Are Mollies Good Starter Fish?

There are hundreds of freshwater species that can serve as a good starter in your home aquarium. So, the question is, are mollies also a good starter fish?

So, are mollies good starter fish? Mollies are often a good starter fish for experienced fish-keepers. However, their high sensitivity to an aquarium water condition makes them a less preferred choice for beginners.

In this article, you will discover some species that can be a good starter for your aquarium and other species that are not recommended, especially as a beginner.

Tips in Choosing the Right Species of Fish

If you are thinking of setting up an aquarium, and you are probably naïve about the right specie for your tank, here are guidelines that will help your decision making.

• Not all species have the same tank requirement. Therefore, you must be aware of the conditions that you can easily meet within your reach. Moreover, aquariums come in different sizes and shapes, which varies from simple unheated tanks to heated aquarium.

• Also, freshwater species are easy to be consistent with, in terms of cleaning and maintenance. Moreover, they are still easy to maintain even in community tanks. However, ensure you add a filter – to keep the water clean regularly, proper lighting, and adequate heat. Also, you will have to select peaceful and tolerant fish that can survive in the same environment.

• Lastly, ensure that the fish sizes do not vary by a large difference. Moreover, this will ensure that no fish is being bullied by a bigger specie. However, you need to make proper research before selection, and also watch your fish closely after purchase. Some fish may be very aggressive. Such that, they could be a threat to your aquarium.

Great Freshwater Species That Are Suitable as Starter Fish

Mollies are good starter fish, as they are hardy.  But as stated earlier, they are not the best choice for beginners. However, there are lots of starter fish that is best suitable in home aquariums. However, we will mention the top starter fish that many aquarists keep.

Danios

Danios are one of the hardy freshwater aquarium starters that are suitable for beginners. Because they are hardy, and they likely survive in various water condition. Also, they are a good choice of starter fish for a novice who is not experienced with setting up fish tanks. Moreover, Danios are fun to watch, and they are usually happy to feed on fish flakes.

Swordtails

Swordtails are generally a peaceful species, which makes them a good option for starter fish in a community tank. However, male swordtails may not be easy to breed, as they are usually aggressive towards each other.

Moreover, swordtails are around 4 inches long, which makes them a good resident for most freshwater aquariums. Although female swordtails eat their young after birth, so you may need to carry out safety measures for the fry.

Meanwhile, swordtails are usually active with feeding, and they tend to eat almost every live food and a variety of prepared foods.

Platies

Platies are similar species with swordtails. Also, they are schooling fish that thrive best in a small group of fish, like five fish together. Moreover, they exist in varieties of color and are somewhat easy to breed.

Neon Tetras

Like platies, neon tetras are schooling fish that survive in small groups. Although, they form a group of six fish or more, as compared to the group of four, swordtails forms. Moreover, it is better to keep neon tetras in a species tank, than a community tank.

Freshwater Fish Types That Are Not Recommended as Starter Fish

There are various reasons why a freshwater fish may not be the best choice of starter fish for your aquarium. However, these reasons vary, depending on the type of fish. Especially for inexperienced fish keepers, there are certain species you may need to avoid. This is more specific for resident species in community tanks.

Sharks

Although there are various freshwater sharks, not one of them is suitable for keeping in a home aquarium. However, there is a species of wild fish technically referred to as “sharks”, but these freshwater shark species are not as dangerous as the initial.

Although, some freshwater sharks, (such as rainbow shark and red-tailed black shark) possess similar body shape and size as “wild sharks”. Such that, people sometimes mix them. But they are not the same. However, if you still want to have them, you should keep one fish at a time.

Male Bettas

Bettas are beautiful creatures, also known as Siamese fighting fish, and they are fun to keep. However, male bettas can be very aggressive. As a result, they are not a good starter fish for a community tank.

Moreover, it is better you keep them in a species tank. Although, female bettas are quite friendly, as they tend to cope better in a community tank.

Eels

Eels tend to be somewhat difficult to keep healthy. Moreover, they grow to a large size that doesn’t fit in most aquarium tanks. So, they are not a good option for inexperienced fish-keepers.

Related Questions

People do not only inquire if mollies are good starters or not. However, many beginners and experts make further research that is related to their tank aquarium. Some of these questions include:

What Starter Fish is Suitable for My Aquarium?

So you need some ideas on the right starter fish for setting up your aquarium, this article will also help you with that. There are several freshwater fish you may want to consider for your home aquarium. These include Neon Tetra, Danios, Platies, Guppies, Cherry Barb, Fire Mouth Cichlid, Cory Catfish, Swordtails

Are All Livebearers Good Starter Fish?

There are many livebearers you may want to consider as the starter fish for your aquarium. However, the popular livebearers include; mollies, guppies, swordtails, and platies.

Moreover, these species are regarded as livebearers, because they don’t lay eggs, they rather give birth to their babies alive.

Mollies

Today, mollies are widely known and preferably kept by many aquarists. Although, many have argued it’s a result of easy purchase, and availability in pet stores, as it doesn’t make them the best choice among other livebearers.

However, they can be a starter fish in a home aquarium, but it is not recommended for an inexperienced fish-keeper.

Guppies

In past years, guppies were popular breeding fish by many beginners. However, you can see them in most aquarium today, but they are mostly kept by experienced aquarists.

Guppies are good options for starter fish, especially fancy guppies. Moreover, guppies are hardy, such that, they can go without food for a few days. Also, an inexperienced aquarist may try them out.

Platies

Having mentioned a good choice of starter fish for aquarists, especially experienced ones, here is a great choice of starter fish for first-time or novice aquarists. Moreover, platies exist in a wide variety of colors, and they are peaceful, hardy, and widely available.

Meanwhile, you can choose from a variety of colors, as most wide platies exist as orange, blue or silver, while domesticated or captured platies can be gold, orange, white, yellow, black, blue, or red. Moreover, platies are not picky with food. As they feed mostly on frozen live foods, and flake foods.

Conclusion

As a beginner, it is advisable to make proper research before setting up an aquarium. As your first choice of starter fish may influence if you are going to be an expert aquarist or not.

Moreover, starting your aquarium with a bad choice of starter fish may make you lose interest in a domestic aquarium.

Also, for experts and experienced aquarists, you need to frequently get updates on your aquarium fish, so you may know the appropriate measures to follow. Regardless, whether as a novice or experienced aquarist, we believe following the stated measures will help give positive results.