Molly fish are the foodies that love eating anything you drop in the tank. Sometimes, you will just sit there and think if these mollies were always the foodies eating this much, or did you turn them into one. Your mollies won’t start eating too much out of the blue; trust me on this. There are always numbers of reasons for this fish to behave erratically. But what are they? Why Is My Molly Fish Eating Too Much?
Molly fish starts eating too much due to pregnancy, changes in water temperature, boredom, anxiety, stress, unfavorable tank condition, lack of nutrition in diet, etc. Therefore, you need to stay alert and not feed molly fish too much as it can result in obesity and other diseases.
In this post, we will discuss the eating habits of Molly fish and a proper diet for them. So, read on.
Why Is Your Molly Fish Eating Too Much?
Mollies are great fish to keep in your tank. They come in unique patterns and different colors. They can even handle a wide range of water conditions. Molly Fish doesn’t overeat when given the right food (flakes or pellets), but sometimes people wonder why my Molly is eating so much?
Here are some reasons why Molly Fish overeats:
Sickness
Molly Fish are often very sensitive to changes in their environment, including water conditions. Sometimes these fish seem to be overeating due to sickness or disease. Health issues make Molly’s fish weak, so they will show a change in appetite. It could be either eating too much or too little.
Not Eating The Right Food
Molly fish are fast-growing fish. Thus, they need proper nutrition to grow. Along with this, they are active fish. Therefore, you should be careful about the amount and type of food you feed them.
Mollies will have different food requirements in various phases of life. For example, younger fry needs more flake pellets while older fish need a protein-based diet.
So, if you fail to provide the right food to your fish, their nutritional requirement won’t meet, and they will always be hungry.
Boredom
Molly fish are active fish. They like to swim around and explore their surrounding. But if there are no plants and limited space in the tank, then these fish will not get to move. As a result, they feel bored.
A bored Molly fish starts to show unusual behavior to entertain themselves. Such as eating anything close to them.
Pregnancy
Molly Fish are livebearers. They give birth to a new batch of Molly fish every month. These fish will significantly increase their food intake when pregnant because they need more nutrients for themselves and the babies inside them.
Feel Threatened
Molly fish can be timid. If you watch your Molly for a long time and don’t know you are around, they might feel threatened by your presence. These fish eat more if their environment is unstable because it makes them stressed, which triggers the need to find more food.
Overcrowded Tank
Molly Fish needs space to move around. When you keep them in an overcrowded tank, they will feel stressed. As a result, they will eat more to compensate for the lack of swimming space. Also, whenever they feel anxious, they eat more to produce more energy for fright and fight.
Not Suitable Tank
Molly Fish need water that is medium hard and tropical temperatures between 72°F and 78°F (22°C and 28°C). They may eat more if the water in their tank is dirty, there is not enough oxygen, or too cold.
These fish will also increase how much they eat when given food that does not suit them. For example, sharing Molly Fish goldfish flakes instead of Molly Fish pellets can result in an overly full Molly.
Anxious
Molly Fish can be pretty nervous, and they need a very stable environment to feel at ease. These fish might not eat enough if their water parameters are off, but Molly Fish will be anxious.
How To Know Molly Fish Is Overeating?
Molly fish sometimes have an aggressive eating habit. They will eat all the time, so it is easy to assume that they will continue to do so until you have a bunch of dead plants in your tank.
So it is upsetting when Molly Fish overeats because he isn’t hungry anymore and starts attacking other Molly Fish or even your fingers.
Some of the signs that indicate Molly fish is overeating are:
- Molly Fish becomes extremely fat.
- They show abnormal swimming patterns and sedentary behavior.
- Molly Fish stops hiding under the tank decor or plant. Molly fish will resort to this if they are feeling cold.
- They eat up all the plants in the tank.
- Finally, Molly fish stops eating for a long time.
- Constipation in Molly fish. Also, their stomach looks bloated and more prominent than usual.
If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to cut back on food intake to prevent future problems.
What Is Wrong With My Molly Eating So Much?
There is nothing wrong with your Molly overeating. However, Molly Fish are not like most other fish, and they don’t stop eating when their stomachs are full (unlike humans). Instead, they will eat until the food runs out, so it’s best to feed them small amounts throughout the day rather than a large quantity once or twice daily.
- Your molly fish will develop obesity.
- Overeating is an open invitation to many diseases in molly fish.
