Molly Bullying F8s at Dinner-Time!!!

kjharve · Post by **kjharve** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 3:51 am

I have a tank with a couple of puffers and 4 bumblebee gobies, all has been going well. About 2 months after the tank had been set-up I had a problem with algae and took advice to introduce some mollies to help the situation.

Not wanting to over-stock, I introduced two females. Whilst the mollies and the other fish leave each other alone most of the time, feeding time is different.

I feed a mixture of foods and when I feed them something like a cockle or a mussel one of the mollies will guard over it! When another fish goes near it the molly attacks. I'm confident the puffers still manage to get enough food as their bellies appear nicely rounded afterwards.

What I'm more concerned about is any stress the fish might be experiencing as a result. What should I do? Will the fish suffer or is the competition good?

Since the mollies were introduced the algae has dropped to a satisfactory level but that might just be because the tank has matured. I will happily remove the mollies if necessary, they are ultimately just "the cleaners." Part of me wants one of the puffers to lose patience and rip a molly to shreds!

What should I do?

Thanks,

Kev

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:09 am

I would remove them. Better not to stress out your puffers. Mollies can be pushy!

And, like you said, the puffers might eventually kill the mollies.

How big is the tank?

kjharve · Post by **kjharve** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:20 am

40 gallon, so it's not really big enough for them to be in there anyway!

Anybody want 2 female silver mollies?

kjharve · Post by **kjharve** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:43 am

Has anyone managed to keep mollies and F8s together successfully?

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:44 pm

I have a black dalmation molly with my figure 8 in a 29 gallon tank. I also have a knight goby. The knight will chase the puffer at feeding time, the molly will chase the knight, and the figure 8 seems to scare the molly...it's a weird triangle of aggression with no damage and it only occurs at feeding time.

Eric

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:34 am

I had a molly in w/my F8s & one of the puffers wouldn't come out from behind the come worm feeder. I fed it to my GSPs.

kjharve · Post by **kjharve** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:30 am

So do I ditch the mollies?

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Molly Bullying F8s at Dinner-Time!!!

Molly Bullying F8s at Dinner-Time!!!