questions regarding fish behavior

[angiej]

I just recently started a new tank. I have a silver and a black molly(which i think the black one is pregnant, not sure) I got the silver one first and seemed to be doing okay. I got the black one and she seemed to lay close to the bottom or near the filter(she was doing this in the store also) and wouldnt swim around much. She has gotten, well her belly has gotten a lot bigger in the last few days, almost looks strange, but this morning she was chasing the silver all over the tank, his top fin is layed to the side, he hides behind the filter with his gills moving really fast, faster than normal and she is the one swimming all over the tank, almost like they switched, kinda strange i know. He seems to be acting very strange and Im not sure what to do. I will post in the live breeder forum for questions about my black (possibly) pregnant molly..
Im new to allthis so any info would be appreciated.
thanks

 

[ncjharris]

Hi, welcome here!

The fact that the molly wasn't well in the store isn't a good sign.

If your new molly was ill, then there is a chance the infection could have spread to the other molly. It is also possible that the newer one is better - hence the roll reversal.

However, whichever of the two is better is going to hastle the poorer one. And this one will almost certainly become stressed, get a weaker immune system and die.

The best thing to do is seperate them. If this isn't possible, see if you can divide the tank, or add as many hiding spaces as you can.

As for the actual prob with the little 'un, we'll need some more to go on.

Whats the size of the tank, how long has it been established for, what are your water perams, what kind of filtration are you using, what are you feeding them.
Answering these will give us a better indication of whats wrong, why and where you can go forward.

One final thing - if you are new to fish keeping, when choosing your fish, go for the liveliest, happiest looking fish. You, as the customer have that right, and if you are not happy with what you get in the bag, tell the LFS worker!!

 

[angiej]

Hi! thanks for replying. I am very new to all this so bear with me if I dont answer your questions accordingly.
10 gallon tank
small internal Whisper (brand) filter
started the tank just about 2 wks ago, water perams? not sure what that is but I'll do my best... the temp im not sure because i havent picked up a therm. yet, doing that asap. i have rocks that absorb the ammonia and waste along with some decorative rocks. i used aqua safe to neturalize the tap water and make it safe. i am feeding them tropical flake food. if these dont help plz let me know
thanks

 

[sylvia]

Right, you haven't cycled the tank. 10 gallons is also somewhat small for mollies.

It sounds like you haven't heard of cycling so read through the links in my signature. Basicaly, to summarise:

Fish produce waste. Waste contains ammonia. Ammonia is extremely toxic. Good bacteria grow in your filter media and gravel that change the ammonia to ntirIte. NitrIte is also toxic but less so. More good bacteria grow that change the nitrIte to nitrAte. NitrAte should be kept under 40ppm by doing weekly water changes once the 'cycle' is complete. The whole process takes about 6 weeks with fish and is very stressful for them. Right now, your fish are literaly being poisoned by their waste. That's one reason for the stress.

The bacteria will die if you don't use de-chlorinator as chlorine kills them. Make sure you always add de-chlorinator when you are changing the tank's water. For the same reason, never rinse the filter media directly under tap water. Instead, use old tank water from a water change to gently rinse it out if it gets clogged up. Never change your filter's media (regardless of what the instructions say) unless the sponges are literally falling apart. Even then, replace one part at a time so that the bacteria have a chance to re-grow and you don't end up with a 'mini-cycle'.

The best thing you can do for now is a 50% water change every other day and also try to get some used filter media/gravel from one of your LFS' healthier tanks. This gravel/media will contain some of the useful bacteria and should speed up the cycle significantly. Don't add any more fish to this tank. Not yet at least. Also, make sure you aren't over-feeding and I suggest you buy some more foods besides the flake - frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, shelled peas and daphnia are all healthy supplements and will be greatly appreciated.

Also, buy a test kit. The liquid-based ones are best. The test strip tests may be cheaper but they are innacurate and don't last as long. Your test kit, you'll find, is an invaluable investment. You realy need it to monitor your water quality now that your tank is still cycling to ensure the water is safe enough for your fish.

I'm a little concerned, as well, about what these 'ammonia-absorbing rocks' might be. What were they called? What can you tell me about them? Most likely, after a certain period of time, they will start to return all the ammonia they absorbed to the water and may actualy cause more harm than good.

Good luck!

Read through those links in my signature. I'm sure you'll find them useful.

Oh, also, I recently posted in another thread about cycling. I had mroe time then to explain in a little extra detail so here's the thread if you're interested: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...=0&#entry804755

A search of this forum should reveal many informative posts.