quikv6

I'd add some salt as well, especially since Mollies specifically tend to take very well to it.

Thanks Kirsten. I never really considered shipping, though I certainly won't rule it out. As silly as it sounds, I think I'd be more than happy to give them away locally if I knew they'd be going to a good home. I'm going to expand the LFS search, and see if I can come up with a better resource for rehoming. When getting into the hobby, I never thought I'd ever consider a 125. And even if I did, I certainly never would think it's occupants would be platies and mollies. Crazy how things unfold! Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. I was hoping there would be some magical answer such as "the fish realize the tank is getting full, and slow down on their own." Wishful thinking. I guess the 125 will be in my near future, and then after that, I will do my best to find other good homes for them, with the mindset that it is doing them no good to keep them in an overcrowded tank. Thanks again. Greatly appreciated.

A tank running for 9 months should show nitrates. Perhaps something went awry w/your cycle? (especially since you show nitrites)

Hello all. I'd appreciate some insight: I started this hobby with livebearers early this year (5 Balloon Mollies and 3 Platies...1 Male in each group), in a 20 gallon. As you can probably guess, these 8 "rabbits" forced a tank upgrade twice. I went to a 40 Long, and am now at at 75 gallon. Now the 8 adults are alongside approximately 60+ children. None of them are yet full grown, but a batch is getting close. I feel like the tank walls are closing in. Ultimately I plan to get a 125, but don't have room for anything larger than that. As it is, I let nature take its course. With so many babies around, constant food, and cover...the babies are thriving. (Deep down, I am actually glad for that.) I do have a local fish store that said they'd take any I didn't want, but to be honest, their livebearer tanks don't look so great, and I just don't feel good about bringing the fish to a sub-par environment. - At what point would you say a 75 is too small? How bout at 125? I have been on top of maintenance/water changes, have good filtration, and plan to stay on top of that. My ultimate goal is to just let a tank "be", and not have to worry about if each batch of fry is going to put it over the edge, stocking level-wise. And to be honest, I really like keeping the babies, seeing them grow, and am not too keen on giving them away. Any suggestions, advice, or empathy appreciated. 🙂 Thanks.

I just upgraded to a 75, but I had a 40 long that really was a wonderful tank. The 4 foot window is great, and it's relatively short so it's easy to service. 40 long would be my .02 cents. They aren't the easiest tanks to find, though.

Thanks Cory. I appreciate the reply. I have been changing water based off the Nitrates. It seems to result in a necessary weekly 25% change, to keep them around 20ppm. I pre-treat the water w/baking soda, let it sit a day, then test and change it. It's manageable that way, since I am only changing out 10 gallons. With a larger tank, I suppose I can get away with less water changes. I was just worried about any PH shock when I do, since it would be a greater volume. I guess I am overthinking it. Thanks again!

Hi all, Please forgive my newbie question/status. I am relatively new to the hobby, and have been running a 40 long tank with Mollies and Platies for about 6 months. Needless to say, they have been multiplying, and I am considering moving to a bigger tank. (75 or 125). - On to the context, and then the question: I have currently been adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 10 gallons of water for water changes, to assist in buffering the soft NYC water, which has very little KH and a PH of around 6.6-6.8 out of the tap. (I have some crushed coral mixed in as substrate also). This method seems to yield moderate KH, with a PH of 7.6-7.8, which has been working for the livebearers. I currently do the water changes w/5 gallon buckets set up w/ baking soda the day before, but this obviously wouldn't work with a much larger tank. I would go need to go right from the tap to the tank w/the Python. - What would be the best method of adding baking soda safely "during" a water change with the tap-to-tank method? (Dose the tank before? Dose it after? Have a pre-mixed gallon that I very slowly pour in as it's filling?) I want to avoid any "shock" and rapid changes during/after a water change. Thanks to all in advance, and thanks to the "coop" for a wonderful forum/business/education.