# How do I get my Mollies to eat the Algae?



## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

My Mollies love the Wardley's Tubifex Worms! 50% protein and it does not make a mess in the water (unlike flakes). 
How do I get the Mollies to eat the Algae? 

It is slowly fading with the does of Seachem supplements that I am adding to it, but there is plenty left for them to eat. I thought Mollies were algae eaters. Ideas?


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

there is always starving them, but then you are "starving" them. attitudes kick in and then you have an unhappy environment. i dont know about mollies being algae eaters, im assuming your talking about some sort of beard algae. i have heard of cherry barbs eating beard algae. 

i would keep up with the supplements, trim away the algae as much as possible. all i get now is light sprinkles of green dust algae with a constant dosing schedule. as well as CO2.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I don't keep Mollies, but I think they will eat certain types of algae, and not others.
It's best to just get it in check on your own, like you've been doing.  Keep feeding the Mollies, enjoy them in your planted environment, and they will help you out with what algae they can.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Try feeding them less, well feed Molly's will eat less algae.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

*Mollies & Algae*

I have seen fish food that is green and is for algae eaters or bottom feeders, whichever fish eat vegetation.

Do you think this would give them an appetite for algae?

You know somehow get them to crave the stuff?

Anyone try that or have success with it?

And yes, after purchasing a new glass cover for the tank, taking out the bio-wheel for the day to help with the CO2; and moving the heater so that all my 'accessories' are in the same corner to make the glass top seal everything as much as possible.

After doing all that and moving my heater and gravel around, I unfortunately moved a bit of my plants and I figure my next step is to again take all the plants out of the tank, divide the Java Ferns which seems to root pretty well and just 'prune and clean up what I have plant wise'.

Part of me looks forward to it, part of me thinks it is a pain; part of me can't wait until I get some Water Sprite and/or Water Lettuce and see how that takes off in my hard water.

I'll see how it goes. Thank you for the suggestions and ideas, I appreciate it.

Jimbo205


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

as far as actual green growing algae i dont think you will find a "cleaner" fish that will actually scrape that. the only fish i have seen other than pleco's is my hill stream loach scraping at the beginning film. you could actually see the mouth tracks. dont know about them "craving" algae.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Do pleco's and hill stream loaches get along well with Mollies?


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## Mjproost (Nov 17, 2005)

The only way my mollies ate algae was to starve them. They only seemed to pick at some of the green brushy algaes. IME they were not that effective at it. A interesting, but plain looking livebearer that does each some hair and brush algaes for me is Xenotecia Eiseni(sp?). I am down to just a few, but most likely I will have many more soon. The are prolific breeders in my tanks. 

I don't know what the hillstream loaches are doing on the glass, but IME they did not have any effect on the algae. 

The "Plecos" are big group of fishes. Some are strictly algae eaters and some omnivorous, meaning they will eat anything they can get into their mouths. Including mollie fry. I prefer the vegetarian ones. But, most plecos and mollies get along just fine. Just try to stay away from the ones that get big. They make a big mess, and can tear up a tank. One that I really like and have lots of success is the Bushy-nose pleco(Ancistrus Teminicki). They stay smallish 4-5" actually eat algae and are really interesting. Another common I like is the Clown Pleco, stays small and eats algae. Just stay away from the common pleco. They seem to stop eating algae after a few months, can terrorize a tank, and can get huge. There was one at an auction around here that barely fit in a styrofoam cooler. It was really sad, no one bought them.


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

i agree that hill stream loaches do not have a large enough impact on algae to make a difference, kind of like oto's. you would need an army of them just to make a small dent. i was just giving reference to algae eaters in general and my experience.


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