lost a molly

Falina

thanks

ill just hope now that the other 3 will be alright

daisycutter

if i could i would give you some of mine im inundated the water down here is molly/malawi paradise

Lupin

It was the plecos. How else where the synos able to thrive in hard alkaline waters such as the origins of Lake Malawian cichlids compared to plecs on long-term basis? Synos are virtually opposite of plecs hence they are better options for Rift Valley tanks instead.
Exactly. I never heard from anybody living in places where water is soft that they have successfully kept mollies unless they add baking soda in the water instead.
Almost all livebearers do not thrive in soft water long-term although in most cases, some were able to adapt. Mollies are very much doubted to last long in soft water. They are usually the ones who are the first to show signs of intolerance to water conditions. They prefer hard, alkaline waters.

Falina

thanks for all the info blue

i actually meant to say i have 2 synos, not 3 but that doesnt really matter

both the synos appear to be thriving, should i be worried about them? they both appear healthy and have good appetites and are reasonably active. i say reasonably because they do hide a lot, but when the lights are out and its feeding time theyre very active. both them and the plec seem to be thriving which according to what you siad shouldnt be the case. could it just be that they have been brought up in softer water and so are more acclimatised to it?

my 4 molly fry i have just now are now 3 days old. none of the last lot made it this far so ill keep my fingers crossed that they be alright.

i read on a few sources that mollies like very hard water, along with guppies whereas platties and swordtails like medium hard water. i am going to send away for more details to the water board after kate giving me the number, however, i dont think i will risk getting any morlivebearers after reading this.

thanks again

Falina

as for the synodontis, it seems that som species prefer hard water, some soft,, but generally can tolerate most water parameters. the species i have is eupterus, which according to planetcatfish is very undemanding when it comes to water parameters so hopefully these 2 fishes will be fine :D

Lupin

Pretty much possible.:)
Your only option for the livebearers to thrive is get another tank, add baking soda or oyster shells and monitor your KH and GH if you wish to allow them to thrive. If I were you, I'd just resort to other fish that thrive in soft, acidic water instead. I doubt livebearers will last long in your water chemistry. Tetras and rams often top the choices based on your water chemistry.8)

Falina

thanks blue

i dont think i will be getting more livebearers unfortunately in that case. i will look after the mollies i already have as best as i can obviously but after that i will look into other more suitable fish