Molly Fish is a type of tropical fish that lives within freshwater rivers and streams. They can grow to be between four inches to six inches long, depending on their age. Baby Molly Fish are small and cute, but they don’t stay that way for long. What you may not know is what baby Molly fish eat?
Just like the adults, baby Molly fish is also omnivorous. The baby mollies eat both plant and animal matter. They tend to feed on worms, insects larvae, crustaceans, etc. The babies can also feed on algae and detritus present in the aquariums. Baby mollies are playful little creatures that play all day long and are very active, even during feeding times.
In this post, we will be talking about baby Molly fish food and how to feed them.
What Do Baby Molly Fish Eat?
Baby Molly Fish eat micro-organisms and small plants. They have a high metabolism, so you must constantly feed them, or their health will deteriorate quickly. These fish tend to like smaller flakes as opposed to larger pellets. But you should experiment with both types of food until your Baby Molly fish decide which type they prefer.
Baby Molly Fish are omnivores, so they will eat most food that you give them. However, baby Molly fish also like to have a variety in their diet.
What Is The Best Food To Eat For Baby Molly Fish?
Baby Molly Fish eat fish flake food, shrimp pellets, and freeze-dried brine shrimps. They are omnivores, so they will also feed on green algae in the aquarium. You should feed baby Molly fish three times a day with small food portions for each feeding time. As baby mollies can quickly become overweight due to their fast metabolism, you should be cautious when you feed them.
You should feed Molly fish until they become almost round in shape, and then stop feeding them as this will cause the baby molly to have a higher chance of getting sick or even die when it is older!
How Often Should You Feed Your Baby Molly Fish?
Baby molly fish is straightforward to take care of, but you should know that they require some food here and there. They eat in small amounts throughout the day. Thus, it is important to feed them properly the whole day.
Baby molly fish eat flakes off a spoon, but you should not feed them just any old flakes. They require exceptional flake food specially made for baby Molly Fish. Since these fish are smaller than regular goldfish, their stomachs can’t hold as much food at a time either.
There isn’t a specific amount of time you should feed your Baby Molly Fish. You will want to watch them and see how much they are eating in a day. If it seems like they aren’t getting enough food then you can start feeding them more often. Baby molly fish eat flakes off of a spoon just as quickly as regular goldfish would, so this is the best kind of food you can give them.
How To Care For Baby Molly Fish?
Baby molly fish have specific care requirements to ensure they stay healthy. They are schooling fish who need the company of fish to feel safe and happy in their aquarium. So it is important that you add at least two or more baby Molly Fish into your tank.
Environment For Baby Molly Fish
Baby molly fish is an exciting species to keep because they can live in a smaller aquarium than most other tropical freshwater fish. Ideally, it would be best to house these fish in a tank that is at least 20 gallons (but more significant is always better), and the water temperatures should remain between 22-28C or 72 – 82F.
Food For Baby Molly Fish
Baby molly fish are omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and plant matter. Therefore, they are not picky about what foods they will accept, and most types of flake food are suitable for them. However, you must supplement the flakes with frozen or live brine shrimp as this provides an additional source of protein to keep them healthy.
It would be best if you offered Molly fish with various vegetables to ensure they receive all the nutrients they need. For example, try feeding them blanched zucchini, cucumber, or spinach.
Baby Molly Fish will also love live foods, such as bloodworms or brine shrimp. You can give the baby fish these foods once or twice a week, but you can provide flake food daily.
Regular Water Changes For Baby Molly Fish
Baby Molly Fish are sensitive to nitrates and ammonia in their aquarium water. So these fish requires a lot of care and maintenance. Baby molly needs at least a 25% change in water every week. You should do this more often if your baby molly is still young or lives in an overpopulated tank.
Tankmates For Baby Molly Fish
Baby molly fish is a peaceful species that can live with most other freshwater tropical fishes. These fish are not aggressive, and they should get along well in the aquarium with guppies, platys, or angelfish.
Cleaning Your Baby Molly Tank
Baby molly fish requires regular cleaning of their tank. You should clean their tank properly after feeding your baby Molly fish. You can use a gravel siphon to remove any debris settled on the bottom of your aquarium.
Require special lighting
Baby molly fish is not demanding about their light requirements. However, baby molly should ideally have some form of shaded area in their tank. These fish do not need intense lighting as Baby molly fish are nocturnal, and they will come out to feed mainly at night.
Live Plants And Substrate
Baby molly fish is a tropical freshwater species that live in an aquarium with plants or dark substrates (such as black gravel). They will enjoy hiding among the leaves of your aquatic plants, and they also like to root around for food between rocks.
Baby Mollies are sensitive to toxic chemicals. So you mustn’t use any substrate treated with chemicals to avoid poisoning Baby molly fish.
What Should Baby Molly Fish Eat?
Baby Mollies are omnivores and eat a wide variety of foods in the wild. So this is what you can feed them too!
Insects
Molly fish will happily consume live food such as brine shrimp. In addition, baby molly fish will eat daphnia, mosquito larvae, and micro-worms which are all small enough to consume whole.
