What do your mollies like to eat, and other fish eating habbits too?

[ellner357]

I find it kinda strange, I've got 5 of them 2 males 3 females. The males will get a little more into it at flake feeding time but the females just seem to wait for whatever will sink. Then I get some sinking wafers in there (hikari) and some shrimp pellets (HBH) for the corries to much on and they seem to be more interested in that than they are the flake. Even the blood worms it seems are less interesting than the sinking food. It's fun to watch because the don't seem equipt to eat the wafers or the pellets they just bite and bite and bite and get so very little for so much work. My only concern in the corries are being forced to compet with them for the food. Most of my corries are all very small with the exception of my very first one who was given to me as an adult. Should I be worried or will the corries find enough leftovers to eat since I make it a point to give more flake then the mollies and the dainos will eat so that there is some for my little guys. Though my pleco seems to really really like those shrimp pellets too lol. The giant dainos are the only ones in love with the flake.

I'm still new to fish keeping so I will have lots of questions about behaviour. Since you folk have more experience I figure it's a good place to look.

[Slipstream]

Try feeding them when most of your fish are asleep.

[Melody]

The Mollies are probably after the algae in the wafers. They need more green stuff than some other Livebearers do. A good vegie flake that also has lotsa good stuff for the entire community, is made by Omega One. If you want something with more than vitamin supplements, try flaked Seaweed or vegies from the fridge. They really like slightly cooked, pealed & quartered peas. You can also try your hand at making your own vegie food (see stickied receipe thread).

[CACAdmin]

My mollies love the algae wafers too. I tend to break them up and spread them around the tank so that the plecos and cories get some too. I haven't tried the Omega One but otherwise in addition to what Melody mentioned above, for greens I also feed Spirulina Flake food and Danichi Veggie Deluxe sinking pellets... just a variety... and yes they do love their peas.:yes:

[KnaveTO]

My food mix is a mixture of spiralia flake, Omega One Tropical flake, and some ground up krill. For the plecos they get veggies every other day (usually zucchini) and sinking pellets consisting of algae wafers and carnivore pellets. Twice a week I replace the dried food with frozen brine and daphnia.

This mixture keeps all the fish happy (bottom, mid and upper layer)

[ellner357]

My pleco gets his zucchini quite regularly. Doesn't seem to matter how much I put in it always get finished! He still has his tendency to steal a shrimp pellet once in a while too lol. Takes him a while to eat them but he loves them lol. The mollies will pick at my plants lately too. Well one of them does. Do you know if he's trying to eat the plant or just what grows on them. He doesn't seem to tear any off... yet.

[Melody]

He could be picking at micro-organisms or algae... or both. At one time Mollies were thought to be herbivores because of that behaviour. They contantly pick at algae. Then we learned more and realized that they also need the micro-organisms that are found living in the algae. Now we understand that while they do need more greens in their diet, they also require protein.

If you shop for algae wafers and flakes, read the package carefully. Many foods will say they're vegie food but actually contain very little vegetable matter. HBH Vegie is probably the highest on the shelf. I like the Omega One algae wafers and pure Spirulina Tablets. Anything heat processed is going to provide the fiber, minerals, whatever vitamins they add and very little else. If you can find the vegie Dainichi, its better. For natural vitamin & protein sources, I suggest fresh, frozen or freeze/spray-dried.

I forgot the Dainichi - I feed that too. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and the brain wasn't functioning yet...lol. I also forgot that a fave for the whole tank in the frozen department is Emerald Entre'. Its Shrimp fortified with fresh Spirulina.