Please help molly problems!!

[kenthebunni]

I have a 20g tank with 4 Khuli loaches, 4 mollys 3 to 1 ratio (only one male) and one pleco who is still a baby I have a 80g tank cycling to move them eventually when it’s cycled but I’ve been having problems with the larger gold panda molly who I introduced to the tank with my black mollys which I’ve had since march and the male is also a gold panda I got them together, I noticed my black lyre tail mollys fins have been nipped at quiet a bit. The gold panda female constantly chases the other mollys away from algae wafers that I put in for the pleco and khuli loaches. As well as just chases them and nips in general. She’s the only one the male has tried to mate with also, Please help I’m really unsure what to do. I have a 5g tank that is cycled for emergencies btw!

 

[Flyfisha]

Hi kenthebunni
Welcome to fishlore.
I have zero experience with mollies but I have quite a few other livebears.

You have a cycled tank with enough bacteria for the bio load of the stocking you currently have .

You could move everything including all the filters gravel rocks ornaments etc into the bigger tank now as well as the filter media from the cycled 5 gallon.
In a few weeks time you could remove the ornaments rocks and mesh bag of gravel back out in to the 5 gallon. In a months time you could remove some media back into the 20 .
The 80g would give everyone room to spread out. I know google says mollies can go in a 10 gallon. However they are showing aggression already in the 20 . Sometimes google is just wrong they are 5 inch fish plus eventually.

If you are unsure about using media and filters from one tank to seed another start a new thread / question about it to get other peoples knowledge of something that is very common ( seeding filters)

 

[kenthebunni]

Thank you for the help! I’m mostly concerned about the big molly as well as the others stealing my pleco/khuli loach’s food, the pleco is a little bit larger than the molly which is abt 3in but whenever they try to eat algae wafers all the mollys swarm the water and just eat like crazy till the point gets super **** and tries to go after them then I have to put my hand in to stop them. I wish I had the divider to put in but I’m really trying to give these guys a good life I’m just not very wealthy atm so it’s hard to get things for the tank like decor and the barrier since I’ve heard that can help so they can’t see eachother as often. I actually captured a picture of the pleco going after a molly!

Hi kenthebunni
Welcome to fishlore.
I have zero experience with mollies but I have quite a few other livebears.

You have a cycled tank with enough bacteria for the bio load of the stocking you currently have .

You could move everything including all the filters gravel rocks ornaments etc into the bigger tank now as well as the filter media from the cycled 5 gallon.
In a few weeks time you could remove the ornaments rocks and mesh bag of gravel back out in to the 5 gallon. In a months time you could remove some media back into the 20 .
The 80g would give everyone room to spread out. I know google says mollies can go in a 10 gallon. However they are showing aggression already in the 20 . Sometimes google is just wrong they are 5 inch fish plus eventually.

If you are unsure about using media and filters from one tank to seed another start a new thread / question about it to get other peoples knowledge of something that is very common ( seeding filters)

I also wanted to say that I’m fairly new to owning fish so I apologize if I’m not the most intelligent about all of this yet!

 

[Flyfisha]

No worries kenthebunni , on need to apologise about anything. We all had a first tank . I believe we never stop learning? That’s why I am here myself.

Try dropping the algae wafer in after lights out.
BN pleco enjoy zucchini once in a while.

Some of us consider terracotta pots to be a nice look in tanks. Admittedly they are not for everyone but are cheap and provide an instant hide out etc.


Something I believe is fish don’t play happy families in the way we think of a community tank.

I moved an adult platy of 2 inches into a juvenile dwarf cichlid grow out tank . In just a few seconds the juveniles had decided the new fish was a play thing and destroyed it. As I say we are all learning.

I don’t think a BN pleco has the mouth parts to do a lot of damage?

Have you given any thought to moving everything to the bi tank?

 

[Noroomforshoe]

The new fish is establishing his place in the group and the tank. Mollies can be particularly testy fish. Hopefully you will have better luck in the larger tank, but there will always be breeding stress aggression with livebearers.
You can not stop fish aggression with your hands. You should feed the pleco before you go to bed after the tank lights are off. The mollies can not eat an entire sinking wafer, he will have plenty of food even if he eats the crumbs that fall into the gravel. But also, you should get him some driftwood to gnash on.

 

[kenthebunni]

No worries kenthebunni , on need to apologise about anything. We all had a first tank . I believe we never stop learning? That’s why I am here myself.

Try dropping the algae wafer in after lights out.
BN pleco enjoy zucchini once in a while.

Some of us consider terracotta pots to be a nice look in tanks. Admittedly they are not for everyone but are cheap and provide an instant hide out etc.


Something I believe is fish don’t play happy families in the way we think of a community tank.

I moved an adult platy of 2 inches into a juvenile dwarf cichlid grow out tank . In just a few seconds the juveniles had decided the new fish was a play thing and destroyed it. As I say we are all learning.

I don’t think a BN pleco has the mouth parts to do a lot of damage?

Have you given any thought to moving everything to the bi tank?

So my pleco isn’t a BN pleco I believe it is an albino sailfin which I am aware they can get quite big that’s why I have the 80g tank cycling but it’s only been up and running for about 4 days now so it definitely it’s ready to hold all of the fish. I’ve tried to drop them in after lights out but the mollies will stay awake n find it as well as nip at the loaches thinking it’s the wafer. I have put boiled cucumber in once and my pleco nibbled for a minute before the mollies came up n started trying to eat it so the pleco ran off n didn’t go back to it. Do terracotta pots need to be rinsed well before going into the tank?

The new fish is establishing his place in the group and the tank. Mollies can be particularly testy fish. Hopefully you will have better luck in the larger tank, but there will always be breeding stress aggression with livebearers.
You can not stop fish aggression with your hands. You should feed the pleco before you go to bed after the tank lights are off. The mollies can not eat an entire sinking wafer, he will have plenty of food even if he eats the crumbs that fall into the gravel. But also, you should get him some driftwood to gnash on.

So the new mollies have been trying to mate since I got them, well atleast the male does he only goes for one female but I’m unsure if she is pregnant or not which could be causing aggressive behavior right? I try feeding the pleco after dark but in my other reply it explains what happens. I have a pretty big piece of driftwood that the pleco loves to gnaw on.

 

[Flyfisha]

If you remove all the media from the small tanks filter and place everything in the bigger tank you will transferring bacteria. Moving ornaments, plants and gravel will also transfer bacteria. Running the small filter ( if it fits) in the big tank is another way of having the big tank ready today. Placing the gravel in a mesh bag / ladies stocking means you can remove it in a month or two when the bacteria has established on other hard surfaces . The new tank could be ready for fish today?

At the very least ringing out you small tanks filters into the new tanks filter will transfer a little bacteria. Yes putting brown gunk in the shiny new tank is what I am suggesting if you can’t move the complete filter or don’t want to move the media/ foam/ cartridge.

I have no experience with sail fin plecos.

Do terracotta pots need to be rinsed well?
In the case of a new pot No more so than any product that has had dozens of humans pick it up.
Using pots from your garden or house plants. If they have chemicals for killing snails that could be an issue. Personally I would not worry about a bit of garden dirt or my own hands .
A rinse is always sensible with anything new.

Do you have a plan for what to do with the population explosion?