Sinking Molly

[Fly258]

I have a molly, its 2 years old + which appears to be healthy (looks OK, feeds OK) but appears to lack buoyancy. He spends most of his time on the gravel only swimming up to feed and when he does its as if he is to heavy to swim properly.
Could this be a swim bladder problem and if so is it treatable?
My other 4 mollies are fine as are the rest of the fish and the water params are all zero apart from the nitrate which is 15 PPM (5PPM less than my tap water)

 

[snotirl]

MM..... swimbladder i think they float all the time can u descrbe it more ??

 

[living_dead]

I think he might just be lazy, on of my preg mollies sit on the ground alot of the time. But if very health otherwise.

 

[dirty332]

What is the temp i had my mollie in a vase just to move and she was all messed up upside down and on the bottom and then i put her back in the tank 80 degrres F and within 10 15 mins she was fine feeding right and everything G/l

 

[Juggernaut22988]

Try not feeding them for a day...

 

[guppymonkey]

Fish will sit on the bottom from time to time while sleeping or just being lazy but lying on the bottom all the time is not a good sign. I am not sure if it would be a swim bladder problem, I have seen more of the fish floating upside down from swim bladder problems than sinking. Whats the temperature in the tank? Is it just for mollies? Maybe they were raised with brackish water and your water has no salt?

 

[Fly258]

The tank is at 25C / 77F and fresh water. The LFS I bought him from kept him in fresh water and he was also bred in fresh water. He is in a community tank along with 4 other mollies who are all fine. He appears to be perfectly OK appart from sinking to the bottom as if he is too heavy to swim properly, only struggling off the gravel to feed.