If you have never kept Molly fish before but now planning to, then there are many things you must know about them. Dietary needs often top the list when raising any pet in your home environment. Hence, you need to know the food you can feed your molly fish and the ones you need to about. So, what should you feed your molly fish? And what are the foods you need to avoid?
You can feed your Molly fish some of the best commercial food items like Flakes, freeze-dried diets, vegetable pellets, etc., and homemade diets like egg yolk, beef heart, vegetables, and cultured food (Brine Shrimp, Daphnia). Please make sure the food you give them are rich in protein, vitamins, and mineral.
In between this, detail about feeding them is one significant part that you shall not miss. So, to assist you in understanding it, I have come up with this article where I will answer most of the related questions, including; what to feed Molly fish?
Molly Fish Diet
Knowing about your fish’s proper diet is crucial before putting them in the aquarium. Molly fish are a typical omnivore that enjoys eating plant and flesh elements.
They prefer receiving protein from other little bodies like insect larvae, tiny insects, small crustaceans, and sometimes, from other smaller fish than them.
Apart from including flesh portions in their diet, Molly fish also intakes some plant matters. So you can see them eating pieces of plants and vegetables too.
Not only this, Mollies prefer eating algae, although they are not typical algae eaters. This fish sometimes amazes me by consuming only a tiny amount of the whole algae!
Due to this reason, many aquarists prefer this fish in their aquarium as they can reduce down algae and other plants growing in the tank by munching it. As a result, cleaning and reducing the algae keep the aquarium clean and better oxygenated.
Moreover, these fish end up eating some vegetables too. So you can try adding different veggies to their diet until you find out which one your fish likes the most.
Maintaining a proper diet for your Molly fish will not be troublesome since they accept both plant and meat matters. Yet, I suggest you provide different and non-repetitive fish food that your Mollies like.
If you feel your fish being picky while eating, they certainly did not like it!
Best Commercial Food To Feed Molly Fish
Before you get confused, let me tell you that commercial food is the available fish diet easy to get in your hands. Such food already includes the essential nutrients and vitamins that your fish requires.
You can get commercial food for your Molly fish that comes properly packed or sealed, enabling you to control it with every dosage.
Thus, here are some of the best commercial food that you can feed to your Molly fish:
Flakes
Flakes are one of the best commercial foods to feed your Molly fish. In addition, various available flakes food serves as the best source of protein, vitamins, and other essential nutrients.
But make sure you read the complete ingredients list of flakes before purchasing it.
If you go for high-quality flakes for your Mollies, it will benefit your fish as it supplements proper nutrients. However, it might cost you a little extra but believe me; it would be worth your purchase.
I would suggest you get Omega One Flakes or API Tropical Flakes. These are the best flakes you can pick for your Mollies.
Freeze-dried Diets
Just like some available flakes food, there are some freeze-dried diets that you can get for your Mollies.
Freeze-dried diets include food that goes through freeze and drying processes to destroy parasites and bacteria, usually present in many live diets. These freeze-dried diets are the alternative that you can find for live food.
Not only do the freeze-dried diets kill bacteria present in the food, but it also preserves the essential protein, vitamins, and nutrients required for the Molly fish.
Freeze-dried bloodworms, brine shrimp, and tubifex are some best diets for supplementing protein and nutrients to Molly fish. These diets are best for good digestion, a healthy immune system, and color enhancement for your fish.
Since this food can be a tasty snack for your fish, they are usually ready to eat every time you feed them. But do not offer them constantly as you should not overfeed them.
Feed them freeze-dried diets in smaller portions but in various doses once or twice a week.
Veggie Pellets And Tablets
Since Molly fish are omnivorous, feeding them only a meat diet will not be adequate. They do require some green or plant matters to complete their proper diet.
Thus, some veggie pellets and tablets are another commercial food that you can feed your Mollies. Such food includes spirulina, plankton, and algae elements requisite for your fish to complete their green diet.
These commercial diets complement vitamins, nutrients, and minerals in Mollies. In addition, it helps them guard their fins and skin against diseases and enhances their colors.
I suggest you get Spirulina Tablets and Omega one pellets easily available nearby you.
Best Homemade Food For Mollies
If you are unsure about the commercial food, you can prefer some homemade food for your Mollies.
Homemade food generally is more nutrients rich than other commercial food. However, it also depends on the preparation process that you shall perform after including the right diet amount for Mollies.
Thus, here are some best homemade food options for Mollies that you can consider:
Cultured Food
Do you know about cultured food for fish? If not, this is what you must hear!
