Male Dominance Or Flirting?

I have 2 mollies, I was told in the shop that they are both males, one is bigger than the other and chases the little one around although it isnt all the time, am I right in thinking if it was a female he would be on her 24/7? Also he raises his dorsal (?back) fin when hes doing it. Have I got a male and female? or 2 boys that are either playing or bullying?

Thanks Sue. We just checked and they are both boys. Can this behavior cause any harm to the little one? I will be putting more fish in at a later date possibly a betta? i thought about a red shark (pet shop said this is fine) but i think the tank is too small (60x30x30cm, 60l). Any other suggestions? (not snails, they creep me out!)

I have tested the water: PH 7.6, Ammonia 1.0 ppm, Nitrite 0 ppm (slightly drker than colour on chart but not dark enough for 0.25ppm) Nitrate 0ppm (again slightly darker than colour on chart but not dark enough for 5.0 ppm)

As for water hardness we wouldn't say we had hard water (no kettle or shower fuzz) but water co. website says our area is moderatly hard.

This is a new tank set it up on new years eve, left it running then put the 2 mollies in 3rd Jan (shop said this would be ok) only been feeding small amounts. water temp is set at 25°c, both fish are active and eating well.

Bit gutted about the betta (again shop said this would be suitable future tank mate  )

With an ammonia of 1.0, you need to do a big water change asap. Drain the tank so the mollies just have enough water for them to be able to stay upright (maybe an inch left in the bottom above the gravel) then refil it with water at about the same temp and has had dechlorinator added. If you feel the temp of the old water with your hand, then warm the new water till it feels the same, that's close enough. To warm it - if you have a combi boiler (ie hot water made instantly, no hot water tank) you can use water from the hot tap. If you have a hot water tank, boil a kettle. This is because hot water tanks are fed from a cold tank in the attic, and these tanks are open topped so all sorts of nasty things can get in them.

Unfrotunately, you are yet another victim of shop advice. They very rarely tell you what to do to set up a tank properly. You are now doing what is called a fish-in cycle. Until enough bacteria grow in the filter, you have to do the filter's job by doing water changes to remove the ammonia made by the fish, then the nitrite that the newly grown ammonia eating bacteria will make. Here is a 'how to' guide:
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,17.0.html
The important thing is to keep the two poisons, ammonia and nitrite, as low as possible by doing water change until the bacteria have grown in the filter. The highest reasonably safe level is 0.25. It'll take a month or two for the bacteria to grow.

One piece of advice I give to every newcomer - don't believe the shop. A lot of them will say anything to get a sale. Others don't have a clue. Think of them as used car salesmen, you wouldn't believe everything they say 
Use the internet. Not just here (I have been known to be wrong  ) but anywhere. Research every fish before you buy it.

Mollies like hard water. They can suffer in soft water, though we do have a member here (Chucklett) who successfully keeps mollies in soft water. Because yours will be on the edge of their comfort zone, it is even more important that you do the water changes to get rid of the ammonia and nitrite as even low levels could push the fish over the edge.


Don't worry about deciding on more fish for now. Concentrate on getting your mollies through the cycle. Hopefully Chucklett will see this thread and have ideas on what you can get once the cycle is finished 




Edited for terrible spelling 

At the moment, just test for ammonia and nitrite. If you have to do frequent water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels as close to zero as possible, all the nitrate test will show is the amount in your tapwater. And all the water changes will kep the pH stable as well. Nitrate will be useful later on - once the filter is cycled and the tank is fully stocked, nitrate can be used as an indicator of your maintenance regime. I'll explain it later 

On the subject of pH, can I suggest you run a glass of tapwater, test a bit straight away, then leave the rest of it to sit for 24 hours and test it again. You'll probably find the pH is different. One commonly asked questions is why is my tank pH diffferent from my tap pH. The answer is often simply due to the pH changing on standing. Mine goes up by 0.2.



Fish can go a week without food with no harm. Feeding once every two days while cycling will stop the ammonia reading going up as fast.

I tested the water again; ammonia 0.50, nitrite 0, so 25% water change?
Also doing the ph test on tap water at the moment ran a glass of water last night, I tested with both the ph and high ph test in the kit, ph result was 7.6 high ph result was 7.4 water co. website says its 7.66, I will test gain later when it has stood for 24 hrs.

Water changed  will keep going with feeding every 2 days and testing/water changing  will post an update on how this is goung in a few days (or panic 'cos its all gone wrong and post sooner!  ) tested the ph on the standing water after 24hrs and the results were exactly same as 24hrs previously.

Hi I keep testing and changing water, so far the nitrite test has remained at 0 each time still getting readings for ammonia. when should I expect a change in nitrite?