Did My Male Siamese Fighter Eat My Molly?

[Higgyleiko]

Hi Guys

We have a 180litre tank which so far we only have 3 black and 2 white mollies. Hubby wanted a siamese fighter and the guy in the shop said he would be ok in a community tank apart from with things like neon tetras.

So in he went and all was well, until yesterday when we couldnt see 1 white molly anymore. Its definitely gone - disappeared.

I think we have too much current for the poor beastie anyway (even though i've turned filter down) so i wonder if we move him to a 2 gallon tank of his own would that be safer?

 

[Blade118]

He may well of done, Have u checked behind the filters. and any little gaps in the tank which he could of got stuck in?. If no sign then yes looks like he may of killed it. I personal would leave him in there for now, im not sure moving it would be great idea, but please someone stand correct me.
good luck

 

[Million]

I wouldn't have thought a fighter would entirely eat a molly, though it depends how small it was.
1. Mollies are very stupid, and in my experience will get trapped in any gaps or small spaces they can, and will die of exhaustion if not removed, so look carefully
2. I'd say the betta would be better off in another tank, but 2 gal is a bit small

 

[ibbledibble]

I wouldn't have thought a fighter would entirely eat a molly, though it depends how small it was.
1. Mollies are very stupid, and in my experience will get trapped in any gaps or small spaces they can, and will die of exhaustion if not removed, so look carefully
2. I'd say the betta would be better off in another tank, but 2 gal is a bit small

2 gal is not too small, recommended minimum is 1 gal (i personally wouldn't keep an adult betta in a 1 gal tank) but 2 gal is better. obviously the bigger the tank the easier it is to control water stats and temp etc, and i'm sure they would love more space in a bigger tank, but in a 2 gal they get to be king of there own private castle and should be fine so long as you do regular water changes. he will most likely be much happier in a tank on his own than with other fish he may get harassed by/harass. mollies are not really recommended as tankmates for bettas, as they can look similar to female bettas, which can wind him up, and there should be no problem with moving him so long as you bag him up and acclimatise him into his new tank properly.
i doubt he ate a whole molly on his own, but he may have killed it, and then all the fish in the tank would have eaten the corpse
hope that helps
ibble xXx

 

[Million]

2 gal is not too small, recommended minimum is 1 gal (i personally wouldn't keep an adult betta in a 1 gal tank) but 2 gal is better

Yeah, it's just my opinion, that's all. I really like seeing mine in 9 gallons, where he can explore and roam to his little heart's content - what can I say?

all the fish in the tank would have eaten the corpse
hope that helps
ibble xXx

That actually made me laugh out loud! Hope you weren't too attached to the molly

 

[ibbledibble]

2 gal is not too small, recommended minimum is 1 gal (i personally wouldn't keep an adult betta in a 1 gal tank) but 2 gal is better

Yeah, it's just my opinion, that's all. I really like seeing mine in 9 gallons, where he can explore and roam to his little heart's content - what can I say?

i can understand what you mean, but at the end of the day, in many cases people dont have the room for a 10 gal etc, and if it comes to a choice between keeping him in a big tank with unsuitable tank mates, or a small (2 gal) tank. then so long as the water changes, temp etc are looked after well i would prefer to see it in the 2 gal. it just because you said it was too small, and it really isn't. it is as you say just a matter of personal preference, i have kept bettas in 2 gal containers in the past and they have thrived, and been lively and healthy.
not trying to cause an argument here, i respect you for your choice to keep your betta in a 9 gal , but its not the right choice for everyone.

all the fish in the tank would have eaten the corpse
hope that helps
ibble xXx

That actually made me laugh out loud! Hope you weren't too attached to the molly

glad i brightened someones day

 

[Higgyleiko]

thanks guys - i'm undecided what to do - we couldn't find any trace of the white molly - checked all the little hiding places, filters etc and couldn't see any trace.

Hubby wants to keep him in the big tank, but now the more research i do (especially on here!) the more i can see that our tank isn't that suitable for him - we have 2 filters so a fair current, and this morning he was stuck to the bottom of the filter suction pipe - poor thing, i had to turn it off to let him escape, i know they go to the top to breathe. I haven't seen him eat anything yet, although we've only offered flakes as thats what the fish shop said he'd eat! He's very quiet. He'll bomb about for a few seconds then just float along, and seems quite happy to just wedge himself on a plant. Tried to buy him som bloodworms and brineshrimp today from a little fish shop near my work but they wouldn't accept switch and i didnt have any cash - can i give him something from my own fridge for tonight?

 

[Million]

if it comes to a choice between keeping him in a big tank with unsuitable tank mates, or a small (2 gal) tank. then so long as the water changes, temp etc are looked after well i would prefer to see it in the 2 gal

I absolutely agree

it just because you said it was too small, and it really isn't

I said it was 'a bit small', as it's at the small end of the spectrum in which you could happily keep a betta, that's all

can i give him something from my own fridge for tonight?

I occasionally feed a small amount of defrosted frozen prawn as a treat, but make sure if you do it is only a small amount, and only add a small bit at a time to ensure it's all eaten

 

[bronzecat]

Hi
If it helps you decide what to do, we have males in tanks ranging from 2 gals to 12 gals. If i had the choice i would house all of them in something around 3 gallons. The ones in that size seem to be more active and have never had a problem with them. The males we have tried in the 12 gallon, have all had probs with the flow from the filter and/or got clamped fins. The clamped fins is probably to do more with the temperature though, being about 26 degrees as we have cory's.

Hope you get sorted

 

[Higgyleiko]

Ok - this gets stranger. I got home last night to find the fighter gone - completely disappeared. No sign of him anywhere, i checked evert little nook and cranny - rummaged through the plants, checked the filters, everywhere. No sign. Then got up this morning to find another dead white molly.

That leaves us 3 black mollies - all look healthy, they're active and eating and i cants spot any signs of illness? We did buy the black mollies separate to the 2 white ones and the fighter - and now we only have the black ones left!

Whats happening? (water stats normal by the way) I'm glad i didn't rush out and buy him a new tank yesterday only to have found he'd gone when i got home.

 

[Blade118]

All i can say are you sure youve looked everywhere? in tiny gaps, in gravel/sand?

 

[Netty]

Is there any way he could have jumped out of the tank.....we had a female betta that jumped through the gap that the wires go through at the back of the tank. You'd be amazed at what they can do sometimes.

 

[dusky]

Do you have a glass ledge along sides of tank? One of my gouramis had jumped up on my ledge and as lid wasn't taken off I didn't see it for ages. Untill i found a rotting mass ...yuk

 

[i love bettas]

i own mollies and dwarf gouramis in with my betta an dmy mollies are not even an inch long and they school around my betta and he dosent eat them newaz i fyou have a strong current than its too strong for th betta

 

[newfishy]

look at the remaining fish, they dont have abnormaly large bellys do they?, take out all ornaments and plants check everywhere, sift threw the sand a bit, check for any gaps in the hood that they may have escaped to, check all around the floor, walls. other furnature, all around the room in case they jumped out then flopped around a while. what temp is the tank set at....the higher the temp the faster a dead fish would decompose...esp if they other fish are eating the bodys.

last of all do you have a dog or cat that could have eaten them if they got out or reached a paw in to help itself to a snack?