Problem With My Male Mollies

[sammi]

I have five mollies in a community tank, two males and three females (plus a few baby mollies). My problem is, as I was given these fish by a friend I wasn't able to pick and choose, and therefore I now own one very alpha male and a very beta one. The alpha one is a jerk, he's overly energetic, never stops mating with the females and is aggressive to the other male. The other male has a hiding spot in a plant where he spends pretty much all of his time. He is still healthy but he knows the second he comes out he'll be chased.

I don't know what to do, I know I need to give one of these males to an aquarium store but I don't know which. I assume the aggressive molly is the right one to give away? While he's pretty entertaining I feel bad for the other one always having to hide.


Also on a side note is anyone able to help me with an issue with my silver tetra? His mouth is constantly open and there is red behind his gills.


Thank you

 

[KCB]

I guess you should re-home the one you least like. If it was me I would probably remove the aggressive one, just in case he decided to move on to other fish?

With the silver tetra; can you post your water stats?

My Endler guppy started doing this towards the end of his days, it turns out he was sold to me with a bacterial infection and I caught it too late. Could be the case with your tetra but water quality should be ruled out first.

 

[sammi]

PH is around 7.3, I'm afraid I cannot do a nitrate test as I don't have the kit. However the other fish in the tank are fine, even the other silver tetra I have seems perfectly healthy. They were all given to me by a friend so I'm not sure what state they were in before I got them. I've had them around a month and he's just begin showing these signs the past week. I should note aside from the weird open mouth thing and red gills, he acts normal. So I'm really confused as to what it could be

These are some (terrible) photos I took. Not sure if they help at all. He's always had a bit of a messed up face btw.

http/imgur.com/vC9tp

 

[KCB]

I would get a test kit if you can, the API master kit is what people on this forum usually use. It contains a test for ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate so it is well worth buying .

This is just an educated guess, but maybe his gills have become damaged (possibly by ammonia) and are not absorbing oxygen efficiently, hence why he has his mouth open all the time to take in water. How long did your friend have this tank before giving away their fish? Also, how long have you had your tank set-up?

If you could fill out this information, it would help towards diagnosing the problem:

Tank size:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
Tank inhabitants:
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
Exposure to chemicals:
Digital photo (include if possible):

What I would do right now is a 50% water change just as a pre-caution.

 

[sammi]

I'm not sure how long she had the tank for. I believe several months (maybe 5-6). My tank was set up for around 3 weeks before adding her fish, I've now had it for around 2 months. No problems have arisen aside from the sick tetra and the aggressive molly.

I'll make a trip to the store to pick up a testing kit tomorrow.

15 gallon/55 litre tank
PH: 7
Temp: 76.7F
Silver tetra symptoms: Red behind gills, mouth is always open. Acts normal otherwise.
25% water change every fortnight (just did a 50% water change last night though)
Chemical additives: Chlorine neutraliser, FloraGro
Tank Inhabitants: 5 mollies, 4 baby mollies, 2 silver tetra, 5 neon tetras. 2 driftwood plants
Recent additions: The 4 baby mollies were added the other day (I had them in a separate tank while they grew bigger).
Photo: http/imgur.com/vC9tp (the one I posted above of the different angles of the silver tetra. Sorry it's such a terrible photo).

Thank you so much for the help btw.

 

[KCB]

Okie doke, well I would do another 50% water change until you get the test kit and then come back here and post your results .