Are mollies better at eating algae than lawnmower blennys?

[The guppy guru]

hello I've always wondered if their is a better alternative to lawnmower blennys, mollies are cheap breed easily and come in nicer colors than a lawnmower blenny, they have numbers so maybe one might not make much of a difference a few definitely can make a difference.

 

[Preyou]

I would say that as an individual, a lawnmower would be better... But mollies can be kept in larger groups and bear live young. Essentially a neverending resource.

 

[Smarkow]

I adapted some scat to saltwater to aide in killing aiptasia.. they don’t touch them, but they pick at the rock about as much as my tangs do

 

[ReeferWarrant]

Not a big fan of them but my assumption would be good considering they breed so prolifically.

 

[Customtank]

Always wanted to try acclimating mollies to a reef... Tagging along

 

[The guppy guru]

yes mollies can be such a valuable part of a clean up crew and very useful they can be.

 

[mort]

Depends on what you call algae. Algae blennies are strictly detrivores and algae only makes up a small proportion of their diet (this is the same with ctenochaetus tangs who have special rasping teeth, and hence why the two don't generally get on). If by algae you really mean algae "algae" then mollies are probably better due to the arguments from other above.
If you want something specifically for algae then you are far better off getting snails or an urchin.

 

[Smarkow]

Pincushion urchins are the real lawnmowers of the reef

 

[The guppy guru]

Pincushion urchins are the real lawnmowers of the reef

true but some people might not like the appearance of an urchin i mean i do but they are hard to find in my local area when my LFS gets them in they get snatched up very quickly

 

[The guppy guru]

Depends on what you call algae. Algae blennies are strictly detrivores and algae only makes up a small proportion of their diet (this is the same with ctenochaetus tangs who have special rasping teeth, and hence why the two don't generally get on). If by algae you really mean algae "algae" then mollies are probably better due to the arguments from other above.
If you want something specifically for algae then you are far better off getting snails or an urchin.

by algae I mean stuff like hair algae spot algae and other nuisance algaes.

 

[mort]

by algae I mean stuff like hair algae spot algae and other nuisance algaes.

This is where the definition becomes really important. They might eat a little hair algae but their main wild diet is film like algaes, diatoms, cyano etc rather than filamentous algaes. So they may help with a small amount of hair algae if it's short, or other algaes but they aren't the best choice for an algae control fish.

 

[Preyou]

Pincushion urchins are the real lawnmowers of the reef

Also the real re-decorators.....

 

[Smarkow]

Also the real re-decorators.....

Lol so true. But having had long spine - I think the long spine are more detrimental to the sps. My pincushion has left sticks alone, just drags rubble around

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

3 baby wild mollies smaller than my pinky fingernail cleaned all this hair algae up in 7 days. I moved the rock a bit after they had it picked clean

 

[The guppy guru]

Wow sorry it took me so long to get to you I was just on other threads helping people or I wasn't online. I love this I have had young mollies in a reef but they never lasted because I have a bangai cardinal and he eats them in a heartbeat.