Sick or Napping Mollie?

[ultratonic1]

I have noticed today that one of my mollies stays at the bottom of the tank and does not really move around. Then, after an hour or so he's up and at em like nothing is wrong. He becomes very active when I'm feeding and he has no trouble eating. He shows no visible signs of ick or a bloated belly. Actually I can't seem to find any visual signs of illness except for the behavior. Any suggestions would be great. I have a 10 gallon tank. 2 silver lyre tail mollies 1 guppy and 2 platies. All tank mates are male.

 

[Zagz]

How long has your tank been set up? And what are your water parameters? A pwc can't hurt and sometimes is exactly what the fish needs, esp if your tank is still cycling.

 

[ultratonic1]

Tanks pretty new actually. 3 weeks. Still cycling for sure. PH is 8 Nitrite and ammonia are 0. so a partial water change my snap him out of it? Right now he's up again and is fascinated by the glow of the aquarium heater. not sure why but he keeps swiming up to it.

 

[Zagz]

I'd do the pwc, at the very least it won't hurt at all and might just do the trick.

 

[ultratonic1]

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Also, something to consider, the tank is too small for him. Mollies need more swimming space than a 10 gal has to offer. They should be kept in a minimum of a 20 gal tank.

 

[ultratonic1]

Thanks, I had a previous post where I asked just such a question. I was worried about this since the store clerk told me that he would be fine but my reading on the forum and other places indicates that they can grow up to 4 inches and may a bit more. Had I read that before, I would not have opted for mollies.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I made the same mistake and purchased a molly for my 10 gal tank. After researching I later raelized that it wasn't a good setup for him but was reluctant to return him to the lfs. I eventually did, but it was hard because I had grown attached to him.

 

[ultratonic1]

I really like the little guy but I don't want him suffering either. Is it common for stores to take the fish back?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, most stores will take back fish as long as they are healthy. I wouldn't count on getting store credit or a refund though. It was hard letting go of my Molly because he was so pretty (Orange body speckled with silver, white, and black. His tail was black with blue speckled and his sailfin was black speckled with the blue shimmer also). But he just wasn't happy being in the 10 gal. He would try to swim around the tank but in no time he had to turn around and go the other way.

 

[ultratonic1]

I'm seeing that too. They seem to dart around a bit. like they are antsy. It sounds like you had a great look mollie.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

They definately are antsy little fellas. Pretty cool to watch as long as you have a tank large enough for them. If it were me, I wouldn't put them in anything less than a 55 gal so I could have several Mollies and not have to worry about the onset of fry that always appears. Mollies breed like rabbits and when you have a small tank it seems like the fry overpopulate the tank and the adults keep having more. At least with a 55 you'd have more room. But that's just if I was doing it all over again. Single sex species are fine together in a smaller tank (20L+) but its when you start mixing male and female in a smaller tank where the issues come in.

 

[Zagz]

I better brush up on my tank recommendations. How is he doing after the water change?

 

[ultratonic1]

he perked up but I see something now that may also be the cause of the problem. seems that the bigger mollie is harrassing the one who was at the bottom. As soon as the smaller fella gets up and want to swim around the bully charges in. If it were a cat or dog I would give them a little discipline but that's not really possible with fish. (it would be great if I could)

 

[ultratonic1]

I heard that they are prolific breders. thankfully I made sure to get all males. Just don't have the room to raise little ones.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

That is absolutely correct. Mollies will breed like crazy. When they start reproducing it never stops.