Well guys, the more I hear talk about tropicals, the more I want to get my tropical tank set up!!!!

I have 2 adorable balloon moliies that are living happily with my 3 goldies in my 35 gallon tank. They do really well with the goldfish.

I did have them in a tank with my guppie, but the guppie would nip at them and the mollies were too slow to get away.

Im wondering what other tropicals would do really good with balloon mollies? I love guppies, but I dont think that is gonna work together.

Are regular mollies and balloon mollies ok together?

I mean a tank full of balloon mollies would be just the cutest thing ever, but a little too close to goldfish. I want something a little different, Any ideas?

EDIT: Oh and I just know that Chris is gonna want to put some funny looking fish in there, so what are some really werid looking unusual fish that we could have too? He likes the eel lookin' things or the mean looking things. lol. Hey, he's a guy. I need to have at least ONE tank with some fish that he likes though! I want some pretty ones too, so suggestions please!!!!

Oh and I thought of another question. Is the rule for tropicals 1 gallon per inch of fish? I havent kept tropicals post-Koko's so I dont know. I had guppies before, I havent a clue if I was doing it right. That was like 5 years ago that I last had a tropical tank.

I had a balloon mollie in with my regular mollie for a long time until it died. They never picked on him.

Thats so funny. My bf made me get a rope fish because it "looks like a snake" but guess who has to take care of it??

Thanks! I really like mollies. Probably because my little sister caught my first little mollie in the river by my house. I loved that little fish, had it for 2 years. It was a fav because she caught it for me. She tried all day to get that fish for me to put in my tank. I think she was like 6 or 7 then?

So no one else has any ideas? man. Now Im bummed. Maybe Ill just put all balloon mollies and regular mollies and hoprfully the wont nip each other. I like the platies too but I dont know if they are nippy. Ok well, Ill wait for your comments. Itll be awhile before I set the tank up for the tropicals but I want to do my research first.

you can get some cories! don't those go with just about everything and there is all different kinds to choose from. i have two bronze, two albinos, and one juli/leopard they are all so adorable and fun to watch

You should do a brackish tank! I think there are some odd-ball brackish fish. In case you don't know, brackish is a mixture between salt and freshwater...but I'm not sure on the concentration. Mollies do wonderfully with salt. Regualr mollies need more room than balloons, and sailfins get huge and need even more room than that. What size tank are you thinking about? Lemme see if I can find that brackish page I've seen around...

Found it! http://badmanstropicalfish.com/brackish/brackish.html

I have a mollie and platy together and they do really well. They beat on the tetras but not eachother. I have a cory in there too.


edit spelling

Need to know the size of tank you are putting them into, and as far as the inch per gallon then its not really true but can be used as a guide.
You have to take into account the adult size of a fish first and then work out its swimming needs and most fish really unless dwarf/pygmy wont be able to go into a 10 gallon.
Mollies do prefer salt in the water to provide extra minerals and electrolytes and tonic salt is best for that. Sailfin Mollies are saltwater fish really.

I think Mollies are a peaceful fish so will do well with other livebearers. If in no salt then you could have the corys that has been mentioned and some mid level swimming fish such as tetras.

Kissy,
That is a very interesting page. Makes me want to set up a brackish tank

oops sorry. I thought I said that. Guess not. Um, its a 35 gallon tank.


I didnt know mollies liked salt. That's neat. I have no prob giving them a bit of salt. I normally salf my GF tank just a bit anyway.

So you guys are saying that balloon mollies are ok with platies, corys, tetras, and regular mollies? Guppies are livebearers...but they were really picking on the balloon mollies. I think its because they are so slow, they cant get away fast enough when other fish pick on them, that's why Im worried.

I know I want to have balloon mollies, so the question is what do they do good with? Not what do ALL mollies do good with....

So are you telling me to consider balloon mollies just like the regular ones despite not being able to swim as well?

Its the one magick has been showing everyone. She hasn't been around lately so I ded a search and found it

I have found platys to be pretty placid fish. I mean with all fish you might get the odd one that is aggressive, but on the whole, they have been very placid. Harlequin rasboras have always been very placid for me. I keep my balloon mollies in a tank with cories, but I don't salt the tank and the mollies have done fine for me.

THanks for the info, guys! I think Im going to get some platies and some different colored mollies for my tank. I never knew there was plain black and yelloow mollies. That's neat.

So as far as weird lookin' fish? LOL because I just know that hubby is going to want one of those eel looking things. Any of those types good to put in too?

Are you thinking of dojo loaches (sometimes called weather loaches)? They are best put with goldfish since they prefer cooler water and they don't do well with salt.

