Male Molly - New Tank

Question
We have purchased a little tank which is 21.5 Litres. We have had the tank set up for 3 days and have had 5 goldfish die in that time. However the male molly we have is still alive and very active. We would like to add 2 female mollies to the tank. Is the tank big enough for this? I have also read it is good do add salt to the tank would you reccomend this for us?

Answer
Hi Stacey;

Unfortunately, your tank is just too small for goldfish or mollies.  Also, too many fish were added at once to a tank so new. You need either a larger tank or take the molly back and get some tiny types of fish such as white cloud mountain minnows, neon tetras, zebra danios, cory cats, ghost shrimp, guppies, etc. All those guys like to be in groups of 3 or more. You can't keep more than 8 total, even small fish, because the capacity of your little tank won't allow it. BUT, it has to go through the break-in period before you can stock it fully. It takes about 6 weeks to finish the break-in and it can be very hard on the fish if there are too many adding waste to it. Only have one or two tiny ones to get it through the break-in and monitor the ammonia and nitrite as it does so. Make partial water changes as needed to get the fish through it. Here is a my web page with more details about that;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

Goldfish need at least 40 liters (about 10 gallons) per fish even while small. They are very messy guys that get very large. Here is a web page about them and what they need;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

Regular Mollies should not be in anything smaller than an 40 liter (about 10 gallons). Sailfin Mollies get larger and need at least 80 liters (about 20 gallons). Mollies are also livebearers that will have babies every few weeks. Your little tank is barely large enough to be the nursery only for the babies, but only for a short time until babies start to grow up. Mollies don't really need salt, it's actually a myth. They can be adapted to live in partly salt water but it isn't necessary. They do need very clean water by making frequent water changes, at least 25% every week, and a good diet with veggies added. Here is a web page about mollies and what they need;

http://www.fish-tank-guide.com/fish/mollies.html

Good luck and I hope you find some nice little fish that work out better in your tank...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins