URGENT: MY DALMATIAN MOLLY JUST DIED SUDDENLY AND I NEED TO KNOW WHY

[Kyle E.]

That sounds like a great plan! That was a pretty knowledgeable person you talked to at the store. You should do good with that plan.

With the no water change thing: That is good for cycling but if the ammonia gets too high then you DO need to do a water change to bring it back down. The plants should help IMMENESELY with that though so you shouldn't have TOO much of a problem but if you could test the water fairly frequently it would be good.

 

[carligraceee]

That sounds like a great plan! That was a pretty knowledgeable person you talked to at the store. You should do good with that plan.

With the no water change thing: That is good for cycling but if the ammonia gets too high then you DO need to do a water change to bring it back down. The plants should help IMMENESELY with that though so you shouldn't have TOO much of a problem but if you could test the water fairly frequently it would be good.

Okay, how often should I change the water if the ammonia is too high?

 

[carligraceee]

That sounds like a great plan! That was a pretty knowledgeable person you talked to at the store. You should do good with that plan.

With the no water change thing: That is good for cycling but if the ammonia gets too high then you DO need to do a water change to bring it back down. The plants should help IMMENESELY with that though so you shouldn't have TOO much of a problem but if you could test the water fairly frequently it would be good.

The guy was very helpful and reassured me that this happens all the time. While I miss my dead fish, I will now give home to other fish soon and that's awesome cause who would want to live in a pet store forever?

I will be adding to this thread if I have any other questions or if this happens again. But please answer how much water I should change, if I should change it, and how often for my 10g tank. Thank you!

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Try adding another bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus = it is a water purifier and adds more bacteria to the tank. You keep adding fish and they keep dying. Could be not enough bacteria in the tank. Also NEVER put fish in a tank until it's cycled - that's just asking for deathl If you have no other cycled tank to put them add the Tetra Safe Start to push that cycling along.

Anoter possibility is a swim bladder disease. Fish have swim bladders to navigate up and down in the water. Some fish (not yours) require breathing fresh air from time to time so the fish bladder is critical. Fish with a bad fish bladder either won't move around or when the try to swim it's a crazy kind of swimming. So that could get your fish too. Also once your tank is cycled then do a water change of about 70% weekly forever. it will keep your tank clean, decrease the algae, dilute any toxins or diseases so they might not be so toxic, When you only delete 20% you only get rid of 20% of what is bad in your tank and leave 80% behind.

 

[carligraceee]

Try adding another bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus = it is a water purifier and adds more bacteria to the tank. You keep adding fish and they keep dying. Could be not enough bacteria in the tank. Also NEVER put fish in a tank until it's cycled - that's just asking for deathl If you have no other cycled tank to put them add the Tetra Safe Start to push that cycling along.

Anoter possibility is a swim bladder disease. Fish have swim bladders to navigate up and down in the water. Some fish (not yours) require breathing fresh air from time to time so the fish bladder is critical. Fish with a bad fish bladder either won't move around or when the try to swim it's a crazy kind of swimming. So that could get your fish too. Also once your tank is cycled then do a water change of about 70% weekly forever. it will keep your tank clean, decrease the algae, dilute any toxins or diseases so they might not be so toxic, When you only delete 20% you only get rid of 20% of what is bad in your tank and leave 80% behind.

Okay so I haven't been adding fish. These are my original fish from my old tank. I got a new tank. So, I had five and two died. I got my water tested and it is now in the middle of the cycle. I was told that keeping my fish in there will help with the ammonia production and if I changed the water the cycle process would start again.

SO, I will not be changing the water until the cycle is complete and then I will be changing 50% of the water every week.

It is so difficult because so many people have done and experienced different things. I am new to fish keeping so this is all about learning by doing. I have used that brand before and it just didn't work for me.

I thought it was swim bladder disease until I did everything to cure it and my male fish still died.

I also just put the fish back in the cycling tank with a ton of treatment, plants and biological booster in it and they are swimming around and looking like normal again. If I see anything change I will move them immediately.

I am prepared to lose another fish or two, since that is how this works. I am learning my doing.

I will be updating this thread whenever something new happens, someone tells me some more information or when I have anymore questions.

 

[CassCats]

No water changes during a cycle will just mean your ammonia and nitrite are going to sky rocket before the bacteria needed grow enough.

But I give poor advice, so what do I know.

 

[carligraceee]

You don't give poor advice. It just is hard because I have heard so many different things.

Can I wait till tomorrow to do a water change? How much should I do since I am mid-cycle right now?

This is so stressful...

PS: Your advice is great, don't worry!

 

[Cherrys]

You should test the water at least once a week. That will tell you when to change the water. When doing a fish in cycle you have to change the water at some point or you risk losing all your fish.

What were your exact water parameters?

Molly's have a large bioload for a