My mollies keep dying.

[GrannyH]

I have kept livebearers for years and have always had this problem. They do well for a while. then they start rapid gill movement look hollow in the abdominal area. sto[p eating, hide then just die Ive tried partial water changes, using salt, raising temp to 80 most types of meds available. they usually make it for a month or two but then decline overnight . The same for guppies,playties,swords,mollies even half beaks. what am I doing wrong? My chiclid has no problems he is 7 years old and going strong.

 

[Dubby]

Have you tried medicating for internal parasites? Dont know if there are parasites that attack specific species so cant explain the cichlid.

 

[black angel]

are the mollies in the same tank as the cichlid?
if not then what size tank have you got, filtration and do you know the test results for the water? what kind of cichlid do you have? most livebearers do better in harder water with a higher ph value and if your water is soft then this may be a problem. how much salt have you been using?

 

[GrannyH]

The chiclid is in a 29 gal. tank by himself, he will not tolerateaany company. He kills anything I put in with him. The mollies are in another 29 gal tank. I use 1 Teaspoon per gal of water The water in Ky. is VERY hard,and alkaline PH of 7. I use an undergravel filter by preferance and keep ammo-carb in the refillable filters. Water temp is 80* F. Fish that are born here live longer than ones I purchase by a month or more but still die. I have read livebearers live for about 2-3 years but I have never been able to keep one nearly that long.

 

[Sasha]

What is the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite in the tank?
What are you feeding them and how often?

Do the mollies look thin before they die? If so, it's an internal parasite.

Hope this help!

 

[salty]

I'd give up on the salt for a start....

 

[Dubby]

Fish that are born here live longer than ones I purchase by a month or more but still die.

This suggests that the water chemistry at your place is quite different from the LFS. Might be worth asking the LFS about their water params. You may need to gradually acclimatize your fish, if this is the case.