Molly birth... and death

[Aiyee]

We're new to all this so please forgive us if this sounds a bit... well, daft.

A couple of weeks ago we set up our first tank, an 18 gallon tank, and added four mollies - three female and one male. Unfortunately we hadn't done enough research on fishless cycling and so we've spent much of the last week or so trying to keep nitrite levels down. They've been higher than they should be but they're coming under control. No ammonia problems though.

One of the female mollies was noticeably bigger than the others. We didn't think much of it. Came home tonight though and the tank is full of fry... not sure how many but we think about a dozen or so, maybe more.

We don't know who the mother is but we suspect it's the black one, the "bigger" molly. Unfortunately in the last hour or so she's been acting really odd, hanging vertically in the tank and barely moving, and looking very distressed. She's now lying on the bottom of the tank and we think she may be dead.

What's happening?? We've gone from having four relatively healthy mollies to three mollies, a tank full of fry and one very distressed/possibly dead molly. Has our fish "died in childbirth"? Is this normal? Is there anything we can do? What do we do now?

Help!!!

 

[paulthegreat]

When I started I had four Swordtails 1 male and three females and one female looked pregnant, she died after two days and when i scooped her up I squeezed her belly(what a stink) there seemed to be half formed eggs. She may have died from shock and or pregnancy. Try to get some tetra bactozym tabs they seem to work for me since I have not had any nitrite since day six of starting my aquarium.

 

[Aiyee]

Well...black molly has definitely gone to fishie heaven now

Is it likely that she was just stressed from the events of a new tank and giving birth etc? I'm just concerned that if she was sick/diseased, then it could impact the remaining the fish. Also, should I be worried about the babies?

 

[endilliteracy]

If she doesn't have any other signs of illness I am sure she died from stress or pregnancy. I have heard a lot of livebearers do poorly after pregnancy. I am worried about my dalmation molly. She is pregnant and looks like she is about to burst. She has been big for about 3-4 weeks now and still nothing. I am sure she is pregnant and not ill because she doesn't have pine-cone scales like a fish would if they had dropsy.