Sick Pearl White Molly

[azores]

I have had my molly in isolation for about 6 days. I took him out when I noticed his body was bent and part of his tail was missing, he also looked more see through on his head and eye area. I put him in a container with his own separate filter and have been feeding him as normal, his appetite is good and he seems better. Though his body is still bent and his tail hasnt had time to regrow.
I dont know when I can reintroduce him to the community tank. I only have one other molly in the community tank and am afraid she will get sick too. I have 2 platys, 2 mollys, 5 neons and 5 black skirt tetras, 1 algea eater.

So maybe salt would make him better? What kind of dosing and what kind of salt? Can I salt the whole community tank or would that be harmful to the tetras and platys? What to do, I am at a loss.

Now that I know mollies are very suceptable to illness I dont want to buy anymore, I want hearty low maintenance fish because I have three children under the age of 4 years- I am busy, but I love my aquarium fishie hobby. Help!

PS His poopy ranges from black to reddish, I feed him TetraMin tropical crisps, and have done one partial water change on him with water from the other tank. I am trying not to upset the water as to not stress him out anymore than I have to.

 

[theotheragentm]

It's not that Mollies are more susceptible to illness. Mollies fair much better in brackish water to begin with because that is their natural environment, and unless you keep immaculately clean freshwater, you're going to see problems. The Molly shouldn't introduced back in until two weeks after you stop seeing any signs of illness. It sounds like fin rot as far as his tail being missing. Try Maracyn. As far as a bent body, I'm not sure what that could be except possibly a tumor. There's not much you can do there, except to keep the water clean and warm. What size container is the lone Molly in right now? If it's small, water changes are going to be needed a couple times a day.

 

[azores]

Really? Even with a filter? I didnt want to change the water a whole lot because I dont want to stress him out more. Hes in about a gallon right now.

Do I absolutely need to treat him with medication? Cant he ride it out and get immunity? Or am I way off? Thanks!

 

[theotheragentm]

No, immunity won't develop for something like this as far as my experience leads me to believe. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. In a gallon, once a day might be good to change out half of it daily, just because Mollies are so susceptible to the bioload without brackish water.

I apologize if this next part is something you already know. The filter doesn't make water perfect. What it does is circulate the water and house the bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrtites and nitrites to nitrates. If the filter has never been run or hasn't been run in a while, it doesn't have the bacteria built up to handle the bioload and a test kit will show the bioload. Ammonia and nitrtites are harmful in any levels to fish. Nitrates are less harmful to fish and can be tolerated in a PPM under 40, but Mollies are more susceptible to illnesses from weakened systems from nitrates than other fish. The theory behind this is that the brackish water reduces the effects of nitrates. Nitrates are generally removed by water changes.

Aquarium salt can be used and is sometimes relied on as a remedy for fish. It's generally dosed in the amount of 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons, but I've read that this is ineffective and pretty much pointless as it's not reaching water levers that are truly brackish. If you do decide to dose with aquarium salt, remember that when doing water changes, you still have salt left in the tank so no full dosing.

I personally just go with really clean, stable, warm freshwater and hope for the best. I try not to se medications for ich, but for fin rot, fungus, and internal parasites, I haven't found much else that works.

 

[azores]

Well I use the water from the healthy tank when doing water changes. So...I guess we'll just have to ride it out. Thanks!

 

[theotheragentm]

Well I use the water from the healthy tank when doing water changes. So...I guess we'll just have to ride it out. Thanks!

That is a bad idea actually. What you're doing is taking water that may have ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates in them. Whenever doing water changes you want to use clean water about the same temperature that is already in the tank, making sure to remove chlorine and chloramines. This is under the assumption that whatever water source you are using has no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates in it already. Some people's tapwater has nitrates in it. Some people say they measure ammonia in their tapwater, but that's generally a test kit measuring the chloramines which can mess with the ammonia test.

 

[azores]

So what is better:

A. tap water- that has chlorine in it (but treated with topfin) and no developed beneficial bacteria

B. community tank water- that is healthy with normal levels of ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates- that is a good temp

Its either or...

 

[theotheragentm]

No levels of ammonia or nitrites are good for fish. They should be zero. Nitrates, while less harmful to fish are still harmful. Assuming every tank has nitrates, you don't want to be adding from any other tank. You would be better off with tap water. Just test it with your hand to see if you get the approximate temperature for the tank. Treat for chlorine or chloramines and you're set. Top Fin's product should work for both.

Bacteria are actually not in the water column, not much anyway. They cling to surfaces. So they're in the substrate, in the filter, and on decorations and plants.

 

[azores]

You are Sooo cool, thanks for that good info!!!!

So what is a good source to learn about ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates? Thanks!

 

[theotheragentm]

There's not much you need to know about it other than what I told you. It's the nitrogen cycle. Google it with the word aquarium, and you should be able to find some good information, but I think a lot of the information out there is needlessly detailed and confusing.

Fish produce ammonia. Bacteria to break it down to nitrites build up on the surfaces in your tank and filter. That's why products like these are sold for filters. They have a very good surface area. The same surfaces provide places for bacteria that break nitrites down to nitrates. Nitrates are generally removed with water changes. It must be noted that bacteria isn't always present. It takes time to build up a colony of bacteria. They split about every eight hours.

So dumping fish into a brand new tank doesn't have the bacteria needed to keep up with the bioload fish produce. That is why a lot of fish keepers will recommend fishless cycling to build up the bacteria in a tank without a living animal in the tank. What can be done also is to take an existing filter on a seeded tank and place it on a new tank. This helps start with a source of bacteria for handling the bioload.

