help needed for sailfin molly

[Jaybird]

We have an orange sailfin molly and she is very ill. We don't know what is wrong. She isolated herself from the rest of the black mollies and they keep harasing her. For a while she hung up around the heater of the tank but she is now mostly laying still on the bottom. She hasn't eaten for a while and her stomach is now concave. We have separated her from the rest in the aquarium because the male was chasing her without stop.

Her breathing is laboured, and even while isolated she will not eat.

Does anybody know what we can do to try and save her as we really don't like seeing her suffer.

 

[Meredith]

Answer as many of these as you can...

Answer these Qs to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment:

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?

 

[Jaybird]

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).

Orange sailfin molly
Fish not eating, lethargic, concave stomach, being harassed by other mollies, no defecations

2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.

PH 6.4
Nitrites 1ppm
Nitrates: 15 ppm
Ammonia: 0.25
Temperature: 82F

3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?

30 gallons which was set up 14 days ago

4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.

Topfin 40

5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?

3 black mollies
1 dalmatian molly
6 neon tetras
1 small pleco
2 corries
2 bolivian rams
6 guppies
2 keyhole

6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?

10% water change every day or two, most recent this morning

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?

2 weeks

8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?

No

9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?

Flake food and tubifex worms, no change

 

[Zagz]

Your tank appears to still be cycling. I would do another water change about 50% for starters. Are you adding dechlorinator when you do water changes? Nitrites and ammonia can burn the fish's gills. She may have an internal parasite, but first I would see how she does after a larger water change. If that doesn't work, if at all possible QT her and treat her with a med for internal parasites. Jungle's parasite clear has worked well for me.Good luck.

 

[Jaybird]

We QTd her but, she didn't make it long enough for us to get some internal parasite meds. She just stopped eating.

I have been putting dechlorinator in the water with the water changes, as well as a bit of salt. I have even tried a little bit of AmQuel+ in the hopes of keeping the effects of the ammonia and nitrites from bothering the fish too badly between water changes. I was doing about a 10% PWC per day, but now do a 30% ever two days instead.

Right now I am hoping that if it was a parasitic infection that the other fish don't get it.

 

[Menagerie]

I have even tried a little bit of AmQuel+ in the hopes of keeping the effects of the ammonia and nitrites from bothering the fish too badly between water changes.

PWC are the best answer to ammonia and nitrite build up. Salt will help bind the ammonia, but when a tank is cycling, the ammonia can spike quickly without your knowledge.

I know it's too late for this little fish, but when fish get to the "breathing is laboured, and even while isolated she will not eat" stage, it's often too late. Once a fish isolates itself, then it's time to take action. Logically, it makes sense--in the wild, the weak one leave the group and is eaten by predators. It's harder to watch in our home tanks, but that's what's happening.

She isolated herself from the rest of the black mollies and they keep harasing her.

Fish will do this to an ill fish. Fish are also opportunistic, and will eat a dying member of the tank. When they are all healthy, there is no opportunity and you will only see territorial/food/mating disputes.

You need to be doing daily PWC while the tank is cycling. You should be very close to the end since nitrates are showing up. Zagz’s right in saying you should do a larger PWC right away.

 

[Zagz]

Sorry about your molly. Menagerie is definately right about fish being opportunistic.

 

[Jaybird]

Yeah, they can be cruel at times. Guess it's just nature.

I'm going to do a 30% change tonight as the nitrites are starting to spike up as well as the nitrates. I ended up buying a liquid-chem test kit instead of the strips. It's all part of the learning/re-learning process, I suppose.

 

[Menagerie]

It's all part of the learning/re-learning process, I suppose.

It is and you never stop learning!

 

[Jaybird]

That's the part of the hobby that intrigues me the most. There always seem to be little hurdles to overcome. Illness here, sudden death there, species interactions, breeding problems. It fascinates me how much there is to learn in this hobby.