Losing color

[Oldspartan]

This Molly has lost its color.
Tank 37 gallon
Am 0
Ni 0
Na 10
Gh 247
Kh 132

Tank population 2 male Molly, 5 fe Molly, 1 male sword, 2 fe sword, 1 by pleco, 1 angel, 2 assassins, too many pest snails that I am picking out.

Also two month or so old what I believe are swords.

Why would she get so pale. Seems to be healthy.

 

[Colin_T]

How long have you had that fish for?
Over what time frame did it lose colour?
Have you got a picture of that fish before it lost colour?

What is the pH of the water?

Is the fish still eating normally?
What does its poop look like?

Is it breathing heavily?
Is it swimming normally?

 

[Oldspartan]

Hi CollinT
The fish is one of original ones so early Feb. She acts normal. Swims freely, eats normally, no abnormal poo or strings. She was perhaps 1/3 her current size when purchased. Her gill action seems normal and there is no gulping.

Water PH is 7.5. It was checked prior to yesterday wc. We do a 30% wc every 4 days and gravel vac every third wc.

I do not have a before picture but she was a much brighter orange front half black tail half and sans the mottle she now has mid body. The change has taken place, or noticed, over the past couple weeks. Seems to be accelerating although that may be my imagination.

 

[Oldspartan]

I should add. Although she does swim freely she also spends more time in the cover than she used to.

 

[Ichthys]

Is the water hard?

 

[Oldspartan]

Is the water hard?

Gh 247
Kh 132

 

[Oldspartan]

Any thoughts?

 

[Ichthys]

@emeraldking

 

[Colin_T]

The fact she is eating and swimming normally would suggest it's just normal colour fading due to age and size. Some fish get brighter as they mature, others can lose colour. It could also be caused by colour food, or lack of it. The breeder or pet shop might have been feeding them colour enhancement food and these can increase colour while they are used but the fish lose some colour when they aren't eating the colour enhancement food.

 

[Oldspartan]

The fact she is eating and swimming normally would suggest it's just normal colour fading due to age and size. Some fish get brighter as they mature, others can lose colour. It could also be caused by colour food, or lack of it. The breeder or pet shop might have been feeding them colour enhancement food and these can increase colour while they are used but the fish lose some colour when they aren't eating the colour enhancement food.

Thank you and that makes sense. We are not feeding anything labeled colored enhanced so this makes sense.

In my limited research yesterday I came across stress as a possibility so read up a bit on signs of stress. Although we observe the tanks for pleasure it has not been with a critical mind. That changed yesterday and I carefully observed behavior while waiting for a call from the shop repairing the truck from its recent sideswipe.

I observed the big black male chasing her incessantly. She spent a lot of her time hiding under a sponge filter. Based on what I read I am thinking she is under extreme stress from midnight.

Should they be separated? We have another community tank. However that tank also has an aggressive male Molly. We also have a 10 that is occupied by 6 week old fry that are being moved today and tomorrow, (half each day) that we planned to use as a qt. She could go into it to see if midnight settles down.

 

[GaryE]

She looks generally healthy.
Fish farms have been known to give fish whose colours are on the red/yellow spectrum a little shot of hormones in the water to bring the colours up before they export them. It could be that, with the hormone treatment fading in time, as it always does. I used to have a bottle from the hormones a colleague had gotten at a southeast Asian fish farm. Before that, I thought it was a myth, but noooo. It's a competitive business.
Male mollies are unstoppable, and the only way I have found to give females somewhat of a break is a large tank with several females to one male.

 

[emeraldking]

Nothing wrong with her. She's a so called gold dust lyretail molly (also known as lyretail panda molly). Mollies can still change color during their lifespan. So, you don't have to anything. And nothing to be worries about.
Especially in mollies that are speckled, have dots (like dalmatians), marbled and gold dust mollies it's a normal thing.

 

[Colin_T]

In my opinion, the best way to keep common livebearers like swordtails, mollies, platies and guppies is in single sex tanks (all male or all female). In mixed sex tanks the males harass the females continuously and it can definitely stress the females.

 

[Oldspartan]

A big thank you to you all. I am now at peace the girl is normal. So is Linda who worries mightily when things look wrong to her.