Stinking Mollies!!

ivycharlaine

ivycharlaine

Member
So I don't know why a few weeks ago I bought 2 SW mollies for my tank. It was totally an impulse buy and then when I brought them home I realized I don't want them because there is nothing tropical about them. Well this weekend they had babies and now I have a ton of them swimming around. I am soooo not happy about this, I really want to get rid of them but don't know what to do now!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3101913
So I don't know why a few weeks ago I bought 2 SW mollies for my tank. It was totally an impulse buy and then when I brought them home I realized I don't want them because there is nothing tropical about them. Well this weekend they had babies and now I have a ton of them swimming around. I am soooo not happy about this, I really want to get rid of them but don't know what to do now!


Wait a few weeks for them to grow....whatever survives you can bag up and take them to the LFS for in store credit or cash.
keep the mollies...whenever they have babies in the tank...free fish food that is very healthy for your other critters. The babies will become part of the little eco system you created. which is what everyone who keeps an aquaruim desires to do..a self sustained little ocean.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
Mollys may not be the most exotic looking fish but they are beneficial, they are voracious algae eaters and most of the babies won't survive anyhow, they are great "free food" for the other inhabitants of your tank.
 
ivycharlaine

ivycharlaine

Member
The only other fish I have in the tank are 2 clowns and they aren't eating the babies lol. I wanted to get a sixline wrasse, will it eat the babies? The 2 mollies are fine but I really don't want a tank of them lol. If not, what is a good fish to get? I have a 45 FOWLR but i am planning on adding some soft corals in the near future and I don't want fish that will pick at them.
 
cydab

cydab

Member
flame angle should work and i believe cardinals would do as well, i know they are having a party at my tank every time my clowns fry are hatching.
 
saltyjewell

saltyjewell

Member
I was thinking of getting a molly or two for my tank once some of my fish are big enough to eat the fry.(Tangs won't eat them will they? My Tangs are huge) Do the saltwaters come in spotted? I got a black and white spotted molly for last 30g freshwater tank and soon there were literally to may little ones to count. I ended up bringing some to my parents to be goldfish food and a ton to the pet store.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3102404
I think I will end up getting a flame angel, they are really cool looking. ARe they jumpers??

Any fish can jump...but the regulars to be very careful of have a streamlined look..like a fire fish.
 
cydab

cydab

Member
Originally Posted by SaltyJewell
http:///forum/post/3102336
I was thinking of getting a molly or two for my tank once some of my fish are big enough to eat the fry.(Tangs won't eat them will they? My Tangs are huge) Do the saltwaters come in spotted? I got a black and white spotted molly for last 30g freshwater tank and soon there were literally to may little ones to count. I ended up bringing some to my parents to be goldfish food and a ton to the pet store.
the Tangs will eat them, they pretty much eat everything
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by SaltyJewell
http:///forum/post/3102336
I was thinking of getting a molly or two for my tank once some of my fish are big enough to eat the fry.(Tangs won't eat them will they? My Tangs are huge) Do the saltwaters come in spotted? I got a black and white spotted molly for last 30g freshwater tank and soon there were literally to may little ones to count. I ended up bringing some to my parents to be goldfish food and a ton to the pet store.
To each their own but I would not add mollies. Many people find that it was more than they bargained for. I certainly would not want to chase them around a reef tank to try and get them out to trade in because some WILL survive and then they will reproduce too.
Not all fish will eat them and certainly it is not the most natural diet for your tangs, IMO. I think there are better more controlled diets to feed. Why add to the bioload with a bunch of tiny fish that just constantly reproduce? Get good LR and culture pods and mysis. Get a good clean up crew....but I would really discourage adding mollies, personally. It is certainly a personal preference thing but I have many times seen people come back and wish they hadn't done it. :(
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3101990
The only other fish I have in the tank are 2 clowns and they aren't eating the babies lol. I wanted to get a sixline wrasse, will it eat the babies? The 2 mollies are fine but I really don't want a tank of them lol. If not, what is a good fish to get? I have a 45 FOWLR but i am planning on adding some soft corals in the near future and I don't want fish that will pick at them.
I would first catch and remove the adults to trade back in and then try and catch any others as they grow. That may be the only option :( Mollies pick at a lot of things so it is hard to say about the corals.
I had a sixline in my 45g. That should be an ok choice but could be an issue with other fish you may like (eg gramma or similar). Mine was a nasty little fish but truly one of the prettiest you can get in this size range, IMO. So I really couldn't complain. Mine was the first...and ultimately only fish because he was aggressive. It might go after some but then might not.
I suspect, possibly maybe
that a gramma, chalk bass or pseudochromis may eat them. But again these can be relatively dominant little fish.
My dwarf angel is far more interested in picking at the rocks. I doubt it would eat them but maybe.
 
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