Do Mollies go well with algae eaters?

Question

i have a few mollies but do algae eaters eat up the left over food like if the mollies didn't finish the food, will algae eaters eat it. Do algae eaters need heaters and pump? What if my tank doesn't have algae. What do i need to feed it?

Answer 1

Yes, mollies and most algae eating fish will do fine together, but I would awarn you against two of the most common. Plecos are commonly sold as an algae eater and will quickly outgrow all but the largest of tanks, they easily grow over a foot long in an aquarium environment. The other is the all too common Chinese algae eater. Not only do they not eat algae well, they get large and quite aggressive and are really a very poor choice for any aquarium. A few oto catfish would be a good choice, or since you really don't have an aglae proble and just want a clean up crew, a few cory catfish would fit the bill nicely.

Any of the above fish will help to clean up uneaten food and will also do well with a few algae wafers for food.

Feel free to email me if I can help further

MM

Answer 2

By algea eaters do you mean a Pleco? Many of these grow pretty large and end up making more of a mess than the Mollies. A good clean up fish would be cory cats. they'll eat any leftover foods. They will need additional food if the mollies eat everything you add.

If you do get a Pleco make certain you find out what type it is first. they will definitly need a food supplement to whatever algae is in your tank. They sell algae wafers in pet stores that would work ok for them.

Answer 3

Mollies actually eat algae. However you can keep algae eaters with mollies, depending on the size of your tank and type of algae eater. One algae eater to avoid is the Chinese algae eater. They get to be about 11" long, are territorial and very aggressive. You should look at getting some otocinclus or some of the smaller plecos, like the bushynose or rubbernose pleco.