories. Conversely if the water is "perfect" for mollies cories would not do very well. They would not die as quickly but they will have greatly reduced lifespans and health issues along the way.

The parameter we are interested in is GH (general hardness). We need both the number and the unit as there are several different scales in use. This info may be available on your water suppliers website.

 

[Retired Viking]

Everyone is going to tell you more Cory's and molly's. Just be ready because corys are a big deal on the forums

That is so true @seangee and @JxsPxxle are right your water is very important to what fish you keep.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Please check on this before buying more cories (or anything else). Mollies would die within weeks if the water was "perfect" for cories. Conversely if the water is "perfect" for mollies cories would not do very well. They would not die as quickly but they will have greatly reduced lifespans and health issues along the way.

The parameter we are interested in is GH (general hardness). We need both the number and the unit as there are several different scales in use. This info may be available on your water suppliers website.

Interesting, I thought they were okay together in terms of pH. I just tested and ph is around 7-7.2, which is good for Corys, correct? I guess too soft for Molly’s though?

 

[FallenPepper]

Molly's like hard water though some put them in lower end brackish which I guess to each their own, but hopefully that gives you an idea for mollys

 

[Colin_T]

pH and GH are different.
pH ranges between 1.0-14.0 with 7.0 being neutral, anything below 7.0 is acid, anything above 7.0 is base or alkaline.

GH is the amount of calcium and magnesium chloride in the water. Pure water like rain water or distilled water has no minerals and a GH of 0. This is very soft water.
Hard water has lots of minerals in and can be over 400ppm in GH.

Livebearers (platies, swordtails, guppies and mollies) need a GH (general hardness) of 200+ppm (250+ppm for mollies), and a pH above 7.0.

Corydors catfish naturally occur in water with a GH below 150ppm and a pH between 5.0 - 7.5.

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We also need the tank dimensions (Length x width x height) to be able to provide more options in fish.

 

[Essjay]

GH (hardness) is more important than pH. GH is the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water.
Fish that come from hard water have evolved to be able to remove most of the calcium they take in from the water. In soft water they continue removing calcium but there is very little in the water to replace it so they suffer the effects of calcium depletion.
Fish the come from soft water have evolved so that their bodies hang on to the small amount of calcium in the water. In hard water, they bodies carry on accumulating calcium, so much that they get calcium deposits in the organs.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

pH and GH are different.
pH ranges between 1.0-14.0 with 7.0 being neutral, anything below 7.0 is acid, anything above 7.0 is base or alkaline.

GH is the amount of calcium and magnesium chloride in the water. Pure water like rain water or distilled water has no minerals and a GH of 0. This is very soft water.
Hard water has lots of minerals in and can be over 400ppm in GH.

Livebearers (platies, swordtails, guppies and mollies) need a GH (general hardness) of 200+ppm (250+ppm for mollies), and a pH above 7.0.

Corydors catfish naturally occur in water with a GH below 150ppm and a pH between 5.0 - 7.5.

----------------------
We also need the tank dimensions (Length x width x height) to be able to provide more options in fish.

Do you recommend a tool to test water hardness?

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Do you recommend a tool to test water hardness?

Also, if my water is hard, is it ok to use a water softener?

 

[Colin_T]

GH doesn't change much so most people take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop twice a year and get them to test the GH for you. It's cheaper than buying a GH test kit. If you get the pet shop to test the GH, find out what the results are measured in (ppm, dGH, etc).

You can also find out the GH from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. Again, ask what the GH is measured in.

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If you have really hard water and want to keep soft water fishes, get a reverse osmosis (R/O) unit and mix some R/O with tap water.

 

[Essjay]

No, don't use a water softener. The only safe way to 'soften' water is by mixing it with pure water such as reverse osmosis, distilled or even rain water provided there is no air pollution or crop spraying where you live.

But with mollies, you don't want to soften it, they need hard water.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Okay thanks everyone. I’m going to test my hardness and see what it is.