Molly Help!

[scooterchick]

I've scoured the internet for this symptom and can't find anything. Ok, it's a 17 gallon tank with 1 adult molly (mum) and lots of fry, various ages and sizes but none that could be classed as adults. A couple of the tiny fry I've lost, they swim franctically in circles, always in the one direction, then they die. I thought it was just one of those things, you lose fry, it happens. BUT now MUM is doing it!!!! She's my prize molly, I've had her for ages and at this very moment she's frantic swimming in circles, a bit wobbly also. I fear I'm going to lose her.

Any ideas?? Thanks in advance x

 

[WILDER]

Need to look at your water stats.
Swimming in circles can be swim bladder to parasites.
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Have you ever lost any fish to being really skinny, bloated, or bent spines.
Check the fish to see if they have enlarged anus or red inflamed anus.
Can the fish maintain there balance in the water.
Internal parasites can damage the brain as well as the swim bladder and organs.

Internal parasites can pass onto the fry from the mother.

 

[scooterchick]

Thanks Wilder, I think you're right with the internal parasites, I've treated the tank for it before and happen to have a bottle of sterazin handy. I'll start treatment now. Some of the fry have been skinny and I have seen white stringy poo but not regularly, hence I thought the parasites were under control after the last treatment (which was months ago).

 

[Colin_T]

check the hardness of the water too. Soft water can encourage bacteria and some protozoan parasites. Mollies also do better in hard alkaline water and if the PH is low it could be a contributing factor.

 

[scooterchick]

check the hardness of the water too. Soft water can encourage bacteria and some protozoan parasites. Mollies also do better in hard alkaline water and if the PH is low it could be a contributing factor.

Thanks Colin, I'm in Scotland and we do have soft water here. She's worse since I put the med in, she's practically got her nose in the gravel and spinning round, should I give the med a chance to work or euthanise? I hate this part, she was a fantastic molly, she's knackered, she's staying quite still now, I think sje's on the way out.

 

[Colin_T]

Unfortunately once they start to spiral around the place there isn't much hope. Quite often the problem is associated with a protozoan or bacterial infection that gets into the brain and screws them up completely.
I would probably euthanase her and do a big water change each day for a week. Also do a complete gravel clean and check the filter. Most of these problems are caused by overcrowding and dirty tanks/ filters.

 

[scooterchick]

Yeah, you're right, the tank is overcrowded, it's full of fry, various ages but they're not quite big enough for the lfs yet, my big tank is freshwater and I've never had any luck keeping mollies in freshwater hence I set up a brackish tank, but then they started breeding like mad and now I have tons of fry. No adults now though. However, except for one of the fry the rest are all brother and sister so I really can't allow them to start breeding.

 

[Colin_T]

If you keep some of the young females and grow them up, then when they are mature buy an unrelated male. He will breed with them straight away and if he dies a few weeks/ months after that it won't really matter because the females will all be pregnant. And by using the females you have bred and grown up, they will be use to the water conditions and be more likely to survive and produce nice healthy young. And if the male does die you can replace him 6-8 months later when the females have stopped breeding. Female livebearers can carry sperm packets around for months and become pregnant months after the males have all been removed.