Molly appears dead abruptly for no reason... :( Help!

[gmac]

Okay... I have had a problem with high nitrates in my tank, around 40-60ppm I think it was after slacking on a couple of water changes unfortunately and I've been trying to get the tank back in order. As it stands it has a Sailfin Pleco which has been in there for months and perfectly fine... a Neon Tetra... and 2 days ago I bought 2 Marble Mollies (male and a female) and a Siamese Fighter...

Everything was fine and the Mollies adjusted and today were full of life like you wouldn't believe, swimming into the current all the time and playing around with each other... and I thought everything was going perfectly...

Then just there I found her lying by the tank edge next to the glass on the gravel, and as I watched closer she gave 1 very slow breath... I panicked and stood up trying to decide what was wrong... then when I looked back she was gone... no breathing... by all appearances she is now dead! I am so confused as she was just swimming about PERFECTLY and full of life half an hour ago... what could have caused this...?

I have also being adjusting the water temps the last couple of days and it's been up a couple of degrees and slowly coming back down a couple... could this account for anything... I'm very confused!

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Sorry gmac.

If you didn't have a chance to observe the tank of mollies at the store, it's hard to tell what the problem could have been. But, what you are describing is not unheard of. I would attribute it to stress from the move, perhaps not on your part but the store's part.

Sorry this isn't much help.

 

[DepotFish]

The fish was only two days old so don't kick yourself. It could have been something internal, like flukes, which is why a really suggest a quarentine.

 

[EXM]

I suggest an attopsy. The fish indeed could have been carrying flukes, or worms or some other internal parasite. Try splitting the lower and mid body into 4 three dimensional pieces. I'm sorry for your loss.