Mollies are beautiful fish that can be kept as a pet. You can keep it in a tank. They are the perfect pet fish that you can possibly have.
You might ask how many mollies can you keep in a 20 gallon tank. Let us help you find the answer to this question and provide you with some additional information regarding this matter as well.
How many mollies in a 20 gallon tank?
You can keep 4 – 6 molies in a 20 gallon tank. As molly fishes grow up to 3 inches, they usually take a little space to live. You need to maintain a certain ratio of female and male mollies in your tank. Therefore, you need to keep 3 – 5 female mollies with 1 – 2 male mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
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Molly fish is an ideal fish for a pet in a tank. It is beautiful in color. It is easy to take care of a molly fish and is peaceful in nature. They have an omnivorous diet and can grow up to 4.5 inches in size.
It is said that you can fit 4 – 6 mollies in a 20 gallon tank without any issue. But if you keep more than that, it can cause problems in the tank. The mollies in the tank might get afraid due to the huge number of mollies in such a small space. They will also get less space to move.
But all the mollies that you keep in your 20 gallon tank can not be of one gender. There is a rule of thumb that you need to keep 1 male molly fish with 2 female mollies.
This is why you may have to get 1 – 2 male mollies for the 3 – 5 female mollies that you will keep in the 20 gallon tank.
You may ask how many molly fish of a specific kind you can keep in a 20 gallon tank. Let us answer that question based on some common molly fishes available in the market.
Black mollies:
You can keep 3 – 4 black mollies in a 20 gallon tank. You need to keep 3 female black mollies for a single male black molly fish. This is the appropriate ratio for black mollies in a tank.
Dalmation mollies:
You can keep 4 dalmation mollies in a 20 gallon tank. Dalmation molly fish usually are bigger in size compared to other molly fishes. It can grow up to 4.75 inches. Therefore, you cannot keep more than 4 dalmation mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
Balloon mollies:
You can keep 6 – 8 balloon mollies in a 20 gallon tank. This molly fish is considered the smallest among all molly fishes. Therefore, more balloon mollies can stay in the same size of the tank compared to other mollies that are available.
You can keep a maximum of 8 balloon mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
Is a 20 gallon tank good for mollies?
Yes, a 20 gallon tank is good for mollies. You can keep molly fishes in various sizes of tanks without any issue. Molly fish requires a small space to live. This is why a 20 gallon tank can be the correct minimum tank size for mollies.
You may want to know the reasons why a 20 gallon tank is suitable for mollies. Here are the important reasons that can justify that.
Mollies are small in size:
Mollies are usually small in size. They grow around 3.85 – 4.75 inches long. This is a core reason why mollies require such a small space. This is why they can live without any issue in a 20 gallon tank.
Mollies are peaceful:
Mollies are peaceful fishes. They do not fight with each other. They can live with other fishes without any problem as they are friendly fishes. It is common to see mollies being kept with other fishes in the same tank.
They are peaceful and do not require such a big fish tank. Therefore, you can use a 20 gallon tank for mollies which is usually a good choice.
Mollies need space to move:
Mollies love to move around in their living area. They love to explore their surroundings and look around where they live. A 20 gallon tank is the perfect tank size for that.
If you keep the correct number of mollies in a 20 gallon tank, all the mollies will get the necessary space to move. This will keep them healthy.
How many of these fishes can live with mollies in a 20 gallon tank?
Mollies are the most peaceful pet fish that you can find. This is why many say that they are called peaceful community fish. As they are peaceful, they can live with multiple fish of the same type.
You can also see that they can live with other fishes of the same type. Guppies, tetras, platies and many more fishes are seen kept together. These fishes together live with peace and harmony.
You may ask how many of these fishes can live with mollies in a 20 gallon tank. Here are the number of fishes that can live with mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
Mollies and guppies:
You can keep 8 – 10 guppies with mollies in a 20 gallon tank. Guppies are usually peace loving fish like mollies. They do not require that much space as well. Therefore, you can keep 10 – 12 guppies at the same time in a 20 gallon tank.
But when it comes to keeping them with mollies, the number reduces due to lack of space. You can keep a minimum of 8 guppies with 3 mollies without any issue. But this number may vary based on the mollies that you will keep with the guppies.
Mollies and platies:
You can keep 10 – 12 platies with mollies in a 20 gallon tank. Platies are very small fishes. Compared to mollies, they almost require half the space if a molly fish. Hence, many platies can live together with one molly fish.
One molly can stay with around 2 – 3 platies if there are 3 – 5 mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
Mollies and tetras:
You can keep 6 – 8 tetras with mollies in a 20 gallon tank. A minimum of 6 tetras can love with around 3 mollies at the same time in a 20 gallon tank. This number varies based on the mollies and tetras that are kept in the tank.
If you keep glowlight tetras, then you can keep a maximum of 6 glowlight tetras in a 20 gallon tank with 3 – 5 mollies in a 20 gallon tank.
What fish can live with mollies in a 20 gallon tank?
Mollies are peaceful community fishes. They can live with any kind of fish of the same kind. They can mix with other fishes without any issue. The main requirement of being a fish tank mate of the molly fish is that the other fish has to be peaceful and friendly.
It is said that most cichlids are the perfect fish tank mate for mollies. They are peaceful and do not harm other fishes that they live with. They do not harm molly fish as well and live on their own.
While choosing the fish tank mate for your mollies, you need to consider some facts. The tank size is a big factor. You need to match the ratio of mollies and the fish tank mate that you will keep in the tank.
Keep the appropriate number of other fish in the tank with your mollies or it might cause issues.
You may want to know the names of the fishes that can live with mollies in a 20 gallon tank. Here are the names that we think are noteworthy to remember if you need a fish tank mate for your mollies.
- Guppy
- Swordtail
- Platies
- Rams
- Dwarf Cichlids
- Neon Tetras
- Gouramis
- Minnows
- Angelfish
- Otocinclus Catfish
Final thoughts
4 – 6 mollies can be kept in a 20 gallon tank. As molly fish are small, you can keep the maximum number of 6 in a tank of 20 gallons. But you need to keep an eye on the fish tank. As mollies are livebearers, you need to keep an eye for babies. Else, it might cause space issues in the tank.