I use water conditioner but i'm out of pH testing strips! This has been worrying me so as I am setting up a community tank tomorrow and need to know could this be an out break disease! No white spots or eye troubles just seems to be in a lot of discomfort.
PrairieSunflower Fish Gatherer. Does she do this only after a water change? If so, for how long? Does she return to fully normal swimming after a period of time? My first thoughts were swim bladder issues. Joined Mar 2, Messages 3 Reaction score 0. FishHelper said:.
Click to expand PrairieSunflower said:. I personally would hold off getting new fish until you are certain you can solve the issue with your molly first, unless you have a quarantine tank for the new fish. As swordtail asked, what process are you using to change your tank water?
Perhaps something is happening in the process that is shocking your fish, drastic change in water quality, temperature, pH shifts even? It would be very useful to know if there is either ammonia or nitrite, since both of them are much more dangerous than nitrate is and it's possible you have both.
If you don't have those tests, can you get some water tested at the pet shop? Take a sample of it as it is now, before you change any of it, please. And we do need all the test results in numbers, please, as words are of no use. The high nitrates are definitely bad news and need to be addressed asap, but, there are more problems than the nitrate levels.
Nitrate must never rise higher than 40 ppm, and even so, should only be rising that high just before a water change is due. It should never be that high all the time. Part of the high nitrate problem is that the water changes you are doing are just not frequent enough. And I am sorry to have to say it but, you are overstocked for your tank size.
It's not quite 15 gallons and you've got 4 mollies that could easily grow to 4" long each and those four fish would be about as many as you'd want in that size tank. The balloon mollies may not grow quite as large as the standard ones will but, they will still grow larger and while Neons are small fish, you have 6 of them. That's a very high bioload for the tank size and I'd think very seriously about returning all of those regular mollies and having only the Balloons and Neons in this tank, asap.
As for the molly that's hanging straight up and down, the behaviour is abnormal, but the fact the fish isn't doing it all the time, and is swimming and eating as it should is encouraging. It may be a quirk, or it may be an early sign of something else, but, just what it may be, I am not sure at this moment.
But the crowding needs to be addressed for the long term health of all the fish, and the water changes need to be dramatically increased until this is done. I'd change half the water 3x a week until some of the fish find a new home and keep an eagle eye on the nitrates.
M y A quarium C lub. Once you rule out pregnancy and swim bladder disease, the only other significant factor that might explain vertical swimming is stress. Stress is directly or indirectly responsible for most of the bizarre behavior you find in aquariums. It has numerous sources, including:.
And what about the toxins? Is the aquarium cycled? Has the concentration of ammonia exceeded safe levels? If your mollies are swimming vertically, you should customize their treatments to fit the cause, for instance:. While swim bladder disease is a severe ailment, it has relatively straightforward solutions, including: [4]. Keep the water clean. If you permit the conditions in the tank to deteriorate, the disease will get even worse. You cannot prevent your mollies from swimming vertically without maintaining the appropriate conditions in their aquarium.
Keep an eye on the following:. That highly affordable bundle allows you to measure the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites in your aquarium. Mollies require regular water changes.
You should also apply conditioners whenever you add water from a source with toxic elements like chlorine. Water changes keep the water clean and prevent the concentration of toxins from rising. You should also invest in a decent filter. He is the clown of the tank. He is in there with another balloon molly,"dot"- there are 3 other mollies in there and they always stick together, swimming around happily.
He looks to have no health issues, doesn't seem to be struggling to breath, I can't figure it out but it is distressing to see him this way- I remember somewhere reading I should try to feed him peas? I have a 30 gallon tank, with a 70 gallon power filter on there. Cause mollys poop an awful lot! Lupin Registered Member. What test kit are you using? How often do you feed them? Tank maintenance regimen? No need for Melafix. I would certainly stick to doing plenty of water changes for wounds and tattered fins.
I have about 10 fry in there too- so will need to get another tank! Volenti AC Members. Jul 25, 0 0 49 Australia. Swim bladder problems are common in some fancy goldfish due to the highly distorted body shape golfball with fins the balloon mollies are simply proving that it's an issue not unique to goldfish.
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