My Sailfin Mollies Are Plant Hungry. Normal Or Not?

[chrisquinn12]

Yes they are slowly chewing their way through my plants...Sorry I don't really really know the type of plants I have? But is this normal?

 

[b.c.f.c]

yep,my platys do it all the time, im always finding chunks took out of my plants and some times catch them in the act lol.i surpose its good for them as well.

 

[dwarfgourami]

You could always try including more vegetables in their diet.

 

[lildoc82]

You could always try including more vegetables in their diet.

Can you feed vegetables to platies??? Mine have been nibbling at my plant as well so I'm wondering what I could feed them. Would romaine lettuce work??

 

[dwarfgourami]

You could always try including more vegetables in their diet.

Can you feed vegetables to platies??? Mine have been nibbling at my plant as well so I'm wondering what I could feed them. Would romaine lettuce work??

Romaine lettuce should be fine; you may want to boil it slightly (blanch) to make it easier to chew.

Platies benefit from a varied diet, including both live foods such as bloodworms and daphnia (can be bought frozen or jellied) and vegetables. Mine regularly eat peas, broccoli and spinach. I have also fed them broad beans and bananas (in small portions so as not to mess up the water).
Peas are particularly good for digestion: you boil frozen peas for a few minutes and then deshell them and crush them lightly. Stand back and watch the feeding frenzy!

 

[lildoc82]

Awesome! I'm gong to try that asap. Thanks!

 

[SnowyzMom]

Bananas? Wow, must try that. I find my sailfin and dalmation mollies love tinned peas. Precooked, just squish off the outer shell, drop in the soft insides and watch the fight between them and the guppies as to who gets it first. They also go after the algae wafers I put into the tanks for my ottos to eat. I did find some spirulina (algae) flakes specifically for sailfin mollies recently and everyone seems to love that crumbled up as well. Bought that in Walmart, Wardley brand.

 

[chrisquinn12]

Ok..I think its normal for them to eat the plants then...Must be good for them.

I will start feeding them some of the forementioned veggies as well

thanks

 

[ananda1]

My mollies absolutely snarfed some of the plants I got when I started planting out their tank... and totally ignored other plants.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Java fern is supposed to taste quite nasty, so you could always try planting that.

 

[lildoc82]

Java fern is supposed to taste quite nasty, so you could always try planting that.

Well, mine have taken a liking to my Java fern But they really loved the blanched romaine I gave them, so hopefully it's distracted them.