Cultured food is such food that has gone through the fermentation process. Fermentation is when single-celled organisms and beneficial bacteria cultivate the food by breaking it into simpler parts.
Such cultured food will help in good digestion and supplements extra protein, vitamins, and nutrients to a large extent.
Some of the cultured food suitable to feed your Molly fish are:
Brine Shrimp
Among many kinds of cultured food, brine shrimp is my favorite diet to feed Molly fish. It is a high protein-rich diet that you can culture at your home.
The primary thing you will need to prepare brine shrimp is a hatchery kit and brine shrimp eggs, of course. The eggs will take almost three days to hatch finely.
After three days, you can check the hatched brine shrimp. If the process has gone well, you can feed it to your Molly fish.
Besides, you can feed these cultured brine shrimp to not only just Molly fish but to Molly Fry too. But you will have to run several hatcheries for Molly Fry since they are born in large numbers at once.
Daphnia
Yes, you can culture Daphnia at your place to feed it freshly to Molly fish. They are simple to culture and store that gives you not much trouble.
The only thing to note is Daphnia is essential to prepare with the presence of algae and yeast.
Meanwhile, a cooler water temperature is also requisite for this process. You can manage 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit temperature for the overall method.
Vinegar Eels
One of the most common names for feeding fish is Vinegar Eels. You can even culture this diet at your home to feed your Mollies as fresh and nutrient-rich.
Like other food, Vinegar Eels are also quick to culture. But there arises a little difficulty to harvest it. It is not simpler like you culture your diet. Also, the smell of vinegar everywhere may create a separate issue.
However, the extra time and effort are what it takes to complete the homemade Vinegar Eels to feed your Molly fish.
Besides, this food comes up with good protein, around 50%, but it also includes almost 20% of fat in it. Due to this, Vinegar Eels cannot be a regular homemade diet for your Mollies.
I suggest feeding Vinegar Eels as an optional diet only to your Molly fish. Regularly offering it to them may not be safe as the amount of fat gets exceeded.
Micro Worms
Of course, micro worms are the easy pick for culturing food for your Molly fish. They are easy to produce and harvest as well. In addition, micro worms are neither troublesome like Vinegar Eels nor smelly.
These worms can be a sound alternative to Vinegar Eels for feeding Molly fish. Also, Micro worms won’t contain any excess fat that can be unsafe for your fish.
Egg Yolk
Yes, egg yolk is another homemade food that you can feed to your Molly fish. For feeding egg yolk to Mollies, simply hard boil it. Once you finish cooking well, separate the yolk and mash it.
Now, you can offer a small amount of yolk to Molly fish. But be cautious as it can pollute tank water.
However, egg yolk consists of high fat that is not safe for your Mollies, mainly adult Molly fish. Thus, I would suggest you feed them egg yolk occasionally only.
Beef Heart
One of the favorite homemade diets that your Molly fish like to munch is beef heart. It is one of the superfoods that you see your fish enjoying.
You will need to prepare a beef heart in a blender, spirulina powder, some vegetables, shrimp (it works for better texture while blending than gelatin), and a beef heart.
But before putting all these items together to blend, take the beef heart and wash it entirely. It will remove the dirt and some fat attached to it.
Now, blend all the items into a paste. Once you finish blending, freeze it in a suitable box. You can break the frozen beef into small pieces for feeding Molly fish and offer them. You can see your fish enjoying this tasty snack.
Despite being such a favorite tasty snack of Molly fish, I would advise you not to feed it to them repetitively. This beef heart contains fat that is unhealthy for adult Mollies. Thus, it is better served only as an occasional snack to Molly fish.
Vegetables Or Greens
Since Molly fish are omnivores, feeding them only meat will not be sufficient. So, some vegetable elements are also essential to complete their diet.
I commonly use many vegetables available at my place. Cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, peas, etc., are usual veggies that I feed Mollies. You can read the whole article on how I prepare vegetables for my molly fish.
Once you collect some proper vegetables, wash them thoroughly and blend them. You can then freeze the paste by keeping it in a sealed box.
Then, feed the frozen vegetables by breaking them into small pieces.
The other option you can go for is by preparing flake food from the blended paste. First, take a parchment paper and put it in the container. Now, pour the paste into a container and heat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the process ends, dry out the vegetables from the container and break them into smaller parts. Feed your Mollies in a limited amount and store the rest of the flakes in an air-tight bag.
