Sick molly - what should I do? Please help!

[sallyjano]

Yesterday I noticed a bulge on the side of my molly just above the anal fin. This morning he is lying on the gravel. He did move very slightly so I know he is still alive but he is not swimming or moving at all.

What should I do? Please help!

Parameters:

6 weeks in a 10g to 60g upgrade - cycled.
Temp 75, ph 7.4, trites 0, trates 10
2 other mollies and 4 tetras

 

[Mattyfelts]

Yesterday I noticed a bulge on the side of my molly just above the anal fin. This morning he is lying on the gravel. He did move very slightly so I know he is still alive but he is not swimming or moving at all.

What should I do? Please help!

Parameters:

6 weeks in a 10g to 60g upgrade - cycled.
Temp 75, ph 7.4, trites 0, trates 10
2 other mollies and 4 tetras

Sounds like hes pretty close to death. Do a big water change 35-50%. Is he eating? try feeding a skinned pea.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Molly

Yesterday I noticed a bulge on the side of my molly just above the anal fin. This morning he is lying on the gravel. He did move very slightly so I know he is still alive but he is not swimming or moving at all.

What should I do? Please help!

Parameters:

6 weeks in a 10g to 60g upgrade - cycled.
Temp 75, ph 7.4, trites 0, trates 10
2 other mollies and 4 tetras

Hello Sal...

Difficult to say, because most of us don't have experience in fish biology. Mollies require pure water conditions. So, you should be changing half the tank water every week. The new water should be a bit warmer than what's in the tank. 80 degrees is about right, with a tank temp around 76. Mollies, like all Livebearing fish, do best with a bit of standard aquarium salt added to the replacement water. A rounded teaspoon for every 5 gallons of new water is helpful to their immune system. A little minced garlic should be fed every week or two. It's has many antibiotic properties and vitamins.

B

 

[sallyjano]

OK here's the weird thing - I just assumed it was the molly that had the bulge on his side that was at the bottom but I now see it's not, it's his brother. He was just lying there for over an hour but then just started swimming again. I put some food in the tank and he did eat a flake though he doesn't seem quite right.

Thanks for the advice - I upped the temp a little and will look into getting some aquarium salt.

Will the salt be a problem for other fish? Right now I have tetras but am about to add guppies, a dwarf gourami, some cats.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Fish

OK here's the weird thing - I just assumed it was the molly that had the bulge on his side that was at the bottom but I now see it's not, it's his brother. He was just lying there for over an hour but then just started swimming again. I put some food in the tank and he did eat a flake though he doesn't seem quite right.

Thanks for the advice - I upped the temp a little and will look into getting some aquarium salt.

Will the salt be a problem for other fish? Right now I have tetras but am about to add guppies, a dwarf gourami, some cats.

Hello again sal...

A rounded teaspoon in every 5 gallons, is really minimal and won't harm fish or plants. If anything, it will improve the health of the fish and the minerals in aquarium salt will benefit the plants.

You could add some frozen foods to your fishes' diet. A little brine and Mysis shrimp, blood worms, plankton and beef heart are very good.

B

 

[sallyjano]

Hello again sal...

A rounded teaspoon in every 5 gallons, is really minimal and won't harm fish or plants. If anything, it will improve the health of the fish and the minerals in aquarium salt will benefit the plants.

You could add some frozen foods to your fishes' diet. A little brine and Mysis shrimp, blood worms, plankton and beef heart are very good.

B

Ok thanks! I will get some salt. I have freeze dried blood worms - do you think frozen is better?

 

[BBradbury]

Fish Foods

Ok thanks! I will get some salt. I have freeze dried blood worms - do you think frozen is better?

sal...

Check the ingredients. The more nutritious the food, the shorter the list of ingredients. The frozen foods I feed my fish have the animal and water, so I know there are no additives that may not be good for my fish. Avoid flaked foods or just feed them sparingly. These generally have a lot of fillers the fish may have trouble digesting and may have no real nutritional value.

B

 

[sallyjano]

sal...

Check the ingredients. The more nutritious the food, the shorter the list of ingredients. The frozen foods I feed my fish have the animal and water, so I know there are no additives that may not be good for my fish. Avoid flaked foods or just feed them sparingly. These generally have a lot of fillers the fish may have trouble digesting and may have no real nutritional value.

B

Ok thanks. I recently realized that many flake foods are no good so I changed to Omega One flakes (mostly fish, minimal filler) and blood worms, plus I feed peas a couple times a week.

 

[altum nuggy]

Sounds like dropsy which is unluckily to cure sorry or he is just fat

 

[sallyjano]

Sounds like dropsy which is unluckily to cure sorry or he is just fat

Thanks but I don't think that's it. I just looked it up online and it shows the whole belly swollen. This isn't the belly it a lump just on one side.

 

[altum nuggy]

Here check this out http://www.fishnet.org/sick-fish-chart.htm

 

[sallyjano]

Here check this out Chart on Fish Diseases, Symptoms and their Treatments

Thanks that's helpful!! Based on this the only thing that fits is a tumor.

 

[altum nuggy]

Yup no problem