Mollies Destroying Plants

[AndreaC]

Hi. I kept moaning my plants were coming up all the time in another topic. I hadnt seen any fish at them then.

How ever I now see my mollies all the time eating the plants. There snapping the leafs in half and no end, end up floating round the tank so I have to get them all out. My plants now seem to be dying off as there really eating at them I didnt think mollies were plant eaters??

Is there anything I can do?

Havent a clue what the pants are called

They dont bother with the Amazon Sword plant though.

 

[Themuleous]

Cant advise on the molly situation, except take them out. But can tell you that the plant is called twisted vall.

Sam

 

[AndreaC]

Ah right. Thanks.

Just had to clear alod more out off bottom and floating.

 

[Themuleous]

It is only happening to the valls? I used to have twisted valls in my tank, but they never did very well, and were always breaking off. Is the water in the tank soft?

Sam

 

[AndreaC]

Yeh its only the valls. The mollies just keep eating and nibbling at them until they end up pulling them up.

 

[SuperColey1]

I think you'll find the mollys aren't actually eating the plants at all!! They are picking the little bits of algae off the leaves, and all plants will have some algae on them however miniscule.

My mollies are always at the plants and it does look like they are eating them but I shouldn't worry.

Vals shouldn't come up if they're planted properly (unless they are rootless!!) I put about 20 in my tank pretty close together a couple of weeks ago, before I moved house, and when I took them out last week to move the tank they were already spreading runners!!!

Watch the mollys and you'll see they pick at everything for algae : filters, heaters, glass, pipes, sand or gravel, plants.

Andy

 

[Themuleous]

I agree with Andy, most likely the valls aren't do very well for whatever reason, so are brittle and break easily.

Sam