New fish

Have just taken the baby plattys down to the lfs and come back with two little mollys - on black and one sort of speckled grey.

I didnt intend to buy anything untl I find a decent betta but came away with these -pester power of a 7yr old in full plead mode is to blame, not me!

They're now in a tank with the male platty that was getting bullied, so I guess the betta will have to wait until the q period is over - unless I get the small spare tank going too .

Question is, do mollys need salt adding to the water? Is it essential and if so how much?

IME Mollies don't need to have salt added but they are a hardwater species so don't be surprised if they don't last that long. That said, I've had a Marble Molly in my softwater for the last nine months or so and it's doing fine.

Adding salt could do harm to your other fish so I wouldn't bother with it. You could always buy a third tank and make it a brackish one especially for the Mollies though...

Oh well, I'll just have to see how they go then! I really wanted a betta but they didnt have one

Oh ye of little willpower!!

I have my stocklists so firmly ingrained that I always ring the LFS to check if the fish I want are in stock lest I'm tempted since the last time I came home with four cherry barbs and a plec when I'd only gone there for a look.

It's so hard though isn't it. I always look longingly at the tanks, I would love to get a bigger tank and in my lfs they have a lovely one, about 3' long and overhead light but no lid.

It looks really good, but I do wonder how you are supposed to stop the fish from commiting hari kari

I've seen those as well and thought the same thing as you.

They are a very attractive tank though, I'll give you that but I'd be too nervous to have one, especially with shrimp. You'd be just asking for trouble - they'd all go walkabout!!

God, I hadn't thought about the shrimp!

so the betta is still suffereing in the lfs then diana

cruel, just cruel :lol:

Oh don't! Actually the better of my two local shops are getting some bettas in on Wed, so you never know............

If you're really keen on getting a Betta, why not try a native breeder? I got the name of one a while back but he only shipped the fish overnight to mainland UK for obvious reasons. Absolutely stunning fish and you would be guaranteed quality stock. I'll see if I can track down the name for you.

Thanks Mary that would be great. You know I am starting to toy with the idea of having females. I quite like the look of them, they have lovely colours but just not so fancy.

i dont think i have ever seen any female bettas. how diferent are they from the boys?

They tend to have smaller bodies and finnage but are quite pretty in their own right. They're more peaceful than their male counterparts and make a lovely addition to a community tank. This isn't a great photo of my female SFF Fiona - she's more of a ruby colour in reality - but you get an idea of what she looks like.

That's a lovely fish Mary. You can keep them in a tank with other types of fish then can you as I know the males have to kept on their own dont they?

Well, the males don't necessarily have to kept on their own but sometimes they are happier that way. My first male Betta lived in my community tank for a couple of months and seemed fine but then I unwittingly added a angelfish which he took exception to and killed. He also started to chase the female swordtails so in the end I moved him into his own bachelor pad. Sadly, he developed a strange growth on his throat which ruptured and he eventually died. But I still have the tank and I'll eventually add another male.

So far, there's been no problem with the female Betta but I've read that they can get a little antsy from time to time so I keep an eye on her. I know that Rich had a couple of female Bettas in his community tank but I'm not sure what their personalities were like.

That's a pretty little fish Mary, and a lovely pic too!

Thanks tardis.

They are nice little fish aren't they? Might make a note of them for my next tank!

Oh, what a pretty fish! Is that a little archway she's swimming through?
I've had female bettas & found them sometimes more aggressive than the males. One red one, Valentine, I had for over 3 years & she'd get so forward at feeding time that she once jumped out of the tank when I went to drop the food in. I grabbed her & put her back instantly, she was only out for a few seconds, but what a heart stopping moment, there. She lived for years after that, so no damage was done, thank goodness.
Females are becoming more common in pet shops here the last few years. Wonder what has made the difference?
Jackie

I think its because people have started to realise that the females are quite pretty in their own right and you can keep a group of them rather than a solitary male.

The males also to me seem to have a shorter lifespan and their finnage weighing them down makes them less adaptable to a faster flow tank whereas the females can withstand a faster flow which makes them more suited to a community tank rather than a bachelor pad with little water movement.

Females are known to be more aggressive towards all other fish than males, with the males it is usually isolated to fish like male guppies with long flowy fins and other bettas. They are obviously aggressive when spawning and when I had my last spawn, Bruce even attacked Barney the apple snail for 'snailing' too close to his bubble nest. lol.

I do love my fighters, I have 5 of my fry left now and when they are in with the harlies they look bigger as they are now around Harley size. Hehe.

I miss Bruce so much i havent got the heart to replace him yet. But i will do one day!

charley wrote:

That's a lovely fish Mary. You can keep them in a tank with other types of fish then can you as I know the males have to kept on their own dont they?

Just seen this,

That is a common misconception that they are kept 'on their own', the fact is that they cannot be kept with ANOTHER male fighter, other than that, so long as you avoid fish with long flowing fins such as male guppies, which the fighter may see as a threat to his prettiness, you should be fine in a community.

It just isnt common practice for males and females to be kept together either due to aggression problems, but you can NEVER keep two males together, that the fact of it.

I think its more a case of chinese whispers 'they should be kept alone' - 'they should not be kept with other males'. Hehe