balloon molly unhealthy

[noobaquarists]

hello everyone the other day i recieved a 10g tank that was in really bad condition the water in it was black when i got it and it had fish living in it. so i transferred the fish into a bucket with an air stone and proceeded to give the tank a good scrubbing so now i'm stuck doing a fish in cycle with unhealthy fish. The balloon molly i recieved is the worse for wear right now its seems to be having a really hard time swimming around mostly it just lays on the bottom of the tank and it seems to be having a really hard time breathing is there anything that i can do to help it or is the best option to euthanize it?

 

[noobaquarists]

really need some advice here plz

 

[jlk]

Hi! I have no experience with mollies but the only thing that may help her is healthy water after the horrible life she has had without proper care. If she is unable to swim, does not eat and appears to be struggling to breath, I honestly would consider euthanasia because she is likely beyond the point of being able to recover. I am sorry

 

[noobaquarists]

Hi! I have no experience with mollies but the only thing that may help her is healthy water after the horrible life she has had without proper care. If she is unable to swim, does not eat and appears to be struggling to breath, I honestly would consider euthanasia because she is likely beyond the point of being able to recover. I am sorry

she/he is able to eat only because food flows right past her/him and she is able to swim up off the gravel about 5 inches then she/he sinks again and she/he is eating the only thing i dont have is proper water conditions yet as i had to start the tank with a cycle due to its improper care by the previous owner. and what would be the quickest way to euthanize a glass of water in the freezer?

 

[derail]

Black water is definitely not good to hear, and Balloon Molly's have it hard enough as it is-being bred w/ a deformity-without having really hard conditions to live with. Glad that you rectified it. When you state that you 'scrubbed' the tank down, would you care to elaborate it a bit more? How did you clean it, you didn't use chemicals did you?

10g is somewhat sufficient for Molly fish, but Mollies have a larger bioload than most beginner fish (barring goldfish that is) so you will want ot keep a careful eye on your parameters. What are they? Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Fish-in Cycles are tough on fish, but with plenty of water changes you can keep fish healthy and successfully cycle the tank-I have the same guppy's and molly's that I started with over a year ago when I cycled my newest tank, so you can definitely do it.

Euthanasia is never a fun practice, but is definitely sometimes necessary if it seems that your fish is not improving but instead suffering. I have a girl harlequin molly who is about at the edge of her life, and even dying from old age is sad to see.

If you have a quarantine tank, try to separate her if she is the only one that is showing the signs and give her a good old fashioned salt bath. Speaking of salt, Molly's do best with about a tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10g of water (depending on the brand of aquarium salt), have you attempted this?

Good luck

 

[derail]

she/he is able to eat only because food flows right past her/him and she is able to swim up off the gravel about 5 inches then she/he sinks again and she/he is eating the only thing i dont have is proper water conditions yet as i had to start the tank with a cycle due to its improper care by the previous owner. and what would be the quickest way to euthanize a glass of water in the freezer?

There are differing opinions on the quickest way to euthanize a dying fish. I have done the glass of water in the freezer method, which seems less harmful than most methods, and more humane. The fish tend to fall asleep and not wake back up. The quickest method is quickly and cleanly severing the spinal chord-it can be done by cutting down hard, just behind the back of the head with a sharp knife.

Which way you choose is up to you, good luck and hopefully she pulls through.

 

[noobaquarists]

Black water is definitely not good to hear, and Balloon Molly's have it hard enough as it is-being bred w/ a deformity-without having really hard conditions to live with. Glad that you rectified it. When you state that you 'scrubbed' the tank down, would you care to elaborate it a bit more? How did you clean it, you didn't use chemicals did you?

10g is somewhat sufficient for Molly fish, but Mollies have a larger bioload than most beginner fish (barring goldfish that is) so you will want ot keep a careful eye on your parameters. What are they? Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Fish-in Cycles are tough on fish, but with plenty of water changes you can keep fish healthy and successfully cycle the tank-I have the same guppy's and molly's that I started with over a year ago when I cycled my newest tank, so you can definitely do it.

Euthanasia is never a fun practice, but is definitely sometimes necessary if it seems that your fish is not improving but instead suffering. I have a girl harlequin molly who is about at the edge of her life, and even dying from old age is sad to see.

If you have a quarantine tank, try to separate her if she is the only one that is showing the signs and give her a good old fashioned salt bath. Speaking of salt, Molly's do best with about a tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10g of water (depending on the brand of aquarium salt), have you attempted this?

Good luck

i emptied the tank of all gravel and water i boiled the gravel for 4 hours changing the water in the pot 5 times i also used a brand new green scrubby pad and scrubbed the tank with vinegar and baking soda then washed it out with boiling water afterwards. i started the 10g with media from the filter on my 30g today is the third day of setup water params are as follows.
day 1 amm 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 0 ph 7.6
day 2 amm 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 5.0 ph 7.6 did 25% water change
day 3 amm 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 0 ph 7.6
the first day i set up the tank i used 1 tsp api aquarium salt (didnt add more due to uncertanty of sensitivity)
no qt tank using 10g to qt for at least 2 weeks before i move fish around(molly wasnt only fish in tank when i got it)
other tank mates are 1 angel fish and variatus platy

 

[jlk]

she/he is able to eat only because food flows right past her/him and she is able to swim up off the gravel about 5 inches then she/he sinks again and she/he is eating the only thing i dont have is proper water conditions yet as i had to start the tank with a cycle due to its improper care by the previous owner. and what would be the quickest way to euthanize a glass of water in the freezer?

Well, this ultimately will be your decision. If she is atleast making an attempt to eat & swim, I would give her atleast another week & see if she starts to improve. If you decide to euthansize, theres a sticky at the top of this section explaining the various procedures. Keep their water as healthy as you are able to manage- daily testing & water changes with a good conditioner will go a long way to keeping everybody healthy while the tank recycles.

 

[noobaquarists]

Well, this ultimately will be your decision. If she is atleast making an attempt to eat & swim, I would give her atleast another week & see if she starts to improve. If you decide to euthansize, theres a sticky at the top of this section explaining the various procedures. Keep their water as healthy as you are able to manage- daily testing & water changes with a good conditioner will go a long way to keeping everybody healthy while the tank recycles.

ok thank you im thinking of giving her the minimum 2 weeks qt period if she is still having problems then i'll reconsider euthanizing her

 

[derail]

ok thank you im thinking of giving her the minimum 2 weeks qt period if she is still having problems then i'll reconsider euthanizing her

I would say that is a good plan, and my apologies about the quarantine tank comment, didn't realize that was what you intended for the 10g, not a bad idea at all. Platy fish do well with aquarium salt in their water, and Angel Fish should be able to tolerate salt for a short while, but it sounds like you're doing good as it stands and your fish shouldn't have problems in the future.

Again, good luck and I hope you don't have to resort to euthanasia.

 

[jlk]

Good luck!!

 

[jpchin]

if you use the freezing water technique you should put the container of water in the freezer until a thin sheet of ice is covering the water. break the ice and put the container back again and freeze until another thin layer of ice is covering the water. now break through the ice and immediately add the fish. place container in the freezer for another few minutes. do not put the water and the fish in the freezer at the same time as this will cause suffering to the fish as ice crystals form. the fish should pass almost as soon as it's put in the freezing water. i use a tupperware container that has about 4-5 inches of water so the fish is totally submerged when he's put in. it's tough to do (especially the first time) but it beats watching your fish suffer for days and having the same outcome in the end.

 

[noobaquarists]

update the molly seems to be getting better she's moving around the tank now still staying near the bottom but not just sitting in one spot doesnt look like shes having a hard time breathing now either