Preparing Veggies for Your Molly Fish
Offer blanched zucchini or squash. Wash a whole zucchini or squash and chop it into ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) slices. Bring a full pot of water to a boil and drop the slices into the pot for 1 minute. This will blanch the zucchini or squash, softening its skin so your molly fish will have no trouble eating the treat. Let the slices cool for a few minutes before you drop the slices into the water. It's important to let the slices cool before you serve it to the fish or it may get shocked by the sudden introduction to cold water and become difficult for your molly fish to eat! A single zucchini medallion or squash slice can be a lot of food for a molly fish. Use a few slices if you have a group of molly fish, and only use one or two if you only have a few molly fish. Freeze the remaining medallions or slices in a sealed container. When you take them out, keep the container covered and add ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) of water to it. Then, microwave the zucchini or squash for a minute or two to reheat and re-blanch the veggies!
Give your fish small pieces of cucumber. Wash a whole cucumber and cut away its outer skin. Wash the cucumber under water to get rid of contaminants and pesticides, then slice off the skin with a chef's knife in long, sweeping motions away from your body. Cut the cucumber into thin ⁄8 in (0.32 cm) slices, then drop the slices into the tank. Cucumber skin is very easy to remove, so don't use too much pressure on the knife or you could cut through the cucumber and cut yourself. You do not need to blanch or soften cucumbers, as long as you remove the skin, as the flesh itself is soft enough for fish to eat. Use about one thin slice per fish, and take out any pieces they don't finish at the end of the day. Store the leftover slices in a sealed container in the fridge. Cucumber will stay fresh for about 4 days after being chopped. Don't leave cucumber out for longer than a few hours or it will totally dry out and become unusable.
See if your molly likes unshelled peas. Pour regular green peas into a bowl and microwave them for just over 1 minute. This will make the shell soft enough to peel off. Using your fingers, take the peas out of their shells and throw away the skin. There are practically no uses for pea shells, unfortunately. You should be left with a bowl full of peeled and shelled peas, perfectly soft and at the perfect temperature for your fish. Drop them in the aquarium and watch your fish go wild! If they don't seem fully cooked or if you are having trouble removing the pea shells, microwave them for another 30 seconds to loosen the skin a bit more. Store the peas in the fridge and be aware that they won't last more than a few days. Shelled peas are very delicate and susceptible to drying out. Store microwaved peas in a layer of water that just covers them to keep them fresh for a little longer. It may be a better use of resources to simply prepare a small handful of peas rather than the whole frozen bag. This will ensure that your fish is getting the freshest and best veggies possible.
Chop fresh spinach and drop it in the tank. Fresh spinach is great for molly fish as it is rich in nutrients and iron. Chop some fresh spinach into small pieces, and spread it around the tank as you would with regular fish flakes. You can boil the spinach if you would like to make it easier for your molly fish to chew, but it is not necessary as fresh spinach is soft enough already. Avoid using frozen spinach, as it rots much more quickly than fresh spinach. If it is your only option, you should let it thaw first and saute it slightly to get rid of excess water, then chop and drop it into the tank. As it rots quickly, remove it from the tank as best as you can at the end of the day with a net.
Provide diced and blanched broccoli stalks. Cut broccoli stalks into small, fish-sized pieces while you bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the broccoli pieces in the boiling water for 1 minute, then remove them and allow the pieces to cool on a plate. Spread the pieces around the tank for your mollies to munch on! Only use 1 small broccoli stalk per molly fish, as it is quite rich and will fill your fish quickly. Chop only 1 at a time, but if you want to prepare a lot in advance, store the extras in a sealed container in the freezer. When you are ready to give your fish another veggie treat, microwave the broccoli for 1 minute and allow it to cool before serving it to your molly.
Providing Veggies the Right Way
Offer veggies at least once a week. In their natural habitat, molly fish eat all sorts of foods that come their way. Veggies can be a source of essential nutrients, but don't give them veggies every day. Your fish may start to avoid fish flakes so it can get more veggies, but veggies should only be offered as once-in-a-while treats. Variety is important in a fish's diet, so don't avoid giving them veggies altogether. Just be aware of how much you are giving your fish and make sure they continue to eat their fish flakes.
Give your fish as many veggies as they can eat in 3 to 5 minutes. Watch your fish closely while it eats and time it while it munches on the veggies. If it is eating for more than 3 to 5 minutes, reduce the number of veggies you give it in the next feeding time. Remove the veggies after the fish gets bored of them or after they begin to deteriorate in the water. Some foods, such as spinach and cucumber, will last for a few days in the water. As long as your molly fish doesn't seem to be easing too much of it constantly, feel free to leave it in there, but keep a watch on your fish's eating habits so you don't overfeed it.
Spread veggies around the tank to make your fish work for its treats. Don't put all the veggies in a pile in one place or your molly won't have to spend any energy getting its special snack. Instead, spread the food around the tank in different locations so it has to hunt for them. Fish can get bored sitting in one place for a long period of time, so it's important to engage your molly by forcing it to swim around looking for its food.
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