Molly won't let the others eat!

I have three female mollies one silver, one Dalmatian, and one cremecicle Lyretail,every day the Dalmatian won't let the others eat so I have to separate her by catching her in a net and holding her in place at the top of the tank. My question is should I take her back since I will be getting more fish to go with my mollies I want my fish to be able to eat?:what:

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What other fish do u have? Some species are faster than others when competing for food.

 

Hello Nic...

The fish is probably not the problem, it's more likely the environment of the tank. Mollies put into a tank less than 30 gallons become aggressive, because they feel crowded. There's not enough room in there to get away from the other fish. Another issue with Mollies is they must have the surface of the tank well planted, so they feel comfortable and have hiding places to get away from other fish. Hornwort, Water sprite, Anacharis and Pennywort are all good floaters that don't require planting in the bottom material.

If you have unusual fish behavior, it's the tank conditions. Water chemistry and diet can also cause problems for Mollies. They need pure water conditions which means lots of larger and more frequent water changes. Even traces of any form of nitrogen will stress them. You should be feeding a high vegetable diet to these fish. As you can tell, these fish are high maintenance and not a good fish if you're new to the hobby.

Good luck.

Old

 

IMHO, multiple mollies shouldn't be kept in the same tank unless it's heavily planted and like 200 gallons. Your Dalmatian has taken the position of queen bee and the only way she is going to vacate that position is if someone takes her on and wins. (Resulting in serious injury or death.) Pick a favorite and rehome the rest. I don't know what else is in your tank but you need to make some serious decisions.

Mollies are brutal fish. They are charming and very interactive with humans but they aren't nice to tank mates. Mollies have a history of bullying pufferfish of the same or larger size. Anything that can bully a larger puffer should not be taken lightly.

 

What other fish do u have? Some species are faster than others when competing for food.

I currently don't have any but want to add some what I'm worried about is if I get more she will not let THEM eat where I get them.

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What size tank are they in?

 

IMHO, multiple mollies shouldn't be kept in the same tank unless it's heavily planted and like 200 gallons. Your Dalmatian has taken the position of queen bee and the only way she is going to vacate that position is if someone takes her on and wins. (Resulting in serious injury or death.) Pick a favorite and rehome the rest. I don't know what else is in your tank but you need to make some serious decisions.

Mollies are brutal fish. They are charming and very interactive with humans but they aren't nice to tank mates. Mollies have a history of bullying pufferfish of the same or larger size. Anything that can bully a larger puffer should not be taken lightly.

All I have are the three female mollies though she is my favorite as she is very sociable with me. Is there any fish that I COULD put with her in a twenty gallon if I took the other two back?

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Nope, not in a 20 gallon. Mollies take advantage of smaller/similarly sized fish that would be suitable for a 20 gallon. If you've decided that she's your girl and you are in it for the long haul with her, I'd have her alone in the 20 gallon and start making plans for a bigger tank soon. That bigger tank may be big enough for other fish.

 

Nope, not in a 20 gallon. Mollies take advantage of smaller/similarly sized fish that would be suitable for a 20 gallon. If you've decided that she's your girl and you are in it for the long haul with her, I'd have her alone in the 20 gallon and start making plans for a bigger tank soon. That bigger tank may be big enough for other fish.

Then I'll take the Dalmatian Molly which wouldn't let the the others eat and the cremecicle Lyretail back and keep the silver Molly,she's warming up to me anyway, I'll then get fish that aqadvisir says is compatible with my tank and end up with 1 Molly, 1 dwarf gourami,4 albino Cory Catfish and 1 zebra nerite snail. I'll only get the gourami at first if I can find one I want where I get my fish if I don't I'm going to start with a Cory Catfish so I can build my school of four.

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