There are products that use chemical properties to deal with nitrates in the tank, but they are not permanent and need to be replaced constantly. It's not really worth it in my opinion.

Plants use ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates as a nutrient source. It's the same premise as fertilizing gardens. Unfortunately, the general rule is that you can't have enough plants to take care of the bioload fish produce, unless you are very heavily planted and way understocked on the fish. There is a lot more involved in growing plants, but as far as working with the bioload on the tank, that is about all you need to know. One plant that is noted for helping out with water quality is Java Moss, a stringy plant that's pretty easy to grow in a lot of conditions. It may not look that green without a lot more care dealing with plant nutrients, lighting, and CO2. Since it is strands, the Java Moss can be quite hard to get rid of in a tank eventually, but can be maintained pretty easily with trimming.

There are filter feeders, such as clams, that use nitrates for nutrients, but my reading indicates they're pretty hard to keep alive.

That's a lot I said. Don't just take my word for it. Check with someone else too. There is a lot of misinformation going around, especially in these forums. If you have question, don't hesitate to ask. I've made all the mistakes a beginner can make, and I'm still correcting a few.

If you don't mind sharing some information about your tank, maybe I can give you some pointers. You can post it here or private message me. I never liked letting people know what I was doing in case I was doing something wrong, but that's why it took me so long to learn, which unfortunately was to the detriment of my fish.

What size is your tank? What is in it (substrate, decorations, plants, fish)? What kind of filter do you have on it? How many watts is your heater? What temperature do you keep the tank at generally?

Good luck.

 

[azores]

Wow thanks a lot for taking an interest in my success

Okay...

I have a 46 gallon bowfront, just purchased mid Febuary.

A 200 watt automatic heater

I have a AquaClear filter with a multi stage filtration system.

I have one balloon molly, one sick pearl white molly, one starburst platy, one (i dont know what kind) platy, 5 neon tetras, 5 black skirt tetras, one algea eater (dont know what kind either).

I keep my tank at 85 degrees...

I started my tank with cycle, but didnt let it run for a week...

so what do you think? Thanks!




Here is a full view of my aquarium

Here are some up close pics

If you could read this thread here that would really help thanks!!!!

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=188181&hl=

 

[azores]

These are pictures of my sick molly, today he has a large red poop sticking out of him that hasnt fallen off for a few hours- it looks scary. I moved him to this (3 gallon?) yesterday night, and rinsed out the filter...sadly I dont have a heater on him but I do keep the light on for extra heat...is that ok?

I read you're not supposed to have anything else in the tank with a sick fish, no plants or rocks...is that right?
I was thinking about putting that pink castle in from the main tank so he could hide in it, because I just ordered two other castles for the main tank...what do you think?

 

[theotheragentm]

Well, your stock list looks okay. It doesn't look like you're overstocking. Watch the algae eater as it gets larger as the common Chinese Algae Eaters get aggressive, wanting their own territory when they get larger. Trust me. They get large.

Your tank temperature on that main tank might be a tad bit high for normal conditions. I'd lower it to about 78 degrees. Lower your heat down slowly, a couple degrees every twelve hours. That's a trick to make sure you don't shock the fish and that you get it right yourself. A lot of the heaters are improperly labeled and by moving it down a little at a time and check the thermometer, you can ensure you get the correct temperature.

Too many water changes may scare the fish, causing more stress, but I'm a believer in the water with bioload in it causing more stress. In a 3 gallon, you're going to need less frequent water changes if the fish is alone. There i no reason why you can't have decorations or gravel with a sick fish, but you will want to wash them thoroughly when you are done with the tank. Remember, more surface area is where your bacteria is going to live.

As for the heat on that sick tank, the temperature should be under normal ranges for the fish. Wrap the tank in a towel to insulate it maybe.

When you are rinsing filters that still have a bacteria buildup on them, use tank water only. The reason for this is to make sure you are not killing off the bacteria with chlorine from tapwater. Mucky does not mean bad necessarily. When you do weekly water changes, rinse the filter sponges with tank water to remove some of the gunk on it.

Water changes are dependent on the levels of bioload in your tank. I have a 55 gallon that is understocked, and the only reason I know I can go a week and a half without a water change I because I measured it. Getting a test kit. I have the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit. Ammonia should be at 0. Nitrites should be at 0. Nitrates should be at 40 PPM or less. Less is preferable. pH is generally something that is more important to be kept stable rather than perfect for your fish. Fish can adapt to a different pH level than their optimum but swings in pH from you trying to adjust it may stress out the fish.

I have to get going. I'm running late to something, so if I missed anything or didn't explain properly, ask away.

Also, don't bother changing out carbon in a filter unless your tank smells exceptionally fishy. the carbon really just polishes the water and helps with smell. The carbon is inactive after about a month in the filter, but it useful as a surface area for bacteria. I leave my carbon bag in the filter, never changing it out.

 

[azores]

Ooops I mean to say I keep the tank at 75 degrees, hehehe I guess 85 would be a bit hot heh

Well you were thorough, but what about the red poop? Someone else gave me the impression it could be an internal parasite...you think? I still havent bought any aquarium salt, but will when I get to town...I live kinda far out. Thanks for all your time. So do you know what the other platy was? Its the one that is black with yellow and some other specs of color. Thanks again for everything

 

[azores]

Also I was told that fake plants, castles and the color of my gravel arent good things...could you explain why?