Mollies are great to rid algae!

LBChicka · #1 11/04/2006, 06:41 PM

I bought a single sailfin molly 2 days ago for my (1st) saltwater tank. Acclimated her overnight. She has been in the tank a total of about 24 hours and has eaten most of the cyano and hair algae that was in it!
I wish i'd taken a good before shot, but my glass was about 2/3rds covered with cyano and there was hair algae (also covered in cyano) on almost every rock.
Its amazing. to anyone who is struggling with this stuff, mollies are definately worth a shot.

bllfish · #2 11/04/2006, 10:51 PM

Do you mean sailfin blenny?

vanmo92 · #3 11/04/2006, 10:56 PM

Yea. I agree. they are good for that.

bllfish: Mollies can be aclimated to live in SW.

bllfish · #4 11/04/2006, 10:58 PM

Never knew that. I have a sailfin blenny that does a job on algae. Thanks.

LBChicka · #5 11/04/2006, 11:02 PM

Yup, just a regular ol' molly. She sure is pooping massive amounts tho

bllfish · #6 11/04/2006, 11:03 PM

vanmo92 · #7 11/04/2006, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LBChicka
Yup, just a regular ol' molly. She sure is pooping massive amounts tho

LOL.

Yea I am gonna get one or 2 next time I am at the fish store. Not because I have algae, which i dont, and if I did my foxface would make a meal out of it in no time. But simply because they are so pretty and will add more diversity to the tank. Plus they are so much more coulerful in SW, after all, they are originaly from the ocean.

chrismunn · #8 11/05/2006, 12:32 AM

lol. thats so funny to hear someone say that they just put a freshwater fish into thier new, 1st salt water tank! lol thats so funny sounding!

2639 · #9 11/05/2006, 12:40 AM

Does their behavior change once acclimated? Aren't mollies sorta aggresive?

Are you using a black mollie? I've never heard of a Sailfin Mollie.

Sparkss · #10 11/05/2006, 01:16 AM

they also are great for reef tanks, since they will breed often (if you get a pair, of course) and the fry will serve as great live food for fish and corals alike. I have read that people keep them in their 'fuge basically as little "plankton generators"

syddakyd · #11 11/05/2006, 01:59 AM

they clean up hair algae real well

sterling18 · #12 11/05/2006, 07:39 AM

Really?

How do you acclimate them to live in SW?

LBChicka · #13 11/05/2006, 09:37 AM

Mollies are found in costal areas so they have adapted to live in freshwater, brackish, and full marine environments.
To acclimate mine, I left her in the bag but put it in a tea pitcher so it would hold its shape.. I added half a cup of saltwater every half hour for about 2 hours. then it was bedtime so i started again the next day adding a full cup every 15 or 20 minutes. Checked the SG in the bag and it was just a little lower than the tank so I put her in the tank anyway. She stayed in the corner for about 15 minutes and then was out and about grazing the algae.
Mine's not a black molly, but you can use those too. Sailfins are bigger. Haven't noticed any really different behaviors... she's just loving all the natural food sources! I've read sailfins are more mild mannered than the other mollies, although I can't compare them. They are certainly less aggressive than a lot of SW fish (ie: damsels, which are usually the first tank inhabitants).

azgard · #14 11/05/2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sparkss
they also are great for reef tanks, since they will breed often (if you get a pair, of course) and the fry will serve as great live food for fish and corals alike. I have read that people keep them in their 'fuge basically as little "plankton generators"

Anyone happen to have any info on this issue that could be further explored?

Razzagas · #15 11/05/2006, 01:24 PM

azgard: I am interested in this too...

Does any one have a pic of their mollies in a reef tank?

Bandsaw · #16 11/05/2006, 02:56 PM

Tagging along..... Very interesting.

rreddick · #17 11/05/2006, 03:34 PM

Interesting, I too would like more info. Wonder if the would be ok with a Purple Tang, couple of clowns and a gaggle of Chromis?

Ron

matttaylor · #18 11/05/2006, 03:39 PM

I have heard of this before, and quite frankly completely forgot. I'm off to pick one up to finally rid my tank of slime!

cabenin · #19 11/05/2006, 04:05 PM

Do you have to worry about ick? One of the treatments for saltwater ick is hyposalinity, right?

Snakebyt · #20 11/05/2006, 04:59 PM

I have thought about getting some to feed to my toadfish, that way he can actually hunt them instead of eating frozen silversides, or half dead feeder fish.

Wouldnt be bad having them in a fuge breeding and making food for other critters

syddakyd · #21 11/05/2006, 05:08 PM

my molly chases around the chromis darting at them and bullying them but no real harm done

nmprisons · #22 11/05/2006, 05:18 PM

the males are more aggressive. i suggest a female or two.

2639 · #23 11/05/2006, 05:22 PM

I went to Petco and was real close to buying a mollie LOL They only had one Red Velvet Sailfin Mollie and a handful of other types.

I like the idea that a fish may pick away at my hair algae

LBChicka · #24 11/05/2006, 06:31 PM

I forgot about some video that I took the first day I put her in.
you can see the molly better in this one

But you can see how the algae was in this one

WArning: this tank is only holding and cultivating more LR until I get the 29 on top of it ready to set up

I'll take some pics or a vid of it now for comparison.

cham · #25 11/05/2006, 06:43 PM

Heh, I went out to the LFS and picked up three black mollies. Two females (ones already very preggo) and one male.

Acclimating them now!

I give em 4 or 5 hours and them stick them in?