One sex tank??

sandragirlcow

Is it better not to mix male and females together? Should they be in seperate tank? I have a 29 gallon with 3 Rasboras (female) and 1gold dust molly (female) and 1 black molly (male) and 2 platies (male). In my 10 gallon I have 2 platies (male) (they are aggressive) and 1 black molly (male...he was aggressive toward other black molly).

The 29 gallon tank now is fine but I have 2 male platies and one is bigger and he keeps chasing the smaller male around all the time. Could it be because there are females of other species in the same tank? Will that cause aggression? Should I have an all male tank and an all female tank?? When I got the fish I said I wanted males....but with the rasboras it was too had to tell (till now) and my gold dust molly was supposed to be male but is not.

thanks

Sandy

bettababy

Can you post a photo of your tank? I am wondering how much decoration is in there and how it is set up... With mollys, aggression levels can usually be worked out with appropriate decor (and enough of it) in the tank, especially plants (live or fake no matter).

I would not suggest mixing 1 single female molly with all of those male mollys, not because of aggression but because of breeding habits. She wouldn't stand a chance with that many males. When it comes to live bearing fishes such as mollys, platys, guppies, swordtails, etc the appropriate ratio is 2 or more females for each male, and this only if you are prepared for the massive breeding it will bring.

Aggression levels will vary from fish to fish, each has its own individual personality. While some generalization can be done according to species and aggression levels, it still boils down to each individual fish. Typically with mollys and platys aggression levels are generally low, and chasing is usually the result of males chasing females or staking territory and dominance over other fish, sex and species don't always matter when it comes to territory. With a photo of the tank I can probably offer you some suggestions on decor that will help tone down the aggression of your fish. Most fish can learn to be compatible if the tank is large enough and set up to accommodate each fish's individual needs.

As an example, I have a pair of breeding angelfish in a 65 gallon tank with 1 Neon Tetra, and they live peacefully. The average angelfish will eat neons, and this is not something I suggest an inexperienced fish keeper try to accomplish... but with enough plants and rock work to accommodate both fish species, they live peacefully together even during the spawning of the angels. In order to keep this situation peaceful I will have to upgrade the size of the tank as the angelfish grow to adult size, and maintain the heavy amount of plants and rock work in their tank. Most people are not content with a 65 gallon tank with only 3 fish... and that is where the issues would begin.

So can these things be done? Yes. But only if done the right way.

aunt kymmie

Why only one neon??

bettababy

LOL, I should have known someone would ask that question. I ordered 12 and by end of 48 hrs I had 1 left. They didn't look real good when they came in, so I wasn't sure any would survive. It was a wholesale order, so I guess I wasn't overly surprised. That tank was supposed to have just a dozen neons to keep the plants thriving. When the 3 pairs of angels began spawning in the 90 gallon they were beating each other up bad, so I had to move a pair out to help maintain peace until I can get the next tank set up. The only place I had for them to go was into the 65 with the neon, so in they went. I wasn't worried about compatibility due to the amount of plants in that tank. I just thinned out the plants this past weekend to make room for the fish to swim. The plants were so dense even the neon was struggling.

Austin

I added a male to my tank when I already had a male molly as well. The one that was already in the tank was sort of aggressive toward the new male, but he settled down. I think they are just sometimes territorial to new fish. Provide places for the new male to hide. He should be fine.

sandragirlcow

I will try to send a picture tonight. The platies that I am talking about have been together now for about 6 months...so I don't understand this behavior. Today I moved the aggressive one over to the other tank but one of the platies in there is fighting with him....so much so that one of them has a torn fin. I turned the light off too thinking that would help settle them down. The Platy with the torn fin was originally in the tank.

bettababy

Think of them as children... as babies they all get along pretty easily, but as they start to grow up how does their behavior change? By the time they're teenagers they're fighting with each other and defending their claimed territory... If there isn't enough territory, they never find peace.
I will watch for the pictures.

rsheets

I ordered 12 neons too and it took right at about 2 weeks and all but one was dead. Not sure how that happens. They were all under warranty though, so I guess that eases some of the pain.