Dalmation Lyretail Molly Issues

[Sapphelah]

We have something funky going on in the tank. Monday we bought two silver lyretail molly females, one dalmation lyretail male and one female dalmation lyretail.
Our female dalmation died within two days after becoming very lethargic. She didn't appear to have anything wrong. We exchanged her for another (more pretty) dalmation lyretail female. The new fish was very energetic and playing and mating. Now suddenly she and only she is lethargic. None of the others have been affected in any way. They all seem fine and happy. Her eyes are clear, her scales are clear and normal. Her fins seem to be very relaxed-much like a human walking around depressed with their shoulders down, until someone prods her and she swims away. She stays down on the bottom of the tank just kind of chilling...
I ran out of test equipment, but it showed fine on Thursday. I'm unable to do anything as it's 10 pm here, and the lfs that tests for free is closed...
What can I do to help her?
The only environment change was that Wed I put two tablespoons of disolved salt in the tank
And she also swims with a shimmy suddenly

 

[*Fishkies*]

How often do you perform water changes?

How large is your tank?
What other tankmates are in the tank with the mollies???

I suggest buying another female molly if you can. Your current one could just be stressed and this could be causing her to act this way.

 

[Sapphelah]

Tankmates: 3 total male mollies, 6 females (different types, but all Molly) Fry (current suspect amount is 8 ), 1 columbian spotted pleco
45 Gallon tank,
Been set up a week, but has mature filter media in it.
No gravel vac water changes yet, 2 10% scoop out water changes due to the fry since Wed.

 

[*Fishkies*]

Do you have a lot of hiding spaces in the tank? Such as caves, plants? Is there enough for everyone to get away from one another?

When you get your water tested would you be able to post your exact water stats here? This would help with seeing if this may contribute to why you may have lost your first fish and why this one may be acting the same. Also be sure to ask your LFS, if they'll write down the exact water parameters, or look at them for your self and write them down.

How often do you feed your fish? Have you seen her interested in food?

 

[Sapphelah]

Tons of hiding spaces, probably about 6 caves (We stack rocks in patterns to create them), have about 5 large live plants, plus 3 fake decent ones.
She was doing great before, but I'm wondering if I should move a few things about, since she was last introduced? It seems the guys have less interest in her, though all of them have always been mainly interested in the two female black mollies.
I normally feed them 2-3 times per day. May sound crazy, but I do head counts and don't feed until everyone comes up. I'm usually the primary caretaker, if you will, but my fiance has been doing it all weekend, cause he wanted to, so I don't know how well he's been doing the checking and making sure everyone eats...
I'll have a better idea tomorrow, when it's just me taking care of them...just hope she lasts through the night.

 

[*Fishkies*]

She may just need time to adjust to such a bigger tank and decorations and the other new fish in the tank. If you want I would try moving some decor, just to change things up a little bit and confuse the fish who were in there first. Do you put salt in the water with your mollies?

 

[Sapphelah]

Okay. I think I will change some of the rocks around. some of the plants are new to all.
I do put salt in, not a lot though. I have only put 2 tablespoons in so far
I've never had a fish go in, be happy like that and suddenly become this lethargic. I thought about putting her in the other tank for a bit and seeing what happens, but I don't want to stress her if she's sick...(the other tank is a 10g, with 5 zebra danios)

 

[Sapphelah]

She appeared to be getting worse, so I moved her into the smaller tank with the danios and of course, put stress coat in. They come near her and she nips at them--she was never an aggressive fish. She keeps going into the absolute smallest spots she can find. She doesn't seem to move her tailfin a lot, in fact, when I caught her to move her, she moved a bit, I of course moved with her, and she just sat still and waited for me to scoop her.
Her tail fin never seems to be straight behind her...I would put another molly in to keep her company, but I don't want to do a male, cause she'd be alone with one of those horny bastards, and if I do a female, then there would be 4 females left for three males...She's got the Danio's but doesn't seem to care for them at all.
Be honest with me, am I losing my little girl?

 

[Sapphelah]

I also cannot go to LFS tonight, I have to attend a funeral for my friend. This is getting so frusterating!!!!

 

[*Fishkies*]

Does she seem to be getting skinnier? She could have possible internal parasites from the LFS you got her from.

 

[Sapphelah]

From what I can tell, she's same size. She doesn't come UP for feedings, but if I put in enough for some to sink to her, she'll eat. Sometimes shell just stay at the top...

 

[Sapphelah]

She is definitely suffering of something. She seemed worse this morning. She hides constantly, and the shimmies have grown larger. She didn't eat this morning that I could tell...Her tailfin is still limp and she holds all fins against her body except the twi sude ones to be able to stay afloat...
I don't even know what to treat her with

 

[*Fishkies*]

What color are her gills? Do they seem reddened at all?

She may have possible internal parasites. She may have had this when she came from the store.

 

[Sapphelah]

Sorry, I myself have been ill.
Her fins and everything seem normal. She eats here and there.
Sometimes she hides, sometimes she seems to be flourishing...She doesn't look quite as ill but definitely still is

 

[*Fishkies*]

You could try treating her with a bacterial medication. Isolate her first and then treat her. This often perks up a fish who is clamped. I would also suggest possibly getting another female of her same breed.