Can I Feed Chopped Pieces Of Lettuce To Mollies?
I have seen many people feeding chopped pieces of lettuce to Mollies. But I do not find it safe to offer them lettuce pieces.
Yes, you can feed chopped pieces of lettuce to Mollies. But it is better that you do not serve it to your fish. Since lettuce pieces get chunky, I advise you to hold to soft food only.
How Much To Feed Molly Fish?
After knowing what to feed Mollies, the other thing that comes along is how much? And how often to feed your molly fish?
I have generally seen many aquarists feeding Mollies multiple times in a day. They serve them as long as the fish accepts the meal. But it is something you must avoid doing as your fish will surely eat a lot as they are a fine eatery.
Hence, a regular schedule is necessary to maintain for feeding Molly fish. You shall offer the prepared diets in small amounts only twice a day. Ensure you do not overfeed the Mollies, which usually aquarists slip.
Overfeeding Molly fish invites fatal fish disease that usually starts from constipation or other digestive issues. Besides, it also pollutes tank water due to excess food leftovers and more fish excretes since they overeat.
Therefore, feeding twice a day in smaller quantities is adequate for Mollies. Avoid overfeeding and underfeeding as it will affect them.
How Long Can Mollies Go Without Food?
Many Molly fish struggle to stay active and healthy in most underfed cases. In between this, if not offered anything, the fish will surely starve and struggle!
Hence, healthy Mollies can live up to a week, and baby Mollies for three days without food. At the end of this period, your fish gets completely dull and weak.
At such a phase, the life of your Mollies gets at risk. If not treated on time, your fish may die.
How Can I Feed Molly Fish While I Am Away?
If you are going away on vacation and worrying about feeding Mollies, I have something exciting for you.
Since even a healthy Molly fish cannot live for longer than 8 to 9 days without food, the vacation you might take can affect them.
So, I would suggest you install an auto-feeder in your aquarium. It releases fish food in small quantities once or twice a day (depending on what you have set) in the tank.
With this installation, you can secure the feeding of Molly fish even in your absence or while you are away. However, since the auto-feeder releases up to the level of food only that you have stored, you will have to refill it again.
If the food finishes in the auto-feeder, your fish will starve again. So, make sure you do not leave your fish for a longer time.
What Not To Feed Molly Fish?
One of the unbothered work while keeping Mollies is they are easy to feed. However, it can also become an issue if you let them eat anything without thinking about any consequences.
Yes, there are certain meals that fish usually should avoid eating. However, the main diet you must avoid offering to Molly fish is fat buildup food.
Various meat items like pork, chicken scraps, etc., contain a high-fat amount. Such intakes should be out of the Molly fish feeding list. Regular feeding of this food can affect your fish’s digestive and reproductive organs.
Besides, avoid feeding oily food to your Molly fish. If you prefer preparing homemade food for your fish, make sure you don’t mix the food items in oil. It is unhealthy for Mollies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Feed Human Food To Mollies?
Yes, there are some human foods that you can feed your Mollies. Foods like boiled green peas, egg yolks, cucumber, watermelon, carrots, low-fat meat, soya chunks, broccoli, etc., are some suitable human food to feed your Molly fish.
But remember, not all human food is safe for your fish to eat.
Why Is Not My Molly Fish Eating?
Sickness or mental stress is the leading reason your Molly fish is not eating well. Monitor the activities of your fish precisely and acquire what is bothering them. If you are not sure, then consult your vet immediately.
Besides, sometimes, overfeeding your Molly fish will probably stop eating to a point where they cannot digest anymore.
Can I Feed Bread Pieces To Mollies?
No, you cannot feed bread pieces to Mollies. Generally, bread contains yeast that hampers the growth of the Molly fish. Also, regularly offering them bread pieces makes the fish dull or inactive. Thus, bread is unhealthy for Molly fish.
Conclusion
You can find several varieties of fish food that complete the diet of your Molly fish. So, I would encourage you to look around many healthy foods for your fish until you find out the best balancing diet.
I have listed many commercial and homemade diets to recommend some Molly fish foods. You can go for any option or food listed.
However, make sure you do not stick to only a single food. It is unlikely to fulfill all the necessary nutrients for Mollie if you do. Thus, try exploring foods until you get a list of the best healthy food to feed Mollies.
Besides, make sure you do not overfeed or underfeed your Mollies as it can put their health at risk.
I hope you got the information you have been searching for. Feed your Molly fish a balanced diet to see them thriving in the aquarium!
