Whats Wrong With My Molly?

[FastestFishy]

Ok so i have a dalmation molly in a 29 gallon tank with 10 other fish. I got her yesterday with 2 other fish at my LFS. Shes eating and everything is going ok with her except she stays at the top of the tank constantly. If anyone can help me please do. Thanks

 

[theotheragentm]

There's nothing wrong with staying at the top specifically unless she can't go to the bottom. If she has problems swimming downward, you may be looking at swim bladder infection.

The fact that you got her yesterday, I would just wait and see. She is just getting accustomed to her new surroundings. Is she on the top in the middle or secluded away a bit. My livebearers liked to hover on the top in a dark corner before giving birth.

 

[FastestFishy]

yea she is mainly on the side ofthe tank by my filter

 

[SnBMeg]

It sounds like she may be trying to hide.

The majority of my mollies I have bred and raised myself, and when I need to do tank maintenance they'll move out of the way of my hand (or whatever tool I'm using), but otherwise not mind me. However, I have one individual who I purchased from a store when he was already close to maturity, and anytime I get into the tank he zooms for the upper back corner, where the tank's filter tubes come in. He'll hide there and watch warily until I'm out of the tank. When I'm not in the tank, he acts perfectly fine, and will explore the tank and come up to the glass with the rest to beg me for food. But he's extremely wary of hands and nets.

Given that molly fry tend to keep toward the surface shortly after they're born, I think that area of the tank may be instinctively comforting for mollies (like the fetal position and rocking are for humans, or pulling on the scruff of the neck is for cats.)

Chances are your new fish is just nervous about her new surroundings. As long as she isn't being bullied by any of the other fish, then given just a little time and patience she'll most likely relax and come out.

 

[cmlover513]

Ok so i have a dalmation molly in a 29 gallon tank with 10 other fish. I got her yesterday with 2 other fish at my LFS. Shes eating and everything is going ok with her except she stays at the top of the tank constantly. If anyone can help me please do. Thanks

I would suggest that you purchase one more male sailfin mollie. I have three males in my tank and let me tell you, they never tire playing together and chasing each other. Even though I have a variety of community fish, my mollie's are always playing with each other only. They are friendly as far as the other fish go, but they don't play with them. I have spent hours of entertainment already watching my mollie's chase each other, and when the males get playing you really see them raise their sailfins way up. It is so spectacular to watch. Anyway, that is my opinion, good luck.

 

[theotheragentm]

Ok so i have a dalmation molly in a 29 gallon tank with 10 other fish. I got her yesterday with 2 other fish at my LFS. Shes eating and everything is going ok with her except she stays at the top of the tank constantly. If anyone can help me please do. Thanks

I would suggest that you purchase one more male sailfin mollie. I have three males in my tank and let me tell you, they never tire playing together and chasing each other. Even though I have a variety of community fish, my mollie's are always playing with each other only. They are friendly as far as the other fish go, but they don't play with them. I have spent hours of entertainment already watching my mollie's chase each other, and when the males get playing you really see them raise their sailfins way up. It is so spectacular to watch. Anyway, that is my opinion, good luck.

That is territorial behavior. A good guideline to keeping livebearers is to keep them in ratios of 3:1 females to males for the first male and then 2:1 for every male after. Having too many males results in males constantly harassing the females to mate and males fighting with each other. While livebearers are peaceful fish, the behavior you are seeing is probably aggressive behavior and should be curbed.