Molly sitting at bottom of tank?

[Fish_are_friends]

My boyfriend and I just bought 2 dalmatian mollies yesterday. One is a male and one is a female. I'm new to owning fish and am a bit concerned about my male Molly. He was fine yesterday after we introduced him to the new tank but now he is staying around the bottom of the tank and not swimming too much. The water temperature is around 78F and he ate a bit when I fed them. I have read about cycling and am wondering if this is the reason he's not doing well. I also have a black mystery snail in the tank with them.

[Mumma.of.two]

Originally Posted by Fish_are_friends

My boyfriend and I just bought 2 dalmatian mollies yesterday. One is a male and one is a female. I'm new to owning fish and am a bit concerned about my male Molly. He was fine yesterday after we introduced him to the new tank but now he is staying around the bottom of the tank and not swimming too much. The water temperature is around 78F and he ate a bit when I fed them. I have read about cycling and am wondering if this is the reason he's not doing well. I also have a black mystery snail in the tank with them.

Hi and welcome!
It most likely is because the tank is cycling and he is not agreeing with the ammonia present (no fish does). Do you own a test kit? What size tanl? I will post some links for you to read.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articl...now/Page2.html
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium
You are going to have to commence large daily water changes to keep your fish alive and healthy.
Any questions don't be afraid to ask!

[absolutangel04]

Welcome to the site.
As Mumma said, cycling might be an issue here. Knowing more specifics about the tank will help us give advise.
Congrats on the mollies. They are very fun fish. I hope they do ok!

[Fish_are_friends]

My tank is 10 gallons. I have a filter, a heater, and a real plant in it. But now my female molly is hanging around the bottom of the tank too. They both swim around and eat when I feed them but go right back to the bottom when they're done. I went out and bought an ammonia test kit but it's saying that the ammonia level is at 0? I did a water change of about 2-3 gallons today but when I went to petco the woman said that the water change was a bad idea so I'm getting opposing advice and don't know what to do

[Mumma.of.two]

What ammonia test did you buy?
Unfortunately quite a lot of store employees don't know enough to properly inform new hobbyists. Water changes will not hinder a cycle. They are essential to protect your fish from high ammonia and nitrite during a cycle. The bacteria you are trying to establish fixes itself to surfaces in your tank and filter. The number of them in the water is minuscule so water changes don't effect their numbers.
Did you read the links?

[absolutangel04]

Sorry, I know conflicting advise is frustrating. But I have to say that Mumma is right. Not all petstore employees know their info.
There are a couple of potential issues here. First of all, since the tank wasn't cycled, ammonia builds up and is toxic to the fish. You can fix that though with water changes. It was bad advise to tell you not to change the water. Did you read the cycling links? They are helpful.
Another issue is that honestly 10g is a bit small for mollies. They get kind of big for a 10g tank. But, since they are probably still young, that isn't necessarily the issue at hand right now.
Lastly, not all stores treat their fish well, so you have gotten fish that were a bit unhealthy to begin with accidently. That coupled with the ammonia is a lot for a fish.
No worries though, do a big water change and see if the fish perk up a bit.