Molly got shimmy....

[katana]

So my Molly developed shimmies a few weeks ago. I first thought it was an infection and treated her for four days with medication before I got help from a local fish store, where the owner informed me she had shimmies.
So I got the salt, made her little hospital tank a brackish paradise, and she only got worse. She lost movement in her back tail and now lays on her side most of the time.
The owner of the shop told me today it doesn't sound like she will make it. But I wonder if anyone has had experience fixing shimmy before? She is still able to recognize people and gets excited when you walk over. She eats from my finger since she can swim well. So in the head she's okay, just her body isn't working to well :/


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[Delapool]

So my Molly developed shimmies a few weeks ago. I first thought it was an infection and treated her for four days with medication before I got help from a local fish store, where the owner informed me she had shimmies.
So I got the salt, made her little hospital tank a brackish paradise, and she only got worse. She lost movement in her back tail and now lays on her side most of the time.
The owner of the shop told me today it doesn't sound like she will make it. But I wonder if anyone has had experience fixing shimmy before? She is still able to recognize people and gets excited when you walk over. She eats from my finger since she can swim well. So in the head she's okay, just her body isn't working to well :/


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I have had that in old molly fish which they never recover from unfortunately.

I have also caused it with oils leaching from woods (which was pretty easy to fix).

Last one is water chemistry. Mollies prefer water with higher ph and hardness. See the link below and the section on to salt or not. What sort of salt do you use? Also do you have any water readings on ph and gh? I have found that with increasing gh slightly in my tank they seem to do better in the long run.

The truth about mollies:Â*Among the most popular aquarium fish, theyre also among the most misunderstood

Water Hardness and pH in the Freshwater Aquarium

 

[Matt68005]

From what i know "The shimmies" is some kind of water/poising type issue.
Mollies don't have to have brackish water, but guppies and mollies do prefer hard alkaline water.
nonetheless, they are raised in soft salt free water in ponds in florida, and do just fine. I would look for other sources for your water problem as well, don't just write it off to no salt, the mollies in your tank did not come from brackish swamps in the south American delta rivers, lol they came from florida!

 

[katana]

My water ph is high, around 8.2. I'm sure it is very hard, my plumbing is evidence of that. I don't do anything to the water to change any of it since the fish were doing fine.
The rest of the mollies I have didn't act up at all, but I did move them into a brackish tank.
I do have drift wood in the tanks. Never heard of oil coming from them. What would I look for?


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[Delapool]

Good points from Matt above.


PH sounds ok although my tap water is that and still soft. Sounds knocked off from your plumbing comments though.


The wood I had problems with was soft wood I had collected, still a bit green maybe (it was dry but branches were bendy still). Aquarium shop wood should be fine.


Pimafix / melafix I've managed to cause similar issues in some (mainly in females for some reason).


Old age is the most common for me.


Can't think of much else. Anything change in the tank around that time?

 

[katana]

I do have a piece of wood in there from a lake, perhaps it could be causing trouble?

And no changes to the tank. It has been up for over a year and she was added in about six months ago.
She was smaller when I got her so I know she wasn't old, but I obviously can't know too much about her since she is from petsmart.

All the others are fine. I did have two other gold dust mollies that passed. One got stuck behind the filter for like five minutes (I fed them, let the dog out, came back to get stuck) and she died. The other one vanished, never did find her. I don't think they are connected to this Molly though but I'm not an expert either

Thanks for your help guys, I appreciate it! I know bettas very well, but mollies I'm new too.


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[Delapool]

If the wood has been in the tank for months it should be fine imo.

Last one I can think of is has she given birth recently?

 

[katana]

No she gave birth right after I got her and one baby lived. And even then I just assume it was her baby because it was a black lyretail and she is the only lyretail I had. I'm quite puzzled


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[Delapool]

Hmm, does your water conditioner detoxify for heavy metals?

Perhaps it was an infection. Else I'm out

 

[katana]

I have prime. I medicated her with metroplex as well.
I was told that it could be her nervous system shutting down. In that case I can't do anything to help her, huh? I hate not having any way to help her.


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[Delapool]

I'm afraid I can't think of anything else unfortunately. It was more for stopping the next one. The metroplex would of been one I'd suggested as well. Sorry

 

[katana]

Well I thank you for all your help. If anything I learned more about the fish and a few other things along the way. Thank you


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[Matt68005]

Im dumb, mexico,,,,they come from mexico i cant believe i forgot that