Vegetables
Baby Mollies will eat most green vegetables, including cucumber, zucchini, and peas. These fish also enjoy algae wafers or blanched spinach to give them a more balanced diet in the wild as well!
Frozen Foods
Mollies tend to be happy with frozen food too. Bloodworm is a favorite food of most aquarium species. But prepare the live foods properly before giving them to your fish.
Fish Food
Mollies will eat commercial fish food. However, baby molly fish should be fed a high-quality flake or pellet food, with occasional live daphnia as a treat. It is crucial to ensure the pellets are of good quality and do not contain any artificial colorants which can cause harm in excess. Flakes for smaller fish are a good option as you can crush them easily.
Plants
Molly fish are omnivores and will eat live plants. Baby mollies can also eat algae wafers or shrimp pellets, although you need to crush the food before giving it to the smaller ones.
What Should Baby Molly Fish Not Eat?
Baby Molly fish have different diets depending on their stages in life. Baby molly fish eat the same types of food as adult mollies. But they need to eat more often because they grow and burn through nutrients quickly. However, there is some food that you should never give Baby Molly Fish:
Brine Shrimps
Baby mollies should not be fed brine shrimp. They are born with a mouth that can only suck up small food particles, so the fish need to eat live foods like baby brine shrimp. These fish will try to bite at shrimps, and their teeth stick on shrimp, or they could even rip their lips.
Baby Molly Fish can also choke on brine shrimp. They are so small that the fish may accidentally eat them whole instead of sucking up food particles as regular baby mollies do with other foods. You should not feed baby mollies with brine shrimps unless you know how to catch and feed them properly.
Baby Mollies are not the best choice for beginners because you must be very careful when feeding baby brine shrimp to them. Furthermore, brine shrimp alone cannot be a staple diet for baby Molly fish.
Larger Fish Food
Baby Molly fish can eat the same type of food that adult molly fish eat. But they cannot usually take down bigger pieces of food because their mouths are too small to bite off that much food. So you should never feed baby mollies any animals or plants bigger than their bodies because they may choke and die on them.
Baby Molly Fish also need a lot of nutrients. So it is important to feed them smaller pieces of food until they can eat whatever you want without choking or struggling. You can feed them foods like algae wafers and blood worms in small pieces.
Baby Mollies also should not eat fish food pellets. They are too big for their mouths, and these pellets can cause their stomachs to expand or even stuck inside them if they swallow them whole.
Some Live Plants
Baby molly fish are tiny and have delicate digestive systems. It would be best never to feed them live plants because they lead to blockage or indigestion. This could lead to death for baby mollies.
Baby Grindal Worms (Dusted With Vitamin Supplement)
Baby Molly Fish are carnivores and should be fed meaty foods. They need food high in protein but low in fat, so don’t feed them live worms or insects because they have too much fat for baby molly fish.
Baby Grindal worms are a good option because they’re high in protein and fat. But you must dust them with a vitamin supplement before feeding Baby Molly fish.
What Baby Mollies Eat As They Grow?
You should feed baby molly fish three times per day when they first come home from the pet store or breeder. Then, as Baby Molly Fish grows, you should provide them three to four times per day.
Baby molly fish are very active and will need a high protein diet (about 32%) and fat (14%). These fish also have sensitive eyes and should only eat foods with Omega-Three fatty acids such as brine shrimp or blood worms. You should feed them a varied diet as much as possible because some are high in fat and others have too many carbohydrates or not enough protein.
Some FAQs
Do Baby Molly Fish Bite?
No, Baby Molly Fish do not bite.
Do Baby Molly Fish Swim?
Yes, Baby Molly fish are very active swimmers, and they can swim well for up to a year or more as juveniles but then will settle down in their adult life. However, some people may find that certain species of mollies, such as Sailfin Mollies, will continue to swim well into adulthood.
How Long Do Baby Molly Fish Live?
If you look after your fish correctly, then Baby Molly fish can live for up to five years or more in the right conditions and with a suitable diet.
What to feed Baby Molly Fish?
Baby molly fish eat a variety of different types of food. Therefore, you must provide your baby mollies with an overall diet plan that consists mainly of brine shrimp (either frozen or live), bloodworms, glass worms, and daphnia. Baby molly fish can also eat flake food, but you should feed this sparingly as it is not a great source of nutrition for your Baby Molly fish.
Do Molly Fish Eat Their Babies?
No, they do not eat their babies. Molly fish are livebearers. Females will give birth to live young, which develops inside the body of the female rather than in an egg. Molly fish are very protective of their babies, so they will not eat them. But sometimes, they can become aggressive when their water conditions are not favorable. As a result, they might eat their babies.
Conclusion
Their owners often feed baby Mollies brine shrimp as it is a protein source. Of course, any live food will work well; however, baby molly fish also need to have access to plant matter to get all the nutrients they need. And an occasional treat of bloodworms is acceptable if the flake food is high in other nutrients and vitamins.
Baby Mollies are also very sensitive to poor water conditions. Hence, regular water changes are essential for their survival, as well as a reliable filtration system that you can trust will keep your tank clean and healthy for them.
If you would like any additional information, please feel free to leave me a comment below, and I will answer it as soon as I can.