- After overeating, the increment in the excretory matter can result in aquarium ammonia poisoning.
- The increase in the nitrate and nitrite level in the tank will harm molly fish health.
How To Stop Molly Fish Eating Too Much?
There are many methods to stop your Molly from overeating, but the best way would be to limit their food intake. Besides this, some other ways to halt Molly fish from overeating are:
Maintain The Water Condition In The Tank
Molly fish are pretty sensitive to water parameters. As a result, Molly fish become less active in poor water quality, and they start overeating due to lack of oxygen.
Check For Molly Diseases
A healthy Molly won’t suffer from diseases that lead to obesity. But Molly, with the disease, will develop the habit of overeating because of a compromised immune system. However, you can identify Mollies’ diseases by white spots on the body, red patches around their fins, or cloudiness in the eyes.
Maintain The Water Temperature
Molly fish are tropical species, and they should ideally maintain a temperature range between 24°C – 26°C (75°F – 79°F). This will help Molly stay active and prevent them from overeating.
Avoid Molly Overcrowding
Molly fish become less active in a small tank because of a lack of space to swim freely. This will lead Molly to overeat due to the stress caused by overcrowding. To avoid this condition, make sure you do not add more than two Molly fish per gallon of water.
Feeding Molly Fish Nutritious Food
Molly fish are greedy by nature, and they will eat almost everything that goes into the water. That is why it’s important to feed Molly Fish nutritious food. In addition, you can offer them vitamins or calcium supplements, improving their health and stopping Molly from overeating.
Fish Tank Cleaning
Molly fish love cleanliness; you need to clean Molly Fishtank regularly. If you don’t, Molly will overeat because they think the food is taking too long to appear in their bowl, eventually leading Molly fish to overeat.
Diet Of Molly Fish
Molly fish are omnivorous fish so they will eat just about anything. Molly fish are freshwater aquarium fish native to South America in the rivers of Paraguay and Brazil.
This means that you can feed Molly Fish many different types of food depending on what you prefer. For example, Molly fish can eat flakes, but they are not their favorite type of food, so make sure to supplement the diet with some frozen or freeze-dried foods.
Moreover, Molly fish requires proteins and nutrients in their diet. Therefore, Molly Fish should be fed brine shrimp, blood worms, or other frozen fish food twice a day. In addition, Molly Fish can eat blanched vegetables such as green leafy veggies and zucchini.
How Often Should You Feed Molly Fish?
It would be best to feed Molly fish at least twice a day. Molly Fish will eat until they explode if you are not careful. So make sure to watch how much food you are giving your Molly fish and stop feeding them more than they need.
These fish also like variety in their diet, so try not to give them the same food types repeatedly. Molly Fish are also nocturnal, so don’t feed them right before bed, or you may never see your fish eat.
How Much Should You Feed Molly Fish?
There is not any exact amount to feed Molly fish. However, you can experiment with the amount you provide your Molly Fish, slowly increasing until it is not eating any more food.
Molly fish must eat regularly, and if they are constantly hungry, something might be wrong with their environment or health condition.
If the Molly fish are smaller, you can feed them more. For example, you can give Molly fish some vegetables like lettuce to supplement their diet with greens and help keep your Molly fish healthy. The most appropriate amount to feed Moly fish is three to four pellets once or twice daily.
Molly fish can overgrow, so you must watch how much food they are eating if the Molly Fish overeats and becomes bloated, which is not healthy for your Molly fish.
What Does Molly Fish Eat?
Molly fish are omnivores and will eat just about anything. You can feed them commercially prepared flake food, frozen or freeze-dried brine shrimp (bloodworms), tubifex worms, daphnia, etc.
Besides this, vegetables like zucchini, peas, or cooked beans (kidney, garbanzo) should only make up a tiny part of their diet, and Molly Fish will eat most commercial sinking pellets.
Conclusion
Molly fish eat a lot of food, but it is important not to feed too much. So, you should feed Molly fish once or twice per day, depending on the size of your aquarium and the type of Molly Fish you have.
Some people worry about Molly Fish dying if they do not put enough food in their tank for Molly Fishes. This is not the case. Molly Fish are omnivores and can eat plant material and small invertebrates in their environment. Molly Fish will find food if it is not provided for them, but this may introduce parasites into your tank living on other fish or plants that Molly Fishes have eaten.
Thank you for reading my Molly Fish blog post.
Good Luck With Your Molly Fish!!