Raising Mollies as food

[mjpelikan]

I didn't want to hijack http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=935749 so...

I am wanting to start raising mollies as feeders so I thought I would ask:

Who all is doing this?

Do you have them converted to saltwater?

Are they being housed in a community tank (salt or fresh)?

What kind of volume are you raising?

Size of tank, etc?

Thanks,

Mike

(edited with correct url)

 

[DrBDC]

They are brackish water fish so saltwater isn't too much different than freshwater to them. Once they're in the tank acclimated they keep having babies. Maybe more than you want. I've kept them in my frag tanks but I got tired of them going through the overflows and finding them in pieces in my skimmer cup. I now have some in a freshwater tank and I feed them primereef flakes so that it is closer to the fat content although not as good nutrition as raising them in a saltwater environment. If you buy them at Petco don't tell them you will raise them for food because we all know how high Petco's husbandry morals are!

 

[frenchie]

they can be converted, i converted freshwater flounders which are brackish to saltwater, have seen mono's which are brackish converted also. look on back glass towards middle right side got seven of them in tank.

 

[sirreal63]

Acclimate them first, I prefer to keep them in the sump and yes they do breed faster in full salt then freshwater. Start with a dozen and drip them to full salt strtength over a few hours or more and plop them in, quick and easy food.

Not being a reef animal they are ignorant to the dangers...my S.Tapetum has no troubles catching the mollies, I think they like the pretty colors and get snagged easily. I have seen it catch and devour a pair in one hour.

 

[Im Lon 2]

do the babies make it through the return pump and feed the tank or do you have to put them in the main tank?

 

[mjpelikan]

Since my mollie tank will be in my fish room, I am thinking of just hooking up to the sump with an overflow in a couple of weeks when I plumb my tanks together. Do any of you guys want to get rid of some for cheap or a few zoa polyps?

Lonnie, I think they plop them into the main tank...

 

[sirreal63]

Mine usually make the return trip when they are hatched, some are chopped up and some are luckier.

 

[Im Lon 2]

I'm sure if they are chopped up they still become diced food.

 

[sirreal63]

Yes they do.

 

[Phyto]

I keep a male and female silver, or platinum, mollies in my main SW display. They are there to feed my pajama cardinals. The cardinals seem to know when babies are coming. I hardly ever find any babies that are lost. I acclimated mine over a week long period. Having bred guppies and mollies for 2 years (in FW) I would agree they reproduce more frequently in SW.

 

[mjpelikan]

sweet... so I thought only black mollies were acceptable. are there any mollies that are not acceptable?

 

[mjpelikan]

ah ha! i just read "All Mollies are the same species, so all the various colors and shapes of Mollies are the same species, and any female can breed with any male. For example a Gold Sail Fin Male Molly can breed with a Dalmatian Pot Belly Female Molly, even though their shapes and colors are very different."

Does anyone agree with this?

 

[capncapo]

Absolutely!

The variations are due to selective breeding of "sports".

 

[sirreal63]

They are also excellent with a garlic lemon butter sauce.