[Pop Puffer]

I have four guppies and I will soon be setting up a livebearer tank (my first 30 gal. tank!). I'm thinking about getting some mollies but I read that they need a little salt in the water. Would I be able to keep the mollies with other livebearers?

 

[jaysee]

Mollies and guppies can breed together. Aside from that, sure you can keep them together. It's said that all the live bearers like a little salt.


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[Pop Puffer]

If the fish interbreed would the fry survive? I don't want to have fry just to watch all of them go belly up.

 

[Austin]

I never really kept mollies much, mostly guppies and platies. But I never heard of that happening, except that it "could" happen. I wouldn't worry about it, it seems very rare.

 

[jaysee]

The fry of many hybrids are sterile, including muppies.

How likely it is to happen is entirely dependent on how you keep your tank. If given the choice each would rather mate with their own kind. Interbreeding is a result of circumstance, such as adding a female Molly to a tank with just male guppies, or with too few female guppies.

It does happen - its more than a warning of possibility. But I agree that it's nothing to really worry about. Just something of which to be aware.

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[Pop Puffer]

Ok thanks. I am going to have four guppies in the tank, two males and two females so I think I'll be ok.

 

[RackinRocky]

It's always best to have more females, but you might be alright with two and two. The reason I say that is the male guppies will sometimes pester the females until they are exhausted. So I'd be more comfortable with 3 females to 2 males.

 

[Pop Puffer]

Well one of my male guppies just died. I guess the females will be happier, but I might get another guppy like the one that died, since my female is ready for fry!

 

[RackinRocky]

Yes, that's the nice thing about them breeding, as you never know when one might die. I lost a nice one the other day too, but had no females to breed him to My fry are still too young. Maybe you'll end up with another just like him!