my mollies ate my plants!!!!

[shuhu]

I don't get it, I have had Anacharis for like at least 2 months and I never had any problems with it, but for the past week my mollies have been eating it to the point were the bottom part of the branches looks like a bare stick and they didn't used to eat them at all

I know this is an unexpensive and easy to find plant but the branches have grown more than 30cm and now I will have to cut most of them to at least half of that plus I needed them for the fry-to-come as hiding places in case I don't notice in time

I have been given my mollies cucumber at least every 2 days + the everyday food, also, they didn't used to eat the whole piece of cucumber I gave them, and now they eat it all !!!

Does anyone have any more ideas on what to feed them so that they stop eating my plants, something easy like cucumber. I really need to know because I'm was planning on having a widely planted tank within the next months and I don't want to loose those since they will probably be more expensive than Anacharis.

btw It could be the female only though, but she did't do this the last time she was pregnant.

 

[shuhu]

I think I know who has been eating the plants and why, my pregnant molly just gave birth today and I guess I wasn't feeding her enough since I thought that she was still a couple of weeks left for the pregnancy so I was feeding her almost the same amounts as usual

The bad part is that I was away all day and when I got home I saw 7 fry and my "pregnant" molly was already slim and the other inhabitants were very satisfied, so I lost most of the babies this time I also had bought some more Anacharis but I was too late anyway.

So that solves the mistery of my fish suddenly eating my plants she was really hungry, at least it helps to know that I should add a huge piece of cucumber the next time she gets pregnant

 

[JoLtNbolt]

What does a pregnant silver molly look like? Mine looks quite a bit larger since I got back from a 5 day trip... and i can see sort of a darker colored mass inside of her.

 

[shuhu]

well right now yours probably has just a bigger tummy, but when they are close to giving birth (it took like 5 weeks this time) she will look way bigger (like 5 times fatter than the male) and a bit squarish, Sorry i don't have any pics of her.