Ugh, my two mollies both have died in the last few weeks.

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abrage22

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Apr 23, 2011
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Minnesota
I don't know why...I had a black, and orange molly, have had them since I got my tank several months ago. All my other fish are totally fine, my water levels have always been good, and are right now, ph is around 7.6. They both have died the same way, they seem healthy, but you can tell they were starting to get a little less active, a little weaker. Both ended up getting stuck to the filter intake, but were still alive. This happened to the black one a few weeks ago, the orange one just tonight.

My only thoughts are maybe they were underfed? I know they love to eat, and they were always on top looking for food, but I fed them a decent amount everyday. I added a peice of driftwood about a month ago, that lowered my ph a bit, and probably softened the water a little:confused:, maybe that has something to do with it. I do still have a little baby molly, he's still doing great.
 
I don't think underfed is a possibility if you were feeding everyday. What were your water parameters(ammonia, nitrate nitrite)?
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. :( I've gone through a few Molly deaths, (some of which were mysterious). Honestly, I don't think that yours died of starvation, but rather from a sudden change in environment.

I assume they were added to a freshwater tank? I'm not an expert on Mollies, but from what I understand, most Mollies are typically bred in brackish water and that could have been the problem.

Occasionally you will find a LFS that gets them from a supplier that breeds them in freshwater. If that's the case, then acclimating them to your freshwater tank shouldn't stress them to the point of them dying. However, if you move brackish-bred Mollies immediately into freshwater, bad things can happen.

IMO, you take a huge chance when adding Mollies to a freshwater tank. They are great fish, and I'm a sucker for livebearers lol, but I've decided to never purchase Mollies in the future. I still have 1 Molly left, but she was born in my freshwater tank. Which could be why she's still alive. Who knows.
 
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