You know this wouldnt be a bad spotlight.... 
Mollies for algae control
- Thread starter Chelsey
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I used them to cycle a 55g once before. Very easy to Ac them. I put them in a bucket with a airstone and about every half hour added a couple quarts of tank water for a few hours, then dropped them in. they raise pretty fast also. I started with 5. 4 females 1 male. in about 4 months had 18. Ac them back to fresh and gave back to my pet store. the females would have around 6-10 babys at a time
ficklefins
Super Duper Moderator
Update on my mollies.
I woke up this morning to find one of the mollies stuck to the side of my MJ but still alive. I turned of the powerhead and the fish dropped to the sand and rolled into my anemone. Ohh well, I haven't fed my anemone in some time. That left me with 2, a male and a female. So I went out to Petco and purchased 2 more females. Acclimated them for 2 hours and introduced them into the tank. So far so good. They are going all over the tank and picking at just about everything that grows algae. I'm not sure how good of a job they will do on algae but it is too early to tell.
The one thing I do know is that my pygmy angel is having a fun time hanging out and chasing them around. At least he is leaving my female clown alone.
I woke up this morning to find one of the mollies stuck to the side of my MJ but still alive. I turned of the powerhead and the fish dropped to the sand and rolled into my anemone. Ohh well, I haven't fed my anemone in some time. That left me with 2, a male and a female. So I went out to Petco and purchased 2 more females. Acclimated them for 2 hours and introduced them into the tank. So far so good. They are going all over the tank and picking at just about everything that grows algae. I'm not sure how good of a job they will do on algae but it is too early to tell.
The one thing I do know is that my pygmy angel is having a fun time hanging out and chasing them around. At least he is leaving my female clown alone.
OP
OP
Chelsey
Valuable Member
I bought a single female molly today...she's orange with a little bit of black. The LFS I bought her from had a bunch of mollies in a saltwater tank and they've been there for a while, so I know she's used to the salinity. She picked on the algae at the bottom of the glass (near the sandbed) when I first put her in but now she seems kinda useless 
Hopefully she'll get hungry and go to work on the algae!
Hopefully she'll get hungry and go to work on the algae! 
I bought a single female molly today...she's orange with a little bit of black. The LFS I bought her from had a bunch of mollies in a saltwater tank and they've been there for a while, so I know she's used to the salinity. She picked on the algae at the bottom of the glass (near the sandbed) when I first put her in but now she seems kinda useless
wow.. congrats Chelsey..
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Chelsey
Valuable Member
Hope she does what she's supposed to 
The bf got one for his tank too...she's in my sump right now and will go home with him today. She should have plenty to eat as the Zeovit he dosed caused some algae problems 
(I'm sure he'll appreciate me telling you all that)
The bf got one for his tank too...she's in my sump right now and will go home with him today. She should have plenty to eat as the Zeovit he dosed caused some algae problems (I'm sure he'll appreciate me telling you all that)
ficklefins
Super Duper Moderator
Quick update on the FW converts. My 4 mollies are doing great and they are very friendly. They do a great job keeping my MaxiJets clean as well as my arm when I put it into the tank.
I am also proud to announce that one of my females just had babies. I found 4 little mollies in my overflow (where my mag3 pumps water up to my Remora). Luckily for them there were caught and placed into my refugium (not yet connected to my system). I hope these little guys survive and can continue to breed. It would be awsome to have a few generations of purely SW mollies.
I am also proud to announce that one of my females just had babies. I found 4 little mollies in my overflow (where my mag3 pumps water up to my Remora). Luckily for them there were caught and placed into my refugium (not yet connected to my system). I hope these little guys survive and can continue to breed. It would be awsome to have a few generations of purely SW mollies.
chadfarmer
profilux in the house
I had 15 babies born earlier today.
I can tell you mine didn't eat squat and my clowns eventully stressed the male to death so I removed the female and she is in my nano doing squat about the algae there too.....I guess the orange sailfins don't work like the rest...Or I got lazy ones.
3mm3
Valuable Member
I acclimated my sailfin for almost 7 hours. He is doing great and all the fish get along with him. As far as algae goes, he doesn't seem to care about that stuff, which is the reason I got him.
I have a dalmation molly and all he does is follow a yellow damsel around like he's in love..... and wait's to be fed like everyone else.... and he eat's the tangs nori in the feeding clip too....
ficklefins
Super Duper Moderator
I'm not sure what types of algae they eat, I guess film algae? The kind that grow on powerheads, rocks and glass. My favorite part about these little guys is that they filter the sand! That is always a nice touch.
Right now I have two silver mollies and two orange/black mollies. No males.
Right now I have two silver mollies and two orange/black mollies. No males.
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redsonja
Community Member
I've kept and bred mollies in brackish tanks before, I know the "creamsicle" variety eat algae in BW like there's no tomorrow. We've had some red slime issues in our 100g stock tank lately since one pump went on the fritz, and waiting for replacement impeller. Maybe I'll run out to PetCo and get a few mollies and try it. Will report back and most likely have pictures cause I take pictures of all fishtank-related stuff.
-Sonja
-Sonja
Pufferpunk
Valuable Member
I finally broke down a coupla months ago & got a few for my BW tank. Just really got tired of cleaning all the long strands of hair algae off everything. They are doing a great job & I toss the babies into my Frogfish tank. I didn't acclimate them to the 1.005 BW tank.
redsonja
Community Member
I bought two silver lyretail mollies at Petco this evening, a male and a female. The female is already "showing" pregnant. I hung the bag in the sump of the 100g rubbermaid stock tank and dripped them 1 drop per second for five hours. They never looked the least bit stressed. When the bag salinity matched the stock tank at 35ppt I turned them loose in the tank. They just started nosing around and exploring, I couldn't tell if they were eating anything yet because I waited til lights-out to put them in but so far, so good. Sorry but no pictures yet as all there was to see was a bag hanging in the sump with a drip line going to it. I picked silver mollies in hopes they'll be easier to see though, since it's a top-down view tank by necessity. Hopefully get some pictures tomorrow.
-Sonja the insomniac
-Sonja the insomniac
