Black Mollies macro safe?

[ClownWrangler]

I have heard from multiple people that black mollies are great for GHA control. If so, will they eat macroalgae as well or clean it? Also, are other mollies just as good for this purpose or is there something special about black mollies?

 

[AfaceInTheCrowd]

Sailfin or balloon do best... they will eat a lot of algae that other fish won’t so depends I guess

 

[GaryE]

I added two black mollies a few weeks ago and have yet to see them eat algae at all. They spend most of their day at the surface near the overflow box hiding from everything else in the tank that moves.

 

[Spazizz]

Mine don’t touch macro, they leave kiss marks on the glass. I don’t have gha.

 

[Subsea]

I have heard from multiple people that black mollies are great for GHA control. If so, will they eat macroalgae as well or clean it? Also, are other mollies just as good for this purpose or is there something special about black mollies?

I raised many fourth & fifth generation salt water mollies. I found that lyrtail did best. Also, mollies are defenseless in a tank with marine fish. Use them in your frag growout tanks as if they were big pods. Also, I have seen mollies eat Cynobacteria.

 

[ClownWrangler]

I raised many fourth & fifth generation salt water mollies. I found that lyrtail did best. Also, mollies are defenseless in a tank with marine fish. Use them in your frag growout tanks as if they were big pods. Also, I have seen mollies eat Cynobacteria.

Good point. The first thing that comes to mind is anemones. They would probably swim right into one and become a snack within the first few seconds not knowing any better. I was thinking about a macro dominant tank with a few mollies as the only fish and maybe some sea horses or a dragonette if the pod population is good. The mollies would surely produce enough waste to feed both the macro and pods.

What about lyretail balloons?

 

[Spazizz]

@ClownWrangler some of my mollies when first introduced would touch euphyllia then spaz out darting all over the tank, thought they were done for. Now if they accidentally touch them they just shake their head for a bit and go on with their business.

 

[ClownWrangler]

@ClownWrangler some of my mollies when first introduced would touch euphyllia then spaz out darting all over the tank, thought they were done for. Now if they accidentally touch them they just shake their head for a bit and go on with their business.

Do you think they would be okay with a large torch or frogspawn?

 

[Spazizz]

@ClownWrangler i would think so, I have frogspawns and hammers but no torches so I cant say for sure.

 

[Subsea]

Good point. The first thing that comes to mind is anemones. They would probably swim right into one and become a snack within the first few seconds not knowing any better. I was thinking about a macro dominant tank with a few mollies as the only fish and maybe some sea horses or a dragonette if the pod population is good. The mollies would surely produce enough waste to feed both the macro and pods.

What about lyretail balloons?

I would assume that balloons would work.

 

[Subsea]

Mollies will graze on macro surface biofilms. I kept quite a few mollies in a macro lagoon tank with sea apples and flame scallops. They are a very peaceful fish.