A Little Bit Of Advice Please

[Amavi]

Hey all I am after a little bit of advice.

I have a nice little collection of fishes which are:

• 2 Clown Loach
• 2 Zebra Loach
• 2 Female Platys
• 2 Male Platys (I am getting more females soon, we unfortunately lost 1)
• 1 Bronze Cory (Getting another one very soon)
• 2 Albino Cory
• 5 Zebra Danio
• 6 Endlers (3 males 3 females - 2 males going back to my brother they were just under developed)
• 3 Female Mollys
• 2 Male Mollys (1 was under developed and turned out to be male)
• 2 Pleco's (not sure the type but they are very small)
• About 15 Babies in the net both Molly and Playt I think

Unfortunately I developed ICK which was my own stupid fault! I added other water to my tank when I bought some new fish which I have now learnt not to do. Tomorrow is my final day of treatment and the fish are doing well and I have not seen them flash in the last 48 hours. But my Big male molly is not doing so well and I'm very concerned. The last 3 days he has been acting completely out of character, continuously hiding and freaking out in the tank almost like a net is chasing him around then hiding and I suppose you can call it panting soon as he stops, during one of these freak outs he pulled gravel up and grazed his bottom lip which is very small and not causing any problems, he also used to come to the glass when I would go over but now he stays away. He is feeding but not coming up with the others and just trailing along afterwards. I have also seen him try and mate with the one fish he is very keen on. The reason he is out of character is because normally he is out swimming about and chasing the girls around the tank but for some reason he is not.

I don't have my master test kit yet I am hoping it arrives tomorrow as it is very late in the post but I just added some stress coat into the tank in hope it will calm him down a bit. All the others seem fine, one of the female molly's injured herself a while ago when she got suck behind the breeding net but again she is eating just is slower around the tank is not clamping or anything and seems happy enough.

The Platy we lost was after we thought she was giving birth and when she died, as I stayed up with her, my boyfriend squeezed her abdomen very carefully to see if any babies came out and only water did. Since then everyone apart from the male molly has been completely fine and all feeding very well and I'm due babies in the next few days. The last time I did a water change was about a week ago which was about 30% with a good clean of the gravel and glass with the magnet cleaner.

My tank is full of real plants and bog-wood, the temperature is at 28 and I have one of those Eheim pro filters with the water coming back into the tank at the top of the water if that makes any sense (sorry I'm not fully clued up on the terminology). There is also 2 air stones inside the water in different parts of the tank and none hang around the top for air. As soon as my master kit arrives I will perform an all round test (I bought this one http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260669737422?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1988wt_1185 ) it is also a mature tank around 2 years old. When I bought it I took all the water from the person too.

Has anyone experienced this before? I don't want to lose him he is really pretty! I do not have a quarantine tank unfortunately and I would not want to put him through the stress of that.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Amavi]

Seem's the stress coat did help a little! He is out and annoying the girls once more but still don't like seeing my fishes like that! Wonder what it could be anyone with experience?

 

[smokeyjo]

Sorry to go off topic but what size tank have u got ?

 

[Amavi]

It is just over 120ltrs the Molly babies are going soon as they are old enough

 

[smokeyjo]

That's too small for clowns as far as I'm aware not only will they be stunted but they are better in groups of 6 and the corys should be in groups of 6 also what do the plecs look like. I'm only saying this because when fish become stressed they are prone to illness so this won't help their recovery from ick

 

[Amavi]

That's too small for clowns as far as I'm aware not only will they be stunted but they are better in groups of 6 and the corys should be in groups of 6 also what do the plecs look like. I'm only saying this because when fish become stressed they are prone to illness so this won't help their recovery from ick

I am aware of the size they grow too at the moment they are very small and are only babies and have researched that you can keep clowns and zebras together which they are mingled well and stick together within the tank, also I will not hesitate once they are big to move them to a new home and have already got a contact to do this with so don't worry about them . The corys as listed above I have said I am getting more but currently I do not want to add any more fish till my treatment is completed (got my level head on!). The plec's are very small(pics in the link). They are very happy little fish see them quite often and I placed a plastic lid when my first batch of babies were born under the net as my danios attacked the babies. Since then I have been feeding them there as it is a guarantee they are eating their wafers. I am not concerned about any of the fish other than my male molly

Plec under the hatchery

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

It is just over 120ltrs the Molly babies are going soon as they are old enough

2 Clown Loach
<li>2 Zebra Loach
<li>2 Female Platys
<li>2 Male Platys (I am getting more females soon, we unfortunately lost 1)
<li>1 Bronze Cory (Getting another one very soon)
<li>2 Albino Cory
<li>5 Zebra Danio
<li>6 Endlers (3 males 3 females - 2 males going back to my brother they were just under developed)
<li>3 Female Mollys
<li>2 Male Mollys (1 was under developed and turned out to be male)
<li> 2 Pleco's (not sure the type but they are very small)
<li>About 15 Babies in the net both Molly and Playt I think



... Holy overstockings/ social fish in too low numbers/ mixing temperate with tropical/ 30cm loaches and possibly 60cm Plecos that need 6-foot tanks, Batman!

 

[Amavi]

It is just over 120ltrs the Molly babies are going soon as they are old enough

2 Clown Loach
<li>2 Zebra Loach
<li>2 Female Platys
<li>2 Male Platys (I am getting more females soon, we unfortunately lost 1)
<li>1 Bronze Cory (Getting another one very soon)
<li>2 Albino Cory
<li>5 Zebra Danio
<li>6 Endlers (3 males 3 females - 2 males going back to my brother they were just under developed)
<li>3 Female Mollys
<li>2 Male Mollys (1 was under developed and turned out to be male)
<li> 2 Pleco's (not sure the type but they are very small)
<li>About 15 Babies in the net both Molly and Playt I think



... Holy overstockings/ social fish in too low numbers/ mixing temperate with tropical/ 30cm loaches and possibly 60cm Plecos that need 6-foot tanks, Batman!

Could you possibly please read what I have written that would be fantastic. I am not prepared to put more fish into my tank until I have fully completed my ick treatment which is actually nearly completed which I am sure you would agree is the correct thing to do. Also most the fishes are leaving for other tanks again once its cleared so bring the numbers to the correct level of what they require, I am very aware of what I need to do in that respect. Also I have said my clowns already have a home ready for them once they have reached too big. As do my plecs which are the moment are approximately 5cm long

Would appreciate comments that are less judgemental and maybe a little more helpful

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

The problem is that a lot of your fish should be in a 4-foot tank even as youngsters (Clown Loaches; Zebra Loaches; Mollies, Plecos), which when combined with overcrowding and the fact that every social fish you have does not have enough conspecifics, it is not surprising that your fish have suffered a stress induced illness.

Ignorance of fish needs is not bliss, it is upto each of us as fishkeepers to know what is suitable for our current fish and tank size, rather than going along with the fish shop reassuring us that "fish x will only reach y size, a couple of them will be fine and be fine with what you have got already."

 

[Amavi]

The problem is that a lot of your fish should be in a 4-foot tank even as youngsters (Clown Loaches; Zebra Loaches; Mollies, Plecos), which when combined with overcrowding and the fact that every social fish you have does not have enough conspecifics, it is not surprising that your fish have suffered a stress induced illness.

Ignorance of fish needs is not bliss, it is upto each of us as fishkeepers to know what is suitable for our current fish and tank size, rather than going along with the fish shop reassuring us that "fish x will only reach y size, a couple of them will be fine and be fine with what you have got already."

I do appreciate your concern believe me but I am certainly not ignorant towards my fishes needs so please do not think that at all . Since I got ich, I have not been able to correct the numbers of fishes I have which I have said now around 3 times and it is something that even in my original thread I have said on planning to do. I refuse to buy a bulk of fish from one particular store as I do not want to have inbreeding hence why my numbers are unbalanced as I am still checking out the stores in my area and the quality of the fish

I only wanted to understand if anyone had experienced a Mollie behaving the way mine has as it has been pretty upsetting, I have had him for so long now i'd be gutted to lose him - even if he does annoy me chasing the ladies around all day!

 

[smokeyjo]

How old is he maybe it could just be his time now. I'm not sure how long mollies live tho lol