My Mollies Wont Eat.

[scoin11]

i got them last friday, 3-4 days ago. i have probley 7 or 8 fake plants in them. everytime i give them food they wont eat it. i give the flake stuff which is what the guy at the store says they give em. i also read that mollies thrive on algae too. should i go get some of that too? i dont think they have eaten since i got em. i could be wrong though. im quite new to fish raising so please help me out. i have a black lyretail molly and a silver molly in a 20 tank. thx in advance.

 

[.Relinquished]

I don't know if it matters but did you provide brackish water for them? I'm not sure if that would cause them not to eat as usual as they should.

 

[scoin11]

I didnt put any salt in the water. I asked the guy at the pet store if they had salt in their tanks and he said no. they are also like always on the surface of the water, like gasping. but my filter provides oxygen too. ive tried feeding them the tetramin tropical flakes and tetracolor tropical flakes but no cigar. is it mandatory for there to be salt in the water? should i try putting algae in there too? it has a gravel floor if that makes a difference.

 

[WILDER]

Water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph.
Are they spitting food out.
Check the gills to see if there red and inflamed, or pale with excess mucas on them.

 

[scoin11]

They wont even touch the food. and yea, i think im going to go ahead and take a water sample to the pet store. there gills look fine to me. no signs of sickness. it seems weird cuz whenever im standing there, they are all freaked out. but when i leave one is all happy, or so it seems, and is swimming fine. i got fake plants in there. should i buy real algae cuz ive read they thrive on that too.

 

[celaeno]

if the water parameters are ok, you can try buying frozen bloodworms or frozen brine shrimp.

 

[.Relinquished]

is it mandatory for there to be salt in the water?

Well, you're fish will not die without brackish water, but they often become sick.

Information on Mollies

 

[scoin11]

Well allright thanks for all the info. i just went back to the petstore and they suggested that they werent eating while i was looking. i also exchange one fish for another. one of the fish is real shy, the other is simming happily. one seems to be shimmying, so i will go ahead and add a little bit of salt. again thanks for your help. i will be satisfied as long as they dont die. and oh yea, i also had them test my water and it was perfect. i was real shocked. so that doesnt seem to be the problem.

 

[tetraqueen]

I am just wondering what is happening to the food they do not eat? Too much food is worse than too little. That of course will show in water stats.

I do not know what I am saying as I have never had mollies but others will tell you if an air stone would be a good suggestion.

My gut instinct is you need to do a water change and not feed too often. Boxes say four times a dy but it is four times the size of the fishes eye not just a huge sprinkle of food.


If I am telling you what you already know sorry but I had to be told off by my lfs and stop feeding a few times as I did overfeed and now that I don't it makes a lot of sense not to mention healthy loooking fish it saves money. But they do like Brine shrimps and an odd pea or two. Flake fish is not always superior.

 

[Ristof]

I am just wondering what is happening to the food they do not eat? Too much food is worse than too little. That of course will show in water stats.

I do not know what I am saying as I have never had mollies but others will tell you if an air stone would be a good suggestion.

My gut instinct is you need to do a water change and not feed too often. Boxes say four times a dy but it is four times the size of the fishes eye not just a huge sprinkle of food.


If I am telling you what you already know sorry but I had to be told off by my lfs and stop feeding a few times as I did overfeed and now that I don't it makes a lot of sense not to mention healthy loooking fish it saves money. But they do like Brine shrimps and an odd pea or two. Flake fish is not always superior.

Fish will only need to eat the size of their eye, as a turtle only needs the size of it's head.

I have keeped mollies before in my tropical community tank and they were fine. No salt added to tank
The fish may need a few days to get used to their new environment. Maybe try feeding with the lights off

 

[scoin11]

ok well one of them is finally eating. the new one is eating yet. so i guess it takes a few days (4 specifically) for them to feel comfortable in their new tank. the new one i got isnt eating yet. hopefully he will by thursday. thanks for all the info. as for shimmying, it seems like they have to give a lot of thrust to get moving. i also seem to get mixed suggestions which is kind of frustrating, if they dont need salt then i wont give it to them. they appear to be doing fine w/o it. they can move around a little bit w/o too much of a problem. o well. i will see how things go. i guess im a real worrier. is adding 1 fish to the tank per week to fast, or okay? also, will goldfish get eaten by mollies? what non-molly fish would be suitable with mine. thanks

1 Black Lyretail Molly

1 Silver Molly

 

[tetraqueen]

Please do not buy a gold fish if you have not a pond large enough to kepp it afterwards. Yes people keep them in bowls very cruel.
http/www.timstropicals.com/Compatibility/NameResults.asp this gives you a whole load but remember not to add too many fish as they need the space that they will grow to Ie Molly is say 3-5 " and a clown loach would be 15 " plus. This is then ratio'd with the amount of water needed and how long , tall etc
You can have more mollies than Plec etc. Some like to be kept in shoals


I think a few ottos would be interesting but also get the male female ratio sorted out of your mollies.

 

[madgecko11]

and a clown loach would be 15" plus

Although its said for them to get that big they usually only get to about 8 or so inches and goldfish dont tend to get huge if kept in an aquarium (i do agree that bowls are cruel) but you never mentioned the size of your tank. Most fish labeled community fish will do fine with them but make sure you can accommodate them through life I've seen Plecos over 16 inches.