Guppy/molly Problems

[FishHobbyist1564]

Hi i have a 20-gallon tank and i have had cardinal tetras, otto catfish, female bettas, etc in the past. I still have the cardinal tetras and the ottos, and they never have any health problems. But for some reason, guppies and sometimes balloon mollies die within the first two days or week. Why do these always die? When i get fish who arent livebearers, they live for months and even years. I am so confused because i love guppies and mollies!

 

[*Fishkies*]

Do you keep a heater? What is your filtration system like? How many do you try to keep in the tank at a time?

 

[theotheragentm]

Have you tested your water quality? Mollies are susceptible to a lot of the basic fish illnesses, because they are brackish fish. Brackish water neutralizes the effects of nitrates in the water. Are you getting the fish from the same store every time? This is sometimes the reason for fish continually not making it. Try another store.

 

[wendywc]

What type of mollies... balloon mollies? I ask because I've seen many sickly ones out there. Might be the breeder's poor stock. Anyway, I've never kept them. But I've heard of the same problem for guppies, i.e., they have been very inbred and there's alot of poor stock out there.

 

[kewskills]

i have 2 tanks of them one brakish and one freshwater, as long as your water is kept extremely clean the mollies will not have a problem, but as they have been occasionally very badly bred they can be quite prone to illness unless looked after closely.

 

[dwarfgourami]

You don't tell us where you are based or what your water quality is like. Since it is always the livebearers who suffer, I would suspect your water is not suitable. Is it very soft and acid?
Or else, maybe there is something wrong with the breeder, and you should try another shop.
But if the water is at fault, then you may just have to give up on the idea of livebearers.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

everythign is all good as far as water qualities (ammonia 0, pH 7.0, etc.) but i think the problem may be that i dont have a heater. Nobody has sick problems, and i have never really had the mollies die as much as the guppies. I get the fish from different stores, but these dont seem to be dying. I have been watching for picking or mean behavior, but everyone seems to be nice. This is mysterious but i think i need a heater.

 

[PufferFishRule]

get a heater....mollies and guppies require a certaint tempature i beieve 72..maybe 78 i think anyways a cold tropical fish is a very un-happy one

 

[stargirly1208]

i keep my guppies and mollies both at 80ºF and they're all happy

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

well i put a heater in and i even added a second filter. But noow, this morning, i saw that my red female betta died. She has been living in that tank for about a half of a year. Is there any way i can get my tank to be normal?

This is so confusing to me. I really dont want to take my tank down, but if every fish i get for the tank dies, then it leaves me no choice but to take it down

 

[Rillan]

Through extensive breeding common livebearers like mollies and guppies do tend to be very weak compared to the wild ones. You said its mostly the guppies well maybe its a problem with the store you get them from. Because you mix stores that may be the reason. Because of the balloon mollies "spinal deformity" it makes them very prone to a swim bladder infection. Although ive never had a problem with mine. Hows it been resently?

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

well i put in some water conditioner and salt, and no one died for about 3 or 4 days. But today iwoke up and my female guppy died. I still have 3 males and two balloon mollies (none of the mollies died)

 

[OrganizedChaos69]

A common reason for a quick fish death is nitrate levels. Fish go into a silent shock when brought from a per store that strives to keep nitrates at around 20 ppms, to a home which may have nitrates at 80 ppms. This will shock the weaker fish and kill them. Livebearers by nature are weaker. Bad conditions cause the weakest to die, and the strongest survive, to reproduce rapidly, while egg layers wont die for you as easily, because they have to mature slowly, lay eggs, and sometimes even protect the eggs.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

orgainized chaos is definitely right, my nitrate level are WAY up there. I just dont know what to do to make them get lower. What do you suggest?

 

[Tolak]

More frequent, larger water changes, and live plants.