Mollies wiggling in one corner of the tank (one specific corner)(pls help)

[sanchay]

The fact that they died almost immediately is more likely due to a misunderstanding of the cycling process than the water being an incorrect GH. I strongly recommend you find out the GH of your water sources as it is a very important aspect of fish care.

currently i am using RO water(TDS is around 200).....i have no clue on how to check the GH of the water

 

[sanchay]

They will be adding a lot of waste which adversely effects water quality, larger more frequent water changes would be much better.
The higher temperature will speed up their metabolism and shorten their lives, although I appreciate that you may not be able to provide a cold water environment in India.

yes i know those goldfish produce a lot of waste....i do a heavy gravel vacuum(removing the plants and decors) every month or once in 2 months....while doing the weekly changes...i do a light gravel vacuum....never faced an ammonia spike or something like that tho....

 

[sanchay]

For a cycled and established tank, it does look very, very clean.
There is something in the tank that is clearly fatal to mollies. Can I suggest you stop buying mollies, until you know what the issue is?
It would be interesting to review the health of the other fish, once there are no Mollies present.

yes i know it is clean....like after all the mollies died the shubunkin was all alone for a month....normal...then i added a pair of rainbows and added one more shubunkin as the already existing one was alone....the tank was stable for like 2 months...then i bought mollies again....

its around 10 days and i see one of the molly fish wiggling in the same DREADED CORNER

like the mollies were fine in the older 5G tank...no wiggling...even though they were in that isolated corner for around 2 months with the 5G tank (i did not add any new artificial decor....i have 2 earthern pots , few live plants , few plastic plants , drift wood , pebbles and gravel)

only the live plants (java fern, another fern...idk its name, an amazon sword plant ?...something like that and money plant...i had money plants even in my 5G tank....i submerge the money plants in the water only during the day...at nights i move them out), were added as a extra decor after getting the new 16G tank....i too started having algae issues in the 16G tank...

p.s this picture is taken after feeding them...so most of em are at the top...none are gasping for air
My pc is freezing when i try to upload the algae picture

 

[alistairw]

I will put my 2 pence worth in. I am by no means as knowledgeable as some of peers on here, but a couple of things strike me.

The main thing is a lack of a testing kit. I know you say they are expensive, but it’s relative and they last a long time, being able to get hundred of tests out of a kit. There isn’t just API master kit, have a look for NT Labs. That has your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH (general hardness) and Kh (carbonate hardness). That covers you. I have an addition oxygen tester from O2. It might be better to save and buy a kit so you can check your water as soon as there is an issue. Ultimately, it could save you money on fish if they are dying. Better for them, and better for your pocket.



Can I count 8 fish in there? That is a lot for a small tank. Especially the ones you have. They are heavy waste producers and your water quality will deteriorate quickly, which makes me think your water changes of 8-10 days is not sufficient. Especially if you can’t test it. Any way you can take the fish back, perhaps look at recycling the tank? You said you give everything a good clean by taking everything out. The beneficial bacteria might be being washed away so you end up doing lots of fish in cycles.

this is all friendly advice and you will probably read on other posts that knowledge is lacking in LFS’. They want your money so happy to sell you RO water, buy fish and test your water. Guaranteed income! Slow down a bit, listen to the experienced members here as they are an absolute fountain of knowledge and get your water sorted. That is what your fish live in after all. They have no control over that habitat, you do.

Thats enough rabbling from me! Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s the only way you will gain knowledge and experience!

 

[Naughts]

yes i know those goldfish produce a lot of waste....i do a heavy gravel vacuum(removing the plants and decors) every month or once in 2 months....while doing the weekly changes...i do a light gravel vacuum....never faced an ammonia spike or something like that tho....

We should never see ammonia in a tank that is cycled. What level are the nitrates at before the partial water change?

 

[Essjay]

You need to find out the GH of your RO mix.
You can buy GH testers, or take some tank water to a fish store and ask them to test it for GH. Make sure they give you a number and the unit of measurement.

What is the GH of your RO water /tap water? It may be that the water is too soft for mollies and that is causing shimmying. In that case the tap water may be better for mollies.

Mollies are fish which must have hard water, usually over 250 ppm. In soft water they tend to develop a condition called the shimmies, which is where the fish looks as though it is swimming on the spot.

