LadyDragon
Fish Fanatic
I seem to have a bad situation developing in my big community tank...
Tank size: 55G long
water parameters are all good
Weekly 25% water changes
Tank is not heated, but I live in Hawaii so room temp is tropical
Tank has been running just shy of 3 years
Community:
2 platinum Balloon Mollies
3 black balloon mollies (the largest is "Queenie")
1 gold marble lyretail sailfin balloon Mollie ("Kinglet")
5 long fin Panda Corydoras
5 Kuhli loaches
2 gold Dojos
3 Japanese trapdoor pond snails
(unknown population number)
Gammarus (Scuds)
Russian red Daphnia
Plants:
Xmas & Java moss
Elodia
Water Wisteria
substrate:
Fine white sand
Blue flat marbles
Decor:
Dried Corals from the beach w/ lots of nooks and crannies
Filter:
70g HOB penguin biowheel w/ sponge pre-filter over the intake
situation:
Added 2 female platinum balloon mollies 3 weeks ago
Added 2 female black balloon Mollies 1 week ago
Kinglet developed an UNhealthy obsession with Queenie the black Balloon Mollie, he began mating her non stop, and then attempting to KILL the normal platinum sailfin female (Eva) who shared their tank... They lived together happily for over a year, he mated them both. But one day he decided to develop a strange addiction to Queenie...
Queenie got stressed out and aborted her pregnancies, and Eva got moved to a different tank (where she happily resides with many of her babies currently) so I decided to buy some platinum Baloons for kinglet, since I figured it was a new body shape preference for balloons, and I want platinum lyretail sailfins... So he can make those.
He ignored and even chased the white balloons and continued harassing Queenieto the point where she started developing bald patches on her belly and bacterial film... So she got moved to a hospital tank and treated with Jungle tank buddies fungus clear for 2 weeks.
During Queenies stay in the hospital tank, Kinglet made due with the platinum balloon girls, and Queenie recovered nicely. Queenie, once back to health and well rested, was put back in the big tank. Immediately Kinglet began mating her, and stopped only to chase the platinum girls away from Queenie or eat...
I make a trip to the LFS for BLACK Balloon Mollies in the hope that Kinglet will find them attractive and not be able to tell them apart from Queenie... Which will give her a break from his obsession. 2 new black Balloon Mollie girls come home (from the stores new shipment the night before... I know its a red flag, but I needed to give the poor girl a break!)
The 2 new black balloons are introduced and as hoped Kinglet is instantly in love! ...and now he has 3 girls to fixate on, Queenie gets a break, he resumes showing interest in the white balloon girls... All seems well!
2 days later both new black balloons do something I have never seen before: the dreaded clamped fins! Instead of flashing their fins like geisha dancers with fans, they look like little missiles... The next day the white balloons start glancing against the water hyacinth leaves... Queenie gets little fuzzies growing on her sides and belly... So back to the hospital tank (5g)
All the females are pulled and given the Jungle fungus clear treatment... 2 days later, 50% water change and redosed... 5 days later all are happy looking, and put back in the big tank to swim... (they seemed so cramped in the little 5g)
3 days of peace
Then clamped fins and glancing (on the airline tube and water Hyacinth leaves) and now what I think looks like velvet all over Queenie... Not gold like the net says, but black velvet... What should I do to get her healthy again?
Tank size: 55G long
water parameters are all good
Weekly 25% water changes
Tank is not heated, but I live in Hawaii so room temp is tropical
Tank has been running just shy of 3 years
Community:
2 platinum Balloon Mollies
3 black balloon mollies (the largest is "Queenie")
1 gold marble lyretail sailfin balloon Mollie ("Kinglet")
5 long fin Panda Corydoras
5 Kuhli loaches
2 gold Dojos
3 Japanese trapdoor pond snails
(unknown population number)
Gammarus (Scuds)
Russian red Daphnia
Plants:
Xmas & Java moss
Elodia
Water Wisteria
substrate:
Fine white sand
Blue flat marbles
Decor:
Dried Corals from the beach w/ lots of nooks and crannies
Filter:
70g HOB penguin biowheel w/ sponge pre-filter over the intake
situation:
Added 2 female platinum balloon mollies 3 weeks ago
Added 2 female black balloon Mollies 1 week ago
Kinglet developed an UNhealthy obsession with Queenie the black Balloon Mollie, he began mating her non stop, and then attempting to KILL the normal platinum sailfin female (Eva) who shared their tank... They lived together happily for over a year, he mated them both. But one day he decided to develop a strange addiction to Queenie...
Queenie got stressed out and aborted her pregnancies, and Eva got moved to a different tank (where she happily resides with many of her babies currently) so I decided to buy some platinum Baloons for kinglet, since I figured it was a new body shape preference for balloons, and I want platinum lyretail sailfins... So he can make those.
He ignored and even chased the white balloons and continued harassing Queenieto the point where she started developing bald patches on her belly and bacterial film... So she got moved to a hospital tank and treated with Jungle tank buddies fungus clear for 2 weeks.
During Queenies stay in the hospital tank, Kinglet made due with the platinum balloon girls, and Queenie recovered nicely. Queenie, once back to health and well rested, was put back in the big tank. Immediately Kinglet began mating her, and stopped only to chase the platinum girls away from Queenie or eat...
I make a trip to the LFS for BLACK Balloon Mollies in the hope that Kinglet will find them attractive and not be able to tell them apart from Queenie... Which will give her a break from his obsession. 2 new black Balloon Mollie girls come home (from the stores new shipment the night before... I know its a red flag, but I needed to give the poor girl a break!)
The 2 new black balloons are introduced and as hoped Kinglet is instantly in love! ...and now he has 3 girls to fixate on, Queenie gets a break, he resumes showing interest in the white balloon girls... All seems well!
2 days later both new black balloons do something I have never seen before: the dreaded clamped fins! Instead of flashing their fins like geisha dancers with fans, they look like little missiles... The next day the white balloons start glancing against the water hyacinth leaves... Queenie gets little fuzzies growing on her sides and belly... So back to the hospital tank (5g)
All the females are pulled and given the Jungle fungus clear treatment... 2 days later, 50% water change and redosed... 5 days later all are happy looking, and put back in the big tank to swim... (they seemed so cramped in the little 5g)
3 days of peace
Then clamped fins and glancing (on the airline tube and water Hyacinth leaves) and now what I think looks like velvet all over Queenie... Not gold like the net says, but black velvet... What should I do to get her healthy again?
