Shon
Well-Known Member
So I've been acclimating mollies to full strength saltwater over a period of 8 months. I know, excessively slow. Replacing evaporated freshwater with saltwater every now and then using an old egg drop soup quart cup. Otherwise I topped off normally with freshwater as needed. It's a 10g with a Fiji aio insert. Originally had a RUGF filter sponge setup but replaced it with ~7lbs of bleach cleaned rock to pre cycle for future tank when I hit 1.021 (now at 1.024). 1/2lb pre-cycled ceramic rings from a freshwater tank was used initially and has been in since.
...
Well, the rock has finally started to go from dental white to looking alive with green spots. Then the spots grew and merged. The algae now however is starting to grow a lawn.
Originally had 5 black mollies when I started. First week, 3 females died, 2 wedged behind the aio insert (I quickly made a barrier) and 1 just randomly died. I replaced 2 females with dalmatians. Leaving me with 3 females to 1male.
The last black female passed recently for unknown reasons. I currently have 21 mollies total in the tank. Mollies being the GAU-8 of the fish world, it happens.
However, 21 mollies, 3 large adults and 19x babies barely scratched the algae growth. I have stopped evening feedings and now only feed once in the mornings. I do see the young and old peck at it, but from my previous fowlr experience I think a single turbo snail would do a much better job.
They do keep a bare bottom clean though, I'll give them that.
Moving the group over to a 20 long with a simple ac110 setup soon. Maybe grab a female platinum Lyretail molly to add in the mix. See if Petco has a snail or 2. Bleach clean a few more pounds of old rock.. etc
TLDR:
From a small experiment, I believe 1 turbo snail would do a better job at algae control than a group of mollies.
...
Well, the rock has finally started to go from dental white to looking alive with green spots. Then the spots grew and merged. The algae now however is starting to grow a lawn.
Originally had 5 black mollies when I started. First week, 3 females died, 2 wedged behind the aio insert (I quickly made a barrier) and 1 just randomly died. I replaced 2 females with dalmatians. Leaving me with 3 females to 1male.
The last black female passed recently for unknown reasons. I currently have 21 mollies total in the tank. Mollies being the GAU-8 of the fish world, it happens.
However, 21 mollies, 3 large adults and 19x babies barely scratched the algae growth. I have stopped evening feedings and now only feed once in the mornings. I do see the young and old peck at it, but from my previous fowlr experience I think a single turbo snail would do a much better job.
They do keep a bare bottom clean though, I'll give them that.
Moving the group over to a 20 long with a simple ac110 setup soon. Maybe grab a female platinum Lyretail molly to add in the mix. See if Petco has a snail or 2. Bleach clean a few more pounds of old rock.. etc
TLDR:
From a small experiment, I believe 1 turbo snail would do a better job at algae control than a group of mollies.
