Mad mollies

[Alien Anna]

Hi, I'm new to mollies so I may be worrying over nothing (the "sick" guppy turned out to be a total fraud and is now swimming around the main tank like there's no tomorrow) but I'm a little concerned.

I have 2 largish sailfin mollies in my 120 litre tank, with other mollies, guppies and an SAE. This morning when I turned the light on my male sailfin was resting on some slate. He didn't seem inclined to move so I prodded him. At which point he seemed to wake up and has been swimming around the tank totally normally all day.

This evening the male was fine, but the female is darting about the tank rather hyperactively. I immediately tested my water and everything's fine - no ammonia or nitrite (the tank is well cycled), nitrate still a little high but coming down all the time (current between 25-50ppm), pH holding steady at pH 8.5. I have a little salt in the tank. The female has a brood spot or whatever its called - I think she's pregnant. However, I've had her for months and I've not had one litter out of her or the other females, although possibly my dalmation molly gave birth because she seems skinnier than she did.

I don't like fish behaving in unpredictable ways - it makes me nervous. In some ways I don't like having new species of fish for this very reason - I don't know what's normal behaviour for them. Perhaps if some of you shared their molly's normal behaviour, it would help. Thanks.

P.S. This is not the tank with the CO2 injection.

 

[MountGuppy]

my mollies and guppys seem hyper alot to i dont think it is a problem they always go up and down the glass

 

[fuman_chica]

My mollies are almost always hyper, especialy my females. They like to swim up and down in a vertical line moving their heads from left to right as they go up and down. They will do this for several minutes before moving to a different spot to do it.

I'm pretty sure the hyperness is normal. I don't know about the male just sitting there still like that.

Good luck

 

[Ford]

our mollies are usually pretty active too. they are described as "lively" fish. we were having problems with them being toooo lively, fighting. they are very fun fish though! i love to sit and watch 'em.

the male sailfin that we had was never quite as "lively" as the rest of the fish. maybe thats just the way those males are.

kristyne

 

[Kissifish]

Walked in unexpectedly on my mollies the other AM very early. They were doing the same thing. I thought they might be ill and did the same thing you did. I think they were probably in a fish "sleep cycle" if thats what you call it. I have heard that fish have a period of low metabolism where they appear to sleep.

Who knows?