Molly fish developing white dots
- Thread starter MasonLischka
- Start date
MasonLischka
New Member
I seen the dots first on the orange one 4 days ago and it was only a couple but it’s gotten worse in the past day her tail has started to like tear and it looks terrible. The white one has just started getting these dots. Would something have to do with the fact the orange one had kids about a week ago?
Hi and welcome to the forum 
How long has the tank been set up for?
Check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
How long has the tank been set up for?
Check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
MasonLischka
New Member
My tank has only been set up for about 2 weeks. I’m completely new to keeping fish so I have absolutely 0 clue how to even do a water change. I only have well water so should I just take a cup of it to the pet store to get it tested or would there be strips I could buy from the pet store to test for these things?Hi and welcome to the forum
How long has the tank been set up for?
Check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
TEST KITS
You can buy test kits for GH and KH but you only test for these a couple of times a year because they don't normally change. So if you are able to go to a pet shop, just take a glass full of well water and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) at the time they test it. And write down what the unit is measured in (ppm, dGH or something else).
You can buy other test kits that test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These are worth checking regularly, especially in a newly set up aquarium. If you do buy test kits, try to get liquid test kits rather than paper strip test kits. The liquid ones are a bit easier to read and usually a little more accurate.
Avoid buying test kits that are exposed to bright light (including sunlight), and avoid test kits kept in warm or humid areas. Heat, humidity and light destroy the reagents in the testing solutions and the kits can give false results. Check the expiry date on test kits. Sometimes shops get old stock and old kits can be past the expiry date. When you have test kits at home, keep them cool, dry and in a dark place. I kept mine in an icecream bucket with lid, on the bottom shelf in the fridge. But make sure children can't get them.
*NB* Keep test kits and fish medications away from children and animals because they contain poisonous chemicals.
*NB* Wash hands with soapy water after working in the aquarium or testing water.
--------------------
GETTING WELL WATER TESTED
It's a good idea to get well water tested for anything and everything at least once a year (by a water testing company) to make sure nothing bad has leached into it. This is for your own safety and also for the fish.
Do you have a water softener on any taps in the house?
--------------------
WATER CHANGES
To do a water change, turn off light unit, heater and filter.
Remove the light unit from the tank and put it somewhere safe and out of the way.
Remove any coverglass on top of the tank (if there is one).
Then remove half to two thirds (50-75%) of the aquarium water and pour it on the lawn or garden, then top the aquarium up with clean water from the tap.
If you are using well water, it won't have chlorine or chloramine in so you won't need a dechlorinator (water conditioner). Just fill up some clean buckets with tap water, let them stand for 30 minutes or longer, then carefully pour them into the tank. If you fill some clean buckets with water first, they can stand for 30 minutes then you can drain some water out of the tank and refill it straight away.
*NB* Don't use water for the aquarium that goes through a water softener on the tap.
Make sure any buckets you use on the fish tank are free of chemicals and have never been used to hold chemicals or detergents. If possible, buy a couple of new buckets and use a permanent marker to write "FISH ONLY" on them. Use those buckets for the fish tank and nothing else.
--------------------
GRAVEL CLEANERS
You can buy gravel cleaners from pet shops or online. These allow you to clean the gunk out of the gravel without removing the gravel from the tank.
Check out YouTube for videos on how to use a gravel cleaner.
The following link has a picture of a "syphon hose with gravel cleaner" about half way down the page. To use a gravel cleaner simply start syphoning water out of the tank. Then push the gravel cleaner part into the gravel and lift it up. Let the gravel drop out of the gravel cleaner and then move to another section of gravel and repeat the process. Work your way across the gravel until you have removed some water and then stop gravel cleaning. Be careful when doing this because you can overflow a bucket if you aren't watching the bucket while gravel cleaning. You can connect the hose to a garden hose and run it out onto the lawn if the tank is big.
www.about-goldfish.com
--------------------
Reduce the feeding to 2-3 times a week for the next month. The fish won't starve but less food means cleaner water while the filter develops colonies of beneficial bacteria. When the filter has established, you can feed the fish each day.
Did the shop show/ tell you how to clean the filter?
If not, what sort of filter is on the tank?
You can buy test kits for GH and KH but you only test for these a couple of times a year because they don't normally change. So if you are able to go to a pet shop, just take a glass full of well water and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) at the time they test it. And write down what the unit is measured in (ppm, dGH or something else).
You can buy other test kits that test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These are worth checking regularly, especially in a newly set up aquarium. If you do buy test kits, try to get liquid test kits rather than paper strip test kits. The liquid ones are a bit easier to read and usually a little more accurate.
Avoid buying test kits that are exposed to bright light (including sunlight), and avoid test kits kept in warm or humid areas. Heat, humidity and light destroy the reagents in the testing solutions and the kits can give false results. Check the expiry date on test kits. Sometimes shops get old stock and old kits can be past the expiry date. When you have test kits at home, keep them cool, dry and in a dark place. I kept mine in an icecream bucket with lid, on the bottom shelf in the fridge. But make sure children can't get them.
*NB* Keep test kits and fish medications away from children and animals because they contain poisonous chemicals.
*NB* Wash hands with soapy water after working in the aquarium or testing water.
--------------------
GETTING WELL WATER TESTED
It's a good idea to get well water tested for anything and everything at least once a year (by a water testing company) to make sure nothing bad has leached into it. This is for your own safety and also for the fish.
Do you have a water softener on any taps in the house?
--------------------
WATER CHANGES
To do a water change, turn off light unit, heater and filter.
Remove the light unit from the tank and put it somewhere safe and out of the way.
Remove any coverglass on top of the tank (if there is one).
Then remove half to two thirds (50-75%) of the aquarium water and pour it on the lawn or garden, then top the aquarium up with clean water from the tap.
If you are using well water, it won't have chlorine or chloramine in so you won't need a dechlorinator (water conditioner). Just fill up some clean buckets with tap water, let them stand for 30 minutes or longer, then carefully pour them into the tank. If you fill some clean buckets with water first, they can stand for 30 minutes then you can drain some water out of the tank and refill it straight away.
*NB* Don't use water for the aquarium that goes through a water softener on the tap.
Make sure any buckets you use on the fish tank are free of chemicals and have never been used to hold chemicals or detergents. If possible, buy a couple of new buckets and use a permanent marker to write "FISH ONLY" on them. Use those buckets for the fish tank and nothing else.
--------------------
GRAVEL CLEANERS
You can buy gravel cleaners from pet shops or online. These allow you to clean the gunk out of the gravel without removing the gravel from the tank.
Check out YouTube for videos on how to use a gravel cleaner.
The following link has a picture of a "syphon hose with gravel cleaner" about half way down the page. To use a gravel cleaner simply start syphoning water out of the tank. Then push the gravel cleaner part into the gravel and lift it up. Let the gravel drop out of the gravel cleaner and then move to another section of gravel and repeat the process. Work your way across the gravel until you have removed some water and then stop gravel cleaning. Be careful when doing this because you can overflow a bucket if you aren't watching the bucket while gravel cleaning. You can connect the hose to a garden hose and run it out onto the lawn if the tank is big.
Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy
Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.
www.about-goldfish.com
--------------------
Reduce the feeding to 2-3 times a week for the next month. The fish won't starve but less food means cleaner water while the filter develops colonies of beneficial bacteria. When the filter has established, you can feed the fish each day.
Did the shop show/ tell you how to clean the filter?
If not, what sort of filter is on the tank?
Last edited:
MasonLischka
New Member
Alright I’ll get it tested asap I’m starting to see algae grow after about 2 and a half weeks is this bad? It’s growing pretty fast. Could the white ring of white substance right above the water level line. During a water change can I leave the fish in and do 50% of the water and fill it back up also when I do a water change does that mean a new filter also I’m kind of new to this stuff
The fish, plants and any other creatures remain in the tank while you do the water change. Just use a bucket or hose to syphon/ scoop half the water out of the tank, then fill it back up.
-------------------
You don't replace or clean any of the filter materials/ media during the first 2 months unless the filter blocks up and slows down.
Once the tank has been running for a couple of months, you can clean the filter once a month. Wash the filter media in a bucket of aquarium water and re-use the media in the filter. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden outside. Then top up the tank with dechlorinated water.
You can clean the filter and tank at the same time so you don't have to do the filter one week and the tank another time. Just do them both at the same time (after the filter has cycled in 2 months).
-------------------
If you post a picture of the tank and the white stuff, we can identify the algae and go from there.
Algae isn't normally a problem and will grow anywhere there is water and light. If you have live plants in the tank, they use the nutrients and light and reduce the algae. If you don't have any live plants then reduce the lighting period to a couple of hours in the evening when you are home to watch the fish.
-------------------
You don't replace or clean any of the filter materials/ media during the first 2 months unless the filter blocks up and slows down.
Once the tank has been running for a couple of months, you can clean the filter once a month. Wash the filter media in a bucket of aquarium water and re-use the media in the filter. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn/ garden outside. Then top up the tank with dechlorinated water.
You can clean the filter and tank at the same time so you don't have to do the filter one week and the tank another time. Just do them both at the same time (after the filter has cycled in 2 months).
-------------------
If you post a picture of the tank and the white stuff, we can identify the algae and go from there.
Algae isn't normally a problem and will grow anywhere there is water and light. If you have live plants in the tank, they use the nutrients and light and reduce the algae. If you don't have any live plants then reduce the lighting period to a couple of hours in the evening when you are home to watch the fish.
MasonLischka
New Member
MasonLischka
New Member
It seems like everytime I look at the tank new algae has been growing and it’s everywhere, all over the gravel covering all the decorations. What type of plant would you recommend for mollys if there even is one I’m very new
The brown spotty algae just looks like brown algae and is common in newly set up tanks.
The greeny brown patch on the glass looks like blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). It loves nutrients and slow moving water. I notice there's a bit of food on the bottom of the tank, that will encourage it.
The white stuff on the glass is minerals (most likely calcium) from the water. If you fill the tank up more and have coverglass on top of the tank, you won't see it. You will get mineral deposits on the coverglass but these can be washed off with tap water and a single sided razorblade, or with white vinegar. A single sided razorblade should scrape the stuff off the front glass too if you don't want to raise the water level.
The greeny brown patch on the glass looks like blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria). It loves nutrients and slow moving water. I notice there's a bit of food on the bottom of the tank, that will encourage it.
The white stuff on the glass is minerals (most likely calcium) from the water. If you fill the tank up more and have coverglass on top of the tank, you won't see it. You will get mineral deposits on the coverglass but these can be washed off with tap water and a single sided razorblade, or with white vinegar. A single sided razorblade should scrape the stuff off the front glass too if you don't want to raise the water level.
MasonLischka
New Member
So am I still good to wait the 2 months for my first water change? And I still have some questions about the Molly fish themselves they have started to like swim in place and shake if you seen my first post on this thread I have pictures of the dots that are popping up on the fish.
You have to do water changes every week. But in addition to that, you need to do them every day for the next week to get the water into better shape.
The filter doesn't get cleaned for the first 2 months but then it gets cleaned once a month. So you clean the filter 2 months after it was set up and then once a month after that.
And you do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for the next week, and then do a 75% water change and gravel clean once a week after that.
If you get an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm, then you do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a day until the levels are 0ppm.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
---------------------
The mollies shimmying is either caused by poor water quality or low GH (general hardness). If you do daily water changes for a week and they are still shimmying (swimming but not going anywhere) then you will probably have to add some minerals to the water. But contact the water company first to find out what the GH, KH and pH are.
MasonLischka
New Member
Okay thank you so much for your help
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