Am I just too worried?

[fishtankfish]

Ok, i have four balloon bellied mollies in my ten gallon. They all swim around as normal. But, one of them seems to be using his gills much more than the others. He seems to be moving his gills ten times more than any of the other three. Yet, he swims around like everything is fine. Am i too worried or is this a symptom of something? Thanks.

 

[BrianNY]

This is a great observation fishtankfish. It sounds like gill flukes. Very common, and very easy to treat for. Any med containing Possium Premanganate will work to control this. If left untreated it could becaome fatal, but the fish can live quite a long time with the infestation. In any event, once flukes are present, you should treat the entire tank.

 

[madasafish]

Hem, hem. TYPO!

Brian meant to say "potassium permanganate".

 

[BrianNY]

LMAO madasafish. I'm going to have to the Liberry and see if there's a premanganate!!

 

[Fruitbat]

You won't find any potassium premanganate in the Liberry. Won't find any potassium premanganate in the Library either!!

Just joshin' with ya a bit, BrianNY. I thought it was us 'unedjicated' Texans who were supposed to have the spelling problems!!

 

[BrianNY]

Very cool Fruitbat. I'm just poking a little fun at me with the "Liberry". Who else finds that sometimes their fingers work the keyboard over faster than they their mind works?

Oh no...............A hijacked thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fruitbat]

OK....back on topic.

fishtankfish....what BrianNY says is very likely correct. Gill flukes will cause the symptoms you're describing. I can recommend a product called Jungle Parasite Clear, which is a 'fizzy' tablet that I've used before to clear up parasite infestations. I've had very good luck with it and it is available at most pet shops and even at chain stores like Wal-Mart.

 

[TankGirl]

Thanks, Fruitbat - also, will high temps treat gill flukes as it does other parasites?

That was a close one, I was off to the LFS looking for some Possium.

 

[Fruitbat]

High temperatures aren't particularly effective in treating gill flukes in my experience. Possium premanganate is hard to find, by the way!

 

[TankGirl]

Thanks - durn that Possium....