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Unread 09/09/2014, 09:31 PM   #119
Michael Hoaster
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 5,807
I've been debating another fish. This one hails from the Carolinas down to the Gulf of Mexico. So, I'm not entirely sure this fish fits into the category of 'Caribbean'. Are the Florida Keys considered Caribbean? When I googled 'Caribbean Map', all the images include the southern tip of Florida, soooooo is it cool?

Before I spill the beans, let me preface this choice by saying I am modeling this tank to mimic a mangrove lagoon. It will not be full-strength seawater. Manatee Grass's ideal salinity is 25 ppt. So if my fish can go that low, that's where we'll be. If not, I'll find a good compromise that everyone can live with, say, like 27 ppt (1.020 SG).

This fish is considered to be a brackish water species, able to adapt to hard, fresh water, all the way to full-strength seawater. It's the Molly. There are pros and cons. Mostly pros, like cheap, harem-ready, a good algae-eater, and easily bred in captivity. They are live bearers and the fry are large at birth. I wonder how many females I'd need to keep up with Lookdown predation. Kind of a neat, food chain thing. Nutrients to algae to Mollies to Lookdowns! Sing it with me! "It's the circle of life"!

As for cons, they might just look wrong in my tank. I may not need another algae eater, with my snails, angelfish, tang and blenny.

So, any opinions on the subject?


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

Last edited by Michael Hoaster; 09/09/2014 at 10:00 PM.
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