They are great companions for goldfish, though

Or maybe he's thinking of that violet goby/dragon goby? Those are pretty neat...I don't know much about them tho.

I dont know what he's thinking of. lol. He doesnt know anything about fish. We saw this mean looking eel thing at the pet store though. I dont think the was a nice fish. He sure didnt look like it. Beady eyes, a greyish-brown I think. I cant remember what it was called though. So there are no similar fish that are tropical? Ok Ive seen these fish that kind of flow when they swim. They are long like eels, but kind of flatter, and they, like, ripple when they swim. I dont know how else to describe it. I saw them at petsmart and they were like 3 or 4 inches long. Dont know how big they get though. ANyone know what Im talking about? I *think* they were black or brown or some darker color.

OK! Yes! Dragon Goby! THats the mean looking one with the beady eyes! I just looked it up!

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball%2C...agon%20Goby.htm

Oh but it says it gets a foot long and needs brackish water.


The dojo loach is cute. Too bad it is cold water.

EDIT: Just read up on those dragon gobies. Swwww they are cute. lol. in an ugly sort of way. I want one! Now you go tme thinking about a brackish tank. I dont know if I can do that though. I think Id rather stick with something simple. I see the dragon gobies in the pet stores mixed in with freshwater fish. I know nnnnnn and petsmart dont have brackish or saltwater tanks set up, but they still have brackish fish. Can they live ok in freshwater??

I think dojos would do fine in a warmer aquarium, but they wouldn't like brackish conditions

I don't think chain petstores set up separate brackish tanks...I've seen those cups of salt in the water sometimes, but that makes me wonder because they say they don't know the salinity. I think the goby would really do best in a brackish enviroment. I know there have been a few threads on the dragon goby....I'll see if I can find them for you. They are big, blind (pretty close), and brackish..thats all I really remember heh.

Here's another link: http://www.aquafriend.com/modules.php?op=m...=article&sid=40

I can't remember if they are very picky with their food or not.

yeah I probably wont get them. Im not gonna do a brackist tank. I dont trust myself to be able to keep up with that and do it right. If I did, then Id just go straight for the saltwater tank.

Maybe I can set the heater for a lower acceptable heat for the tropicals so that there can be a little compromise?

I think the dojo loaches are cute and it would probably satisfy hubby's craving for an odd looking fish.

What do they eat?

And and my friend gave me an albino cory once and said it was an "algae eater". Do they like algae disks? Ive got some if they would like it. Im thinking of getting some when I set up my tropical tank.

My neighbors said they were tired of taking care of this fish and when they finally decided to give it to me it was halfway dead. By the time they drove out of my driveway he was dead in my Q-tank.

A lot of fish that we think of as tropicals are actually cool water fish, such as danios and white clouds. Some cories, such as bronze (aeneus) and peppered (paleatus) actually do well in lower temps, too. You could do a nice tank with those types of fish and keep it in the 70 f. range.

Dojos will eat just about anything. They love sinking food because they are bottom dwellers. Mine adore sinking shrimp pellets, but will eat any other kind of food that hits the bottom of the tank. They also love ProGold goldfish pellets.

Cories actually are not algae eaters, but will eat food with a plant content, but also require other foods. They are omnivores and would eat the same kind of diet as the dojos. They would eat the algae wafers along with other food to give them a varied diet.

That is too bad about the little cory

THanks!!!!!!!!!! Actually I couldnt resist. I went to petsmart today and bought 3 loaches to live in my 55 with my goldies until my tropical tank is set up. I might put one in there and leave the other two loaches in the 55. They are soooooooo cute! One is really freaking out though. Like he will be hiding for like 20 minutes in the river stones, then he will zoom up to the surface and do little flips and freak out and splash water everwhere. He likes to go by the filter and do this. Know why???????

One of my loaches is still kind of manic and I have had him for two years. The larger loach is very laid back, but the other one is a nut.

Yours may settle down after you have had him for a while. BTW, loaches like company, so I would probably keep your three together, or buy another one and put two in the tropical tank.

Just make sure you have a tight fitting lid on your tank!

Good idea! Yeah, Ill probably just buy another one to keet the spotted guy company.

Oh and yeah, tight lid, no kidding. That thing was flipping up a storm! I thought he was going to hurt himself by flipping and banging into the hood! lol.

I forgot to tell Chris that I got them and he saw them swimming in the tank and I think it freaked him out. He was like "GIA!!! What the heck is that in your goldfish tank!?!?!?!?!" I was like its a fish. And its cute. I got it for you. Do you like it
? Is it weird enough for ya? He was like yeah I guess. Lol. I think its face is too cute for him. hahahaha

It got his attention, anyway!!!