 

[alistairw]

You need to find out the GH of your RO mix.
You can buy GH testers, or take some tank water to a fish store and ask them to test it for GH. Make sure they give you a number and the unit of measurement.



Mollies are fish which must have hard water, usually over 250 ppm. In soft water they tend to develop a condition called the shimmies, which is where the fish looks as though it is swimming on the spot

This looks to be the case if swimming in the corner. The fact they have all done this in that particular corner is possibly just coincidence or maybe the most comfortable spot relatively as already posted.

 

[alistairw]

Also, in your other thread about the Rainbow fish, I think these are more suited to hard water too?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Also, in your other thread about the Rainbow fish, I think these are more suited to hard water too?

Yes, rainbow fish really need hard water to thrive, like the mollies.

Unlike the mollies, rainbow fish also need to be kept in larger groups, 6 plus of the same species of rainbow fish, which also means a much larger tank than 16g for the larger species like the ones OP has.

OP, it sounds as though you likely have soft water. API also has a test kit for GH and KH, and hopefully the store can test those numbers for you so we can suggest more suitable species. There are far more species suited to soft water than hard, and plenty of nano species that could thrive in your size tank (I have two tanks that size myself).

But hard water species are not going to thrive in soft water, and it does look a lot like shimmies in those poor mollies...

 

[sanchay]

Also, in your other thread about the Rainbow fish, I think these are more suited to hard water too?

she stopped doing that S shaped body...

 

[sanchay]

I will put my 2 pence worth in. I am by no means as knowledgeable as some of peers on here, but a couple of things strike me.

The main thing is a lack of a testing kit. I know you say they are expensive, but it’s relative and they last a long time, being able to get hundred of tests out of a kit. There isn’t just API master kit, have a look for NT Labs. That has your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH (general hardness) and Kh (carbonate hardness). That covers you. I have an addition oxygen tester from O2. It might be better to save and buy a kit so you can check your water as soon as there is an issue. Ultimately, it could save you money on fish if they are dying. Better for them, and better for your pocket.



Can I count 8 fish in there? That is a lot for a small tank. Especially the ones you have. They are heavy waste producers and your water quality will deteriorate quickly, which makes me think your water changes of 8-10 days is not sufficient. Especially if you can’t test it. Any way you can take the fish back, perhaps look at recycling the tank? You said you give everything a good clean by taking everything out. The beneficial bacteria might be being washed away so you end up doing lots of fish in cycles.

this is all friendly advice and you will probably read on other posts that knowledge is lacking in LFS’. They want your money so happy to sell you RO water, buy fish and test your water. Guaranteed income! Slow down a bit, listen to the experienced members here as they are an absolute fountain of knowledge and get your water sorted. That is what your fish live in after all. They have no control over that habitat, you do.

Thats enough rabbling from me! Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s the only way you will gain knowledge and experience!

You need to find out the GH of your RO mix.
You can buy GH testers, or take some tank water to a fish store and ask them to test it for GH. Make sure they give you a number and the unit of measurement.



Mollies are fish which must have hard water, usually over 250 ppm. In soft water they tend to develop a condition called the shimmies, which is where the fish looks as though it is swimming on the spot.

Yes, rainbow fish really need hard water to thrive, like the mollies.

Unlike the mollies, rainbow fish also need to be kept in larger groups, 6 plus of the same species of rainbow fish, which also means a much larger tank than 16g for the larger species like the ones OP has.

OP, it sounds as though you likely have soft water. API also has a test kit for GH and KH, and hopefully the store can test those numbers for you so we can suggest more suitable species. There are far more species suited to soft water than hard, and plenty of nano species that could thrive in your size tank (I have two tanks that size myself).

But hard water species are not going to thrive in soft water, and it does look a lot like shimmies in those poor mollies...

before i continue....I am only 17 and do not have a source of income(here(india) people dont go to work until they are 18+)...i rely on my parents....and they are quite against spending more on the tank(they think i might get distracted from studies if they spend more on that...and also yes...they dont want to spend so much for "fish")....they just consider them as "fishes"...like its nothing...i am currently in a helpless condition...other than manage with everything i currently have....so the probability of me getting a kit is almost 0....i have spoke about getting a kit before...they were ok initially...but after they came to know its price...they were like no...

 

[sanchay]

Can I count 8 fish in there? That is a lot for a small tank. Especially the ones you have. They are heavy waste producers and your water quality will deteriorate quickly, which makes me think your water changes of 8-10 days is not sufficient. Especially if you can’t test it. Any way you can take the fish back, perhaps look at recycling the tank? You said you give everything a good clean by taking everything out. The beneficial bacteria might be being washed away so you end up doing lots of fish in cycles.

yea...about that....even tho i dont have a kit..i have some amount of experience on how MY fish behave in bad water conditions.....like when the water is a little bad...my mollies would start breathing fast...but the rainbows and the shubunkin would be fine....and with this weekly water change method...i did not see my mollies breathing fast on the 7th or 8th day (once i had an exam....i did not find time to change the water...and my tank was running without a water change for 14 days.....i saw my mollies breathing fast only after the 13th or 14th day...and i changed the water ASAP (60%).....

the group of mollies which died before.....their deaths were sudden...they were fine the previous night...next morning I found one of them dead....and all the mollies died this way...they were pretty much normal....but dead the next day

 

[sanchay]

Yes, rainbow fish really need hard water to thrive, like the mollies.

Unlike the mollies, rainbow fish also need to be kept in larger groups, 6 plus of the same species of rainbow fish, which also means a much larger tank than 16g for the larger species like the ones OP has.



But hard water species are not going to thrive in soft water, and it does look a lot like shimmies in those poor mollies...

but the tap water in my region is really HARD...the TDS reaches around 1200ppm and the pH AROUND 9...

i tried mixing both the RO water and dechlorinated tap water...but my pH somehow went out of control...so sticking with RO water...i adjusted my RO so that it can reduce the hardness filtering...initially my filter gave water with like 50TDS and i know these gals are hardies...so I asked the person who installed it to set the TDS to the max (of what the RO purifies)...my TDS is around 200-250 and pH around 7

 

[sanchay]

With shubunkin in the tank (not recommended as they need cooler water), you will need to water change twice a week, at least 50%.

not to argue with you or something....I initially bought a pair of shubunkins like 1.5 years back..one of the jumped out and died (i used to go to another shop back then...that guy told that zebra danios go well with shubunkins...but then all of them started to nip the shubunkins and one decided to die...i was helpless (i did not have a spare tank to isolate them)....so i gave my danios to one of my friend who has a really huge tank with just danios....and i was left with mollies and 1 shubunkin in a 5G tank....after i found out that my tank was overstocked...and noone wanted to have mollies or the shubunkin itself...i pleaded my parents for 2 months to get a larger tank...and i got the 16G one....my mollies started dying only after shifting them to the larger tank...and my shubunkin was (atleast from from what i see) he was happy and he does not mind me touching or patting his head (i refrain myself from doing this tho)...i would tell he was thriving in my tank...and even now he is quite happy with a new partner (got another as he was all alone for 1.5 years)....like i know the metabolism increases...which can potentially reduce the lifespan...but I know both of them are not stressed and happy...i have never seen them hiding anywhere even tho the bottom of my tank is a complete maze...funny covered (does not look like a maze in the pic tho)...never seen both of them stay inactive (other than nights)

 

[sanchay]

The main thing is a lack of a testing kit. I know you say they are expensive, but it’s relative and they last a long time, being able to get hundred of tests out of a kit. There isn’t just API master kit, have a look for NT Labs. That has your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH (general hardness) and Kh (carbonate hardness). That covers you. I have an addition oxygen tester from O2. It might be better to save and buy a kit so you can check your water as soon as there is an issue. Ultimately, it could save you money on fish if they are dying. Better for them, and better for your pocket.

yes i know about NT labs test kits...they cost the same as API....almost the same...a 10$ difference ( API is AROUND 65$ WHILE THE NT is around 55$)
(they would simply tell that the tank only costed them 70$ and they wont spend 55$ on "some kit")

(the pair of rainbows costed my 2$, 2 pairs of mollies costed me 1$ and the pair of shubunkin costed me 1$...total is 4$.....they would simply ask me to get new fish if these die)(like i have an emotional connect with them...like these are my pets...they too only play with my finger or hand if i put it in water...they hide if someone else put their hands...i still feel sad and guilty for Athena's death---the one in the video...she was the most happiest and was a merry fish...i named her athena coz she was super agressive initially...chased away a pack of danios....fought with the males who tried to mate with her...she just chased them away...but she became calm later on...i miss her)

they will not get me a new kit tho thats for sure