2 Mollies Missing - Do I Have Bad Tankamtes?

[puskas]

Hello guys, I need some help.

2 of my 3 black mollies gone missing without trace and I am clueless.

I have a 260l (70gal) planted tank that's just finished cycling a few weeks ago and now being populated.
The population:
10 cardinal tetra
4 sterba's cory
4 pitbull pleco
10 amano shrimp
3 black molly (now only 1)

the shrimp and mollies went in last weekend and everything looked normal.
Yesterday morning I fed them and in the evening 2 mollies were missing. Ammonia is zero so I guess they had no time to start to decompose...

I looked around everywhere and could not find anything. It's very strange.

Do you think any of the others could have attacked them? Could the other small fish in here and the shrimp finish eating them in 10 hours?

I had some issues with plant growth (nitrate was zero as I had too many plants for the fish I have)
I was dosing micro nutrients and Nitrate+Phosphate quite a bit in the last days, could this have a bad impact on the mollies?

Still, losing 2 out of 3 the same day looks very strange.

Do you have any ideas?

tank parameters:
ammonia, nitirite: zero
nitrate 5
phosphate: minimal
temp: 27 celsius

Thanks,
Puskas

 

[lilfishie]

if they did die then the plecos and shrimp would of polished of the memains quite quickly, maybe there just hiding since there new to the tank

 

[puskas]

they can't really be hiding. I looked around the entire tank.
Could not find any remains, no bones etc...
would the shrimps eat teh dead fish totally without any remains?

about the pitbull pleco, I though they are herbivores eating mostly algae...

thanks, P

 

[WILDER]

Check filter.
Remove oranments.
Check around the floor area where the tank is.

 

[puskas]

filter and ornaments already checked. coudl not find them there.
Once I get home I'll check the floor and around the tank.
It's fully covered though so I don't think they could jump out. Unless they got stuck somewhere between the hood and the reflectors...

any ideas about the tankmates?
do you think someone might have attacked or just ate them?

should I put the remaining molly in quarantene?

p

 

[the biffster]

how big were they
sounds like they
died and then been
eaten by the shrimp
and the plec

 

[puskas]

mollies were 2-3 inches
plecos are ~3 inches (it's teh small, pitbull pleco)
corys are also ~3 inches
cardinal tetra are 2-3 inches

I bought all of them in last 2 months

all fish are more or less the same size, shrimp are smaller

do pitbull plecos eat dead fish? I thought they are herbivores eating mostly algae and other veg

would shrimp eat the dead fish without leaving any remains (like bones, head, some organs, etc.) ?

p

 

[the biffster]

mollies were 2-3 inches
plecos are ~3 inches (it's teh small, pitbull pleco)
corys are also ~3 inches
cardinal tetra are 2-3 inches

I bought all of them in last 2 months

all fish are more or less the same size, shrimp are smaller

do pitbull plecos eat dead fish? I thought they are herbivores eating mostly algae and other veg

would shrimp eat the dead fish without leaving any remains (like bones, head, some organs, etc.) ?

p

i think most fish and shrimp
are omnivores which means the
eat both veg and meat so there
is a possibility that they were
eaten

 

[puskas]

they are officially gone
cleaned up tank, moved all deco, checked filter, looked around outside, everywhere

they probably died and got eaten. it's wierd though that 2 at the same time

do you think any of the tankmates might have caused the death? or they probably died of stress from moving and just got eaten after?

I am asking because of my last molly. Shoudl I take her out or should she be safe?

what do you think?
p

 

[myrtle]

I can't see any of the fish you have being responsible for the deaths, it was more than likely stress or maybe they were weak when you got them and the stress finished the job? However, I can see 10 amanos cleaning 2 dead mollies very quickly and the bones are tiny so easily missed, especially if they've become separated...

 

[puskas]

Thanks for the help...

My last molly stays in and she is happy so far
I guess I'll get her 2 new buddies and we'll see

Amanos seem very efficient in keeping the tank clean

p

 

[roadmaster]

Hello guys, I need some help.

2 of my 3 black mollies gone missing without trace and I am clueless.

I have a 260l (70gal) planted tank that's just finished cycling a few weeks ago and now being populated.
The population:
10 cardinal tetra
4 sterba's cory
4 pitbull pleco
10 amano shrimp
3 black molly (now only 1)

the shrimp and mollies went in last weekend and everything looked normal.
Yesterday morning I fed them and in the evening 2 mollies were missing. Ammonia is zero so I guess they had no time to start to decompose...

I looked around everywhere and could not find anything. It's very strange.

Do you think any of the others could have attacked them? Could the other small fish in here and the shrimp finish eating them in 10 hours?

I had some issues with plant growth (nitrate was zero as I had too many plants for the fish I have)
I was dosing micro nutrients and Nitrate+Phosphate quite a bit in the last days, could this have a bad impact on the mollies?

Still, losing 2 out of 3 the same day looks very strange.

Do you have any ideas?

tank parameters:
ammonia, nitirite: zero
nitrate 5
phosphate: minimal
temp: 27 celsius

Thanks,
Puskas

Mollie's and Cardinal Tetra's don't share same requirement's with respect to pH and hardness (GH). Cardinal's perfer soft acidic water which would suit the cory's and pleco's but would not suit the mollies who need hard alkaline water to do well in the long term.
If the Cardinal's are thriving,,then the mollie's won't and vice-versa.