Tamara

I have a 10 gallon tank with 4 dalmation mollie fries (2 months old), and an albino cory catfish.
i'm thinking about getting more algea eating fish because my tank isn't always the cleanist...it gets green algea, and the rust color stuff because it's still a fairly new tank.
But i also would like some fish that breed...preferably livebearers..because i have no excperience with eggs...but ya...
i don't know what to get!!!

atmmachine816

First thing first would be to get some more cories because they are schooling fish and like to be in groups of 5 but sometimes 3 will do, try to get the same type and between that and your mollies it will probably finish your tank up. Also there aren't a lot of algae eating fish for ten gallon tanks, some though are pitbull and otos but they like to be in groups and you won't have much room. You could get a mystery snail or two to help with it.

Isabella

If your tank wouldn't be overcrowded, you could get 3 otos or so, as ATM suggested. Because you won't have room for a larger algae eater. It's only a 10 gallon tank. You could ask Rose about the otos.

chickadee

I should say up front that there has been but one case that I know of where Otos were bred in captivity. They are very wild little fish when it comes to breeding and need a certain delicate condition and environment to do so evidently. It is a joy to own them however. They are some of the sweetest fish that I know of to own, as well as the fact that you would in effect be doing a rescue operation.

I would suggest that you read the home page about the lives and ways the Otocinclus catfish are caught and brought to us and how they are shamefully treated in the LFS in most cases before you decide to buy or not to buy. I would let you know that while some do say that you need groups of 3 or more, I do have a tank with 2 little fellows who play very well together and love each other and are obviously very close. You never hardly see one without the other and there is a real connection that is apparent in them. I would say that it is important to buy what ever number you plan to have at one time if possible as they do seem to group together better if they have known each other all along. My tank where 3 are present has 1 that I previously owned and added 2 later. The 2 pal around and leave the 1 who was not one of their original grouping out on his own and he does seem to be totally content with that. So if you ever need to replace any of them try to do it in 2's or do not do it at all.

Their home page is:

http://www.otocinclus.com

I heartily recommend them as tank cleaners as they do a marvelous job of cleaning up algae as long as you do not feed them algae wafers and other things until they get the job done so they get lazy. They only give them half a wafer a couple times a week or they will follow the path of least resistance and eat the food you give them and let the algae grow. (as will most fish - why forage when you are feeding them so well)

Hope this helps.

Rose

atmmachine816

Your mollies will breed though they do best in brackish water.

chickadee

Today's mollies are bred in freshwater and have never been in anything else. They can be put in water with a little salt in it but that considerably cuts down on the tank mates they can have ( no catfish or scaleless fish for example, or plecos, or sharks or any other fish that cannot tolerate even the smallest amount of salt = this will include the aforementioned Otos). They also do okay in Freshwater which will considerably increase the number of tankmates that you can use with them. So you may do what you wish but if you need a list of brackish tankmates to add should you decide to keep them in those conditions, I suppose I could come up with some.

Rose

atmmachine816

Yes they do and if you wanted brackish I could ask a livebearer expert what you could keep with them, she's the one and a few others who I had a huge discussion over mollies and they told me a lot about them, it was rather interesting.

poefox

There's always snails for algae eaters. Get one mystery snail and then get whatever you like for other fish. Platties are very pretty for instance and are quite peaceful with other livebearers. You might on the other hand get a couple of corys at least, maybe 2-4 and get a smaller species like say pandas or pepper corys.