I just set up my first aquarium, I currently have 3 guppies and a mollie. 2 live plants, a box filter with charcoal, standard gravel, a few shells and ornaments that I’ve collected and a heater set at 27°C (80.5° F)
Both mollies and guppies are social fish, so do best in groups of five or more of their own species. I’d recommend returning the molly and getting two more guppies instead.
It also looks like you have two male guppies and one female guppy (I might be wrong, can’t see the top guppy very well so hard to id it properly). The males will harass the female guppy, potentially stressing her to the point of illness or death. Guppies need to either be separated by sex or have more females than males by a roughly 2:1 ratio.
If you keep both male and female guppies, the female guppies will give live birth to between 20 and 200 guppy fry every month. Guppies are livebearers, so don’t lay eggs and instead give live birth. They often eat the majority of the newborn fry, but even if they’re good hunters, that’ll still leave you with an extra five or so baby fish every month.
Might be best to return both the molly and the female guppy, and get three or four more male guppies instead. A male guppy only tank would be much more healthy and easier to maintain.
Koialias on
I would lower the heater temp! Guppies and mollys do well at 22-24, 27 is to hot!
Swabbie___ on
Just set up? So it isn’t cycled? No wonder that mollies panicking lol
3 Comments
What size is the tank in gallons or litres?
Both mollies and guppies are social fish, so do best in groups of five or more of their own species. I’d recommend returning the molly and getting two more guppies instead.
It also looks like you have two male guppies and one female guppy (I might be wrong, can’t see the top guppy very well so hard to id it properly). The males will harass the female guppy, potentially stressing her to the point of illness or death. Guppies need to either be separated by sex or have more females than males by a roughly 2:1 ratio.
If you keep both male and female guppies, the female guppies will give live birth to between 20 and 200 guppy fry every month. Guppies are livebearers, so don’t lay eggs and instead give live birth. They often eat the majority of the newborn fry, but even if they’re good hunters, that’ll still leave you with an extra five or so baby fish every month.
Might be best to return both the molly and the female guppy, and get three or four more male guppies instead. A male guppy only tank would be much more healthy and easier to maintain.
I would lower the heater temp! Guppies and mollys do well at 22-24, 27 is to hot!
Just set up? So it isn’t cycled? No wonder that mollies panicking lol