Marble Molly and Black Molly......

[ikon]

I have a black n white "marble" molly . I also have a black molly . I noticed the black molly ALWAYS bumps and nudges the white marble molly . When the black molly stops and swims away the marble molly will follow . What the heck is going on ?

Also , the marble molly always swims with its head up in the air like its body is tilted upwards .

I just got a 20 gal fish tank a month ago so Im pretty new to all this stuff . I already had a cpl fish die on me . I dunno why Im chaing the filter and removing 25 % - 50 % of the water along with cleaning the rocks . I have a HUGE sucker fish , 5 zebras , 2 mollys , 2 tequila guppies , 2 lemon tetras , and a red wag (think thats what they are called ) . Is that to many fish ?? Oh and 3 live plants with a cpl plastic plants and a few small ornaments ....

[Zagz]

I would bet the black molly is mating with the marble molly. How often do you do water changes? I would also bet the tank isn't fully cycled yet. Do you have a test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? I would not clean the rocks heavily right now, do water changes and get a test kit to monitor your levels. Ammonia and nitrIte should be 0 ppm, nitrAtes should be at least 5 ppm. How big is your pleco? If he is really large then your tank will be overstocked, if not your tanks should be fine. A general rule of thumb is 1" per gallon, but there are exceptions to that rule based on the type of fish, for example, goldfish need 10 gals per fish because they are very messy fish.

The marble molly may be trying to get more oxygen, do you have an airstone? If not try lowering the water level a bit to create more surface agitation and see if that helps. You will definately need to get a test kit or take a water sample to your lfs and test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates.

Welcome to AA!