Molly bloated / swimming upside down

[Maryjaeee]

Hey all. So I need help with my calico Molly.. I’ve been gone for a couple weeks and my husband tried to help the best he could. I gave her an Epson salt bath last night & some peas but I don’t think it’s swim bladder.. she was pregnant when I left and my husband found 2 males nipping at her underside before he could put her in the baby container we have. In pics it looked like the bottom of her belly was gettin eaten but since then she has had all the babies and now has a large empty sack . Shes been swimming upside down almost constantly but will swim normal for a few seconds before turning back over. I tried to gently rub her belly last night to see if I could get any air out but I didn’t want to push too hard… I’m hoping there’s something I could do to save her.. she’s been fighting for awhile now and I would hate to loose her but I don’t want her suffering if there’s nothing I could do. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

 

[GaryE]

It looks to me like a fatal internal bacterial infection. I've never had a molly recover once they were completely upside down like that. I see some swelling around the vent, which could be a result of something going wrong with the last batch of fry, or an intestinal problem. I would give it a day or two with no food to see if she rights herself, but it's a faint hope.

The males nipping won't have been the problem, as that is part of their breeding activity. Females store sperm to refertilize themselves, but there is a short period around the fry drop when a new sperm packet can replace the stored ones, and males become quite obnoxious at that point.

 

[Back in the fold]

I do not wish to be the bearer of bad news but when any fish go upside down like that then the end is very near .