Poorly Molly

[kirsty2236]

Hey this is for a friend of mine.

Her white Molly started a couple of days ago by hiding behind the filter and occasionally coming out for food but now he is upside down at the bottom of the tank. This morning she thought he was dead as he was upside down and not moving. When she went to fish him out he kind of bobbed away (still upside down) he is now just sitting at the bottom of the tank still breathing and occasionally bobbing along the bottom. I am aware it does sound like the little Mollys days are numbered but any help/advice would be great.

Thanks x

 

[snazy]

Poor fish. Unfortunately it is hard to say what it is judging only by the way she lies down on the gravel.
Maybe if you provide more info, someone maybe able to help. If there are no suggestions, then do a biggish water change and try not to stress the fish too much while doing it.

 

[afremont]

Hey this is for a friend of mine.

Her white Molly started a couple of days ago by hiding behind the filter and occasionally coming out for food but now he is upside down at the bottom of the tank. This morning she thought he was dead as he was upside down and not moving. When she went to fish him out he kind of bobbed away (still upside down) he is now just sitting at the bottom of the tank still breathing and occasionally bobbing along the bottom. I am aware it does sound like the little Mollys days are numbered but any help/advice would be great.

Thanks x

Sounds like some kind of swim bladder "disease".
http/www.ehow.com/how_6500592_cure-bladder-disease-molly-fish.html

Add salt, mollies easily tolerate lots of salt.
Raise the temperature.
Try feeding it peas.

Since it is upside down, I'd assume that it is unable to inflate its swim bladder. Could be constipated from a poor diet or possibly has an infection or parasites. Any idea what its poop looks like?

 

[kirsty2236]

Sorry I realized after I posted I put no info at all. This is gonna be a little vague as she is a very casual fish keeper

Tank size: 34 gallons
I have no idea of the water parameters but she had the water tested today at the LFS and they said all was fine.
Water changes are about once a month and I'd say around the 10-20% mark.
At the moment the tank has got 7 platys, 3 Molly's, 1 shrimp, 1 plec, and the poorly Molly
About 6 weeks ago everything started giving birth and the last lot gave birth around a week ago. Theres around 20 babies all together.
Other than the babies there haven't been any new additions for a few months.
The tanks been running years but only with the shrimp in and it's been full of fish for about 6 months.
The temperature is 25c
There hasn't been any exposure to chemicals that I know of and no changes to the routine.
No new filters or decorations or anything either.
All the other fish seems fine.

The Molly is now in a fry net and is eating the algae wafers we've put in with him still upside down.



Sorry it's so vague!

 

[kirsty2236]

They are fed on standards tropical fish flakes and blood worms. The fry have been getting fry flakes and the plec has algae wafers. Sorry no idea what the poop looks like.

Will everything else in the tank be ok with salt and a raised temperature?

 

[snazy]

Blood worms can introduce diseases.
What is the salt and increase temp method for? If you try this route, make sure there is enough oxygen.
I don't know about the shrimp, but the rest of the fish will be fine with salt including the pleco as long as the salt is dissolved first, not dumped in the tank, and the treatment doesn't last more than a few weeks.
Problem is you don't know what you are treating for.
If the fish is eating, then that's a good sign. Give it microwaved, peeled, mashed pees in case it is constipation

 

[kirsty2236]

I have tried the peas and he doesn't seem to interested but is munching away at the algae wafers. I will try the salt and up the temperature a little bit and see how he goes.

Thanks everybody for the help

 

[afremont]

I have tried the peas and he doesn't seem to interested but is munching away at the algae wafers. I will try the salt and up the temperature a little bit and see how he goes.

Thanks everybody for the help

So he's still eating then, that's good. If it's not constipation, then it might be internal parasites since he eats. He doesn't have anything hanging out of his vent does he? Look for any signs of worms hanging out when he is not moving.

 

[the_lock_man]

but the rest of the fish will be fine with salt including the pleco as long as the salt is dissolved first,

MIght want to research that point a bit further, I'm by no means a plec expert, but as far as I'm aware, they are hugely intolerant of salt. Once the salt hits the water it dissolves anyway, so I can't see why it would make a difference to dissolve it first. But I'm happy to be shown to be wrong in this respect.

If the tank only had shrimp in and then a load of fish were just popped in, the filter would probably have been uncycled, therefore it may be the delayed affects of ammonia poisoning.

If water changes are only 10-20% monthly, then it may be very high nitrates. This strikes me as being the more likely problem.

Can I suggest that your friend gets another water test done, but gets the actual numbers written down, and then post them on here.

 

[snazy]

I am talking from personal experience. I had salt in my tank for 3 weeks(about one table spoon for about 5 gallons of water) and it survived with no problem and no behaviour changes from what I can tell. All I am saying is that they will not die from the salt when you need to treat in emergency and for short period of time. Plecos are of course not supposed to be kept in brackish tanks long term.

Edit: Ofcourse it also depends on the type of pleco how sensitive it is to salt, but most commons will tolerate certain amount for certain period of time.

Edit: You need to dissolve the salt prior to adding to make sure it is evenly distributed. You don't want you pleco to hang around the area where the dumped crystals of salt are dissolving.

 

[the_lock_man]

I am talking from personal experience. I had salt in my tank for 3 weeks(about one table spoon for about 5 gallons of water) and it survived with no problem and no behaviour changes from what I can tell. All I am saying is that they will not die from the salt when you need to treat in emergency and for short period of time. Plecos are of course not supposed to be kept in brackish tanks long term.

Fair 'nuff.

 

[kirsty2236]

OK I have yet to put salt in the tank anyways as I was trying to find out whether the shrimp would mind and little bit confused about the salt. (how much and for how long etc). I did put the temperature up though.

The fish has now got a white fuzz on his tail and is still upside down but still eating and seems a little more active today. Definitely didn't have the fuzz yesterday I spent quite a lot of time staring at him.

Weve got hold of some anti parasite stuff and out that in called sterazin gill and body flukes and have popped that in the tank. It's for 10 days so not expecting any miraculous recovery quite yet.

Can't see anything hanging out of anywhere.

I will go to a pet shop tomorrow and get the water retested but will the anti worm stuff affect the reading at all? The fish weren't added all at once only a couple at a time but the tank wasn't cycled before they were put in.