Two new mollies

[Mark Hewitt]

So we've added a gold colour sailfin cross and a black molly to our tank, and every one seems to be getting on fine.

Just a couple of molly behaviour questions.
The black one as soon as we let him loose he immediately started picking at the filter, and in the couple of days we've had him he's picked around all the decorations in the entire tank and is still going now!

The orange one appears stuck in a loop, swims up to the top of the tank, sometimes vertically, then back down to the bottom and back up to the top again, repeat forever.

I think we've got a couple of strange fish

 

[PaulieFish]

Couple of quick questions:

When adding them did you re-arrange your tank? I heard that fish can be very territorial and by rearranging your tank when adding new fish it can sometimes help them get fair share of new hiding spots (just what I was told).

My one molly did the same thing, well actually some of my other fish did it as well. It did take them a couple days to stop the darting up and down the glass, I think some fish just arnt use to the placement of the glass, and think maybe they can escape, who knows.. weirdo fish, I love them though.

Best of luck on your new pair. Once I get money, I need to go get some new fish for my tank. Or plants..

 

[Mark Hewitt]

When adding them did you re-arrange your tank? I heard that fish can be very territorial and by rearranging your tank when adding new fish it can sometimes help them get fair share of new hiding spots (just what I was told).

No I didn't, but that's a good point. The orange molly did seem to get picked on a little for the first couple of ours by the black skirt tetras, but they just ignore each other now, to the extent that he'll almost push a black skirt out of the way if he's going up or down and they are in his path!

 

[PaulieFish]

Yeah, I know its a little bit of a pain to rearrange, but usually when I add a decent amount of fish (3-4) I usually change it up, or slightly. I dunno, guess just a habit of mine.. Weird I know.

 

[Viper]

My silver/white mollies picked at things all the time and also swam up and down the glass from time to time. The picking is probably because there are thin layers of algae or something else that has gotten his attention and he just can't leave it alone! The swimming up and down is probably just an adjustment reaction and it should subside as they get accustomed to their new environment.

 

[dkpate]

One of my fish waits for the food to get stuck to the filter intake, and then he goes and eats it. I guess you aren't the only one with weird fish LOL!
Congrats on the new kids!

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Do mollies eat algae then? I have some algae wafers?

 

[Viper]

Do mollies eat algae then? I have some algae wafers?

Yes the do eat algae and will love the algae wafers! Mine did!

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Unfortunately black molly has died . Just came down to find him lying at the bottom of the tank, nothing outwardly wrong with him.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

But orange molly is still going strong! He's completely different to the other fish in the tank, which are all tetras, and different to any other fish I've had.

He's always swimming around, getting into everything, but the difference is when I do work on the tank, the tetras run and hide, whilst molly will come right up to me, while cleaning the gravel he loves to sit right at the top and bob up and down in the waves!

 

[MCorder]

My molies do the same thing, they love to interact with whatever I'm doing.

 

[Robd]

mollys

My mollys eat EVERYTHING! The algea wafers for the BN pleco, the sinking wafers for the corys, The srimp pellets for the corys, Tubifex worms brine shrimp and there always nipping at drift wood jave moss fake plants they eat like pigs. And there everywhere top bottom and middle of tank, probobly looking for food.
My lyretial dreamcicle just had fry (removed over 20) My question is how long does it take to notice the lyre tail. At this point they all look like regs bought her prego have no male so not sure if they will have the lyre tail or not