Clamped Fins?

[Meggie :)]

I bought a female balloon molly a few weeks ago...maybe 2 and a half or 3 and a half...i don't remember exactly...But ever since I put her in the tank her dorsal fin and the fins on the bottom (anal and pelvic?) she has kept close to her body, rarely fanning them out...what does this mean, and is there anything I can do?

Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[nehpets81]

I bought a female balloon molly a few weeks ago...maybe 2 and a half or 3 and a half...i don't remember exactly...But ever since I put her in the tank her dorsal fin and the fins on the bottom (anal and pelvic?) she has kept close to her body, rarely fanning them out...what does this mean, and is there anything I can do?

Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

I think clamped fins are a stress response to a number of things. What are your ammonia/nitrite levels like? How ofte do you change the water? Does the fish have any other symptoms? Is it eating ok, is it rubbing itself on anything or swimming erratically?

 

[Meggie :)]

She is the only one in the tank doing it...I can't tell you the exact ammonia/nitrite because I don't have any testers right now but I just tested it last week and everything was perfect. I change the water weekly 15% and monthly 35% or more. She isn't rubbing on anything, she seems to be swimming fine...she eats like a pig. The tank has been cycled for over three years and I haven't had any problems with ammonia/nitrite/any other chemicals since then. It's a ten gallon tank. I have 2 female balloon mollies, 2 female guppies, and at least 10 or 11 baby guppies not even a week old yet. She does seem to be bullied a little by the female maybe?

Does this help?

Thank you!!!

 

[nehpets81]

I'm sorry, it sounds like a bit of a mystery to me. Did you get any other fish at the same time?
Hopefully someone with a bit more experience can help...

 

[OldMan47]

If all of your other mollies are looking fine, you may just have a fish that is feeling stress in some fashion. One thing to consider is the water itself. In general mollies do best in water that is fairly high in mineral content and is kept at moderate temperatures of about 23 to 25C. Tap water is often your best choice for water changes since "purified" water tends to be too low in minerals. The typical livebearer only tank can also benefit from a somewhat higher than 7.0 pH although things like cories would not appreciate that.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Sounds to me like just some stress from the other molly bullying her because she's the new kid on the block. Hopefully this too will pass. I'd like to give you my lone male molly ...

 

[Meggie :)]

I would gladly take him...lol

And yes I do use tap water