Strange behavior from Molly

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

Hello all! I could use some advice on my Dalmation Molly. She is about 3 years old. This morning, I noticed that she was wobbling as she swam. She was always upright, but she wasn't using her side fins and would wobble as she swam (kinda like a top wobbles before it falls over). This afternoon, I found her laying on the bottom of the tank, a behavior that is VERY unusual for her. Except for the odd behavior, I see nothing visibly wrong with her. Also in the tank are 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows, 3 Zebra danios, and one apple snail, all of which look fine and are acting normal. For plants, I have Saggitaria subulata, anubias barter var nana, java moss, nymphae stellata, and and some assorted aponogeton bulbs.

When I noticed her strange behavior, I tested the water (I use the Quick Dip strips from Wal-mart). The results are:
Nitrates: 20ppm (this is normal - I have NEVER had these strips say 0 nitrates)
Nitrites: 0ppm
Alkalinity: between 120 and 180
pH: between 7.2 and 7.8.

For those of you who may wonder, the tank has been set up since October 2011. I cycled the tank using filter and gravel from an established tank. And slowly added fish once the tank had cycled.

I have been battling a problem with planaria since I set up the tank and recently realized that it could be caused by too much light, so I downgraded from 1 15W bulb and one 10W flourescent bulb to 2 (15W) bulbs. 2-3 days ago, I vacuumed the gravel and did a 30-40% water change. I also changed the filter media. My husband and I moved recently (about a month ago), so I had to move my fish tank, but moving the tank went well, and I didn't lose any fish as a result of the move.

Do you think she's just getting old or do you think there's something I can do for her? If so, what can I do?

 

[Crypto]

Those quick dip strips arent really the best to use when testing, very inaccurate. I would recommend you to go and get liquid test kit. Other than that, I cant tell what's wrong. When was the last time you did a water change

 

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

I did a partial water change 2 or 3 days ago. For the liquid test kits, where can I get them? We don't have an LFS anywhere near here, and I don't believe Wal-Mart carries anything but the test strips.

 

[Crypto]

Do you have a local Petsmart or Petco? They do carry them for around $30 - $40. If not, go online and order online ( I recommend getting the API master test kit). For now, maybe try doing a partial water change once a day and see if that helps.

 

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

Thank you for the response! Wal-Mart is the only pet store/fish store anywhere within a decent driving distance. I'll try the water changes and let you know if that works.