molly with internal parasite, velvet, and fungus

[Essjay]

Strips are not as good as liquid testers, but you already have strips and an ammonia tester and it's GH and KH you need. Is it possible to cancel the master kit order? Then order the API GH and KH testers?

API® | GH & KH TEST KIT

The API® GH & KH TEST KIT helps you duplicate the natural habitat of your fish to prevent stress, keeping them healthy!

apifishcare.com

 

[Byron]

Omg thank you!!! i will buy two kits..or should i buy the api test strips? Those seem to check all five! Except for ammonia but i have one for ammonia already!

I always think it is a shame to spend money for a GH/KH test kit and then only use it the once. All you need is to ascertain the GH, though I would tend to go with the water authority's number. For one thing, a pH of 7.2 is very low if the GH is really 500 ppm. And to be honest, I cannot believe it is that high. Take the 258.9 [= 14 dH] which is still fairly hard. Hard water fish (livebearers, some rainbowfishes, rift lake cichlids, are suited. And there are some soft/moderate fish that would work too.

 

[Mollyforever]

Strips are not as good as liquid testers, but you already have strips and an ammonia tester and it's GH and KH you need. Is it possible to cancel the master kit order? Then order the API GH and KH testers?

API® | GH & KH TEST KIT

The API® GH & KH TEST KIT helps you duplicate the natural habitat of your fish to prevent stress, keeping them healthy!

apifishcare.com

Im almost through half of my strips so im gonna keep the master kit until im done with old ones. I am going to use the api GH and KH test kit as soon as they arrive!

 

[Mollyforever]

I always think it is a shame to spend money for a GH/KH test kit and then only use it the once. All you need is to ascertain the GH, though I would tend to go with the water authority's number. For one thing, a pH of 7.2 is very low if the GH is really 500 ppm. And to be honest, I cannot believe it is that high. Take the 258.9 [= 14 dH] which is still fairly hard. Hard water fish (livebearers, some rainbowfishes, rift lake cichlids, are suited. And there are some soft/moderate fish that would work too.

Should i use the alkaline buffer for the low pH? im gonna start using the api gh and kh tester when they arrive in a couple days! What is going on with my water chemistry?!

 

[Byron]

Should i use the alkaline buffer for the low pH? im gonna start using the api gh and kh tester when they arrive in a couple days! What is going on with my water chemistry?!

Answering the last question, probably nothing is going on. We just need to confirm the GH and pH. If the GH is as high as 14 dH, the pH is not going to go below 7. I am rather surprised it is this low frankly...was this from your test or the water authority's site? If your own test, remember to out-gas the CO2 before testing pH of tap water. This is not needed for aquarium water.

Do not use chemicals like alkaline buffer. They are not needed, they likely affect fish, and you want the natural biology of the system to stabilize which it will never do if substances to adjust "x" are added. Fish have a much better chance of being unstressed and thus healthier if the system is stable.

 

[Mollyforever]

Answering the last question, probably nothing is going on. We just need to confirm the GH and pH. If the GH is as high as 14 dH, the pH is not going to go below 7. I am rather surprised it is this low frankly...was this from your test or the water authority's site? If your own test, remember to out-gas the CO2 before testing pH of tap water. This is not needed for aquarium water.

This is from my own test!

The first parameter posted was from the fishless tank that i have been cycling for two weeks (tried with fish flake instead of ammonia at first, but didnt see any ammonia so i started using dr tims ammonia)
GH 500
KH120ppm
nitrate and nitrite 0
0.5 ammonia

The one from the tap water i ve tried again just not after the tap water has been sitting out for like 20 mins.

Following the instructions to wait 30 seconds to read (using my eyes… the pic was taken after 1 min)
GH: somewhere between 250-500 ppm
Nitrate and nitrite: 0
KH: slightly over 120 not as dark as 240
pH: 7.2-7.5

But pH seems to fluctuate so much!!! The pH part of my test strips always change super red after

 

[Byron]

This is from my own test!

The first one was from the fishless tank that i have been cycling for two weeks (tried with fish flake instead of ammonia at first, but didnt see any ammonia so i started using dr tims ammonia)

The one from the tap water i ve tried again just not after the tap water has been sitting out for like 20 mins.
But pH seems to fluctuate so much!!!

Assuming the pH is the bottom row, I would say it is 7.6 or perhaps even 8. That certainly correlates with the GH of 14 dH the water authority provided.

The pH is probably not fluctuating now. But once fish are in the tank and it becomes established (several weeks) the pH will settle at some level subject to the GH, KH and CO2. There is a normal diurnal pH fluctuation in nature and in most fish tanks, especially those with plants. The pH will be lowest in the early morning (after the period of night darkness) and highest in the evening at the end of the period of daylight (tank lighting). This is not a problem, but it does indicate that you need to test the pH at the same time of day each time you test, in order to have a more accurate result. I'm talking of when the fish tank has fish and is operating. Check the pH at say 9 am, every day you test it, or at 1 pm every day you test it.

 

[Mollyforever]

Assuming the pH is the bottom row, I would say it is 7.6 or perhaps even 8.

My test strips are meant to be read after 30 seconds but right after 30 seconds the pH part turns super red indicating high pH. Now, the photo is from testing tap water btw (i edited the reply, and the photo was taken after 1 min)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Omg I am so sorry for your loss.. I lost my dog (13year old) and it has been 8years but I still can’t get over it.. And btw you didn’t sound harsh at all! This was all due to my lack of knowledge. I hope you feel better!

Thank you!
I had to call the vet to the house to say goodbye to him today... devastated. Was going to be Monday, but his condition worstened overnight. Fortunately the vet was able to come to the house and he passed peacefully in the garden surrounded by loved ones. 15 years, but it's never enough time. I'm so sorry for your loss too, us dog lovers understand each other's pain! But we also know that the joy they bring for the time they're here outweighs this pain.

But I'm going to make a thread for that in the right place, not hijack yours any longer! Back to your own thread topic

I just try to be friendly and more helpful to beginners usually, then when I read back, sounded much flatter/colder to me than I aim for, although tone is so hard to send through text alone. I'm glad it didn't come across as harsh.

The water chemistry stuff is not in my skillset, and you've already got the guidance of the two very best people on the topic on the forum there, @Byron and @Essjay are rock solid, so you could not be in better hands! So I'm just gonna address the stuff from pages one and two;

She seems to be not all black. Can't really see in these pics wether it's yellow or gold when it comes to those spots on her head. Which would make this molly a very dark gold dust molly. I don't really see anything bad about her. But she's doesn't have a real good shape.

If @emeraldking agrees that she seems to be a very dark gold dust molly, safe to say that she is So her shape is potentially down to poor genetics/breeding, rather than sickness, which is both a pro and a con really! Safe to turn the heat back down and the lights back on though!

The reason I had doubts about her being a gold dust molly because Petco told me that 10gallon would be perfect for 5 mollies (and they gave me three males and two females…)

I’m a beginner and When I did some research the sex ratio was so wrong and I went back and surrendered (lost the receipt) two male lyretail mollies and got one shortfin creamsicle female named Mango and “gold dust” female Eva. Obviously I didn’t know better and didn’t qt them..

So thats why I didnt trust Petco and they literally told me that they are not trained in sexing fish..

This is precisely why I don't think it's fair for you to blame yourself and say that it's all down to your own lack of knowledge! So many people are given truly terrible advice by fish stores, even employees/stores that should know better. It makes sense, as a beginner to the hobby, to trust the people who are selling the fish! They should know what they need and tell you what's most suitable to keep them successfully. I never blame someone who is new to the hobby for listening to them, because it makes perfect sense to! It's a sad fact that you're far from alone, way too many people find themselves in the same shoes when they first decide they'd like a tank, and all too often it winds up with a lot of dead fish, and a very sad owner who feels terrible, or leaves the hobby before they've had a chance to really get started.

I think the consensus in the hobby is never to trust fish store advice, and that the ones giving bad advice either genuinely don't know better (even though they should!) or they don't want to discourage sales by telling people they need to buy a bigger tank and wait weeks for cycling, and not to buy THIS sort of fish, etc etc. Lots of people would just walk out if told the truth, and go buy a tank and fish from their competitors instead. I'm just glad that you realised that the advice you were given was wrong, and exchanged your males for females, and bought a larger tank And that you found your way here. Kudos to you for all that, it's clear you care about your fishes welfare and want the best for them, even when it's more complicated and expensive than the hobby initially seemed! Not everyone is willing to do all of this when they find out the store gave them bad info, so it really is good to see someone else join the hobby who cares as much as you do. Hope you stay and spend time here, and keep us updated on how Eva and the others are doing.

She has damanaged fins ( looks like they were nipped by other fish)
She hides from my other mollies but not all the time.
She eats but spits out food.

Recently she lost a scale on one side of her head. That spot looks like it has a fungal infection. It looks white and fluffy.

My concern is Eva. What to treat her first??

I clean out the tank every other day. temps around 82-84 with airstones

Temp range for mollies is 70-82°F (21-28°C), so I would gradually adjust the temperature back down to between 76-78, just adjust the heater and let it gradually go down again in its own time.
The best treatment for her now is plenty of fresh clean water, through water changes, 50% every day/every other day would be a great start at the moment. If you're following salt water treatment, which mollies are very tolerant of (any other fish in the tank? Or just the mollies?) then remember to re-add the amount of salt to the new water needed in order to replace the salt level from the water you've removed.

Wiping down the glass and using a gravel vac to clean the substrate is good, just don't 'overclean' the tank at the same time, okay? You can't really over do it when it comes to water changing, but it's important not to mess with the filter too much in a newer tank, and never to clean filter media straight under the tap - only to rinse the media in buckets of tank water you've pulled from the tank during water changes. So you don't risk harming the nitrifiying bacteria that keep your tank cycled

If her fins are damaged and it isn't just her colouring, the clean water and salt are the best treatment for both those, and any potential fungal infection from her head. Keep an eye out for bullying, fish can mercilessly target a weaker fish if it's sickly (makes sense, since in the wild, sick fish attract predators. Drive the sickly fish away is the instinct, but no where for the sickly fish to go in a tank!), a breeder net/box can make a good temporary separator if they reach that point. But in your photo, the tank looked quite open... more plants, especially floating and fast growing stem plants, help fish to feel safer, gives them space to avoid each other when needed, and also really helps with water quality

Phew, sorry for the extra long, essay reply! How is the white patch on her head looking now? Can always add more photos if you're unsure!

 

[Mollyforever]

Thank you!
I had to call the vet to the house to say goodbye to him today... devastated. Was going to be Monday, but his condition worstened overnight. Fortunately the vet was able to come to the house and he passed peacefully in the garden surrounded by loved ones. 15 years, but it's never enough time. I'm so sorry for your loss too, us dog lovers understand each other's pain! But we also know that the joy they bring for the time they're here outweighs this pain.

But I'm going to make a thread for that in the right place, not hijack yours any longer! Back to your own thread topic

I just try to be friendly and more helpful to beginners usually, then when I read back, sounded much flatter/colder to me than I aim for, although tone is so hard to send through text alone. I'm glad it didn't come across as harsh.

The water chemistry stuff is not in my skillset, and you've already got the guidance of the two very best people on the topic on the forum there, @Byron and @Essjay are rock solid, so you could not be in better hands! So I'm just gonna address the stuff from pages one and two;



If @emeraldking agrees that she seems to be a very dark gold dust molly, safe to say that she is So her shape is potentially down to poor genetics/breeding, rather than sickness, which is both a pro and a con really! Safe to turn the heat back down and the lights back on though!


This is precisely why I don't think it's fair for you to blame yourself and say that it's all down to your own lack of knowledge! So many people are given truly terrible advice by fish stores, even employees/stores that should know better. It makes sense, as a beginner to the hobby, to trust the people who are selling the fish! They should know what they need and tell you what's most suitable to keep them successfully. I never blame someone who is new to the hobby for listening to them, because it makes perfect sense to! It's a sad fact that you're far from alone, way too many people find themselves in the same shoes when they first decide they'd like a tank, and all too often it winds up with a lot of dead fish, and a very sad owner who feels terrible, or leaves the hobby before they've had a chance to really get started.

I think the consensus in the hobby is never to trust fish store advice, and that the ones giving bad advice either genuinely don't know better (even though they should!) or they don't want to discourage sales by telling people they need to buy a bigger tank and wait weeks for cycling, and not to buy THIS sort of fish, etc etc. Lots of people would just walk out if told the truth, and go buy a tank and fish from their competitors instead. I'm just glad that you realised that the advice you were given was wrong, and exchanged your males for females, and bought a larger tank And that you found your way here. Kudos to you for all that, it's clear you care about your fishes welfare and want the best for them, even when it's more complicated and expensive than the hobby initially seemed! Not everyone is willing to do all of this when they find out the store gave them bad info, so it really is good to see someone else join the hobby who cares as much as you do. Hope you stay and spend time here, and keep us updated on how Eva and the others are doing.


Temp range for mollies is 70-82°F (21-28°C), so I would gradually adjust the temperature back down to between 76-78, just adjust the heater and let it gradually go down again in its own time.
The best treatment for her now is plenty of fresh clean water, through water changes, 50% every day/every other day would be a great start at the moment. If you're following salt water treatment, which mollies are very tolerant of (any other fish in the tank? Or just the mollies?) then remember to re-add the amount of salt to the new water needed in order to replace the salt level from the water you've removed.

Wiping down the glass and using a gravel vac to clean the substrate is good, just don't 'overclean' the tank at the same time, okay? You can't really over do it when it comes to water changing, but it's important not to mess with the filter too much in a newer tank, and never to clean filter media straight under the tap - only to rinse the media in buckets of tank water you've pulled from the tank during water changes. So you don't risk harming the nitrifiying bacteria that keep your tank cycled

If her fins are damaged and it isn't just her colouring, the clean water and salt are the best treatment for both those, and any potential fungal infection from her head. Keep an eye out for bullying, fish can mercilessly target a weaker fish if it's sickly (makes sense, since in the wild, sick fish attract predators. Drive the sickly fish away is the instinct, but no where for the sickly fish to go in a tank!), a breeder net/box can make a good temporary separator if they reach that point. But in your photo, the tank looked quite open... more plants, especially floating and fast growing stem plants, help fish to feel safer, gives them space to avoid each other when needed, and also really helps with water quality

Phew, sorry for the extra long, essay reply! How is the white patch on her head looking now? Can always add more photos if you're unsure!

Wow you are so kind to write all this valuable info for me! Thank you so much.
Yeah so as first timers people tend to trust the petstore employees. Mine also told me when I got the 10 gallon tank that just put tap water and put water conditioner and bacteria booster and run the filter for two weeks and the tank will be cycled……..
So i unintentionally forced my mollies to cycle the tank..

Like everyone else here, I love animals so much and I cried when I surrendered my two male mollies (Thor and Loki)

Now I have 5 mollies
Eva (sick black male but so gentle)
Wall-e (black male with blue tints and golden tip on his tail, super active but sometimes a bully)
Mango is light colored with orange top half, and has orange dots… like 10)
Prince is my white female and she is the biggest! And pregnant!
Dot is my silver dalmatian female and she is so freakin cute!! Great personality and plays nice with other fish!!

Eva is still sick.. I think the white fungus thing is still the same size.
Taking fish photos are crazy hard cuz my fish recognize my face and when they see me they all gather in front of my face. But as soon as I get my phone out some of them, like Eva and Mango makes it impossible for me to take a pic.

i am adding more pics of Eva! They are terrible quality but hope you can see by zooming in..! @emeraldking I would really appreciate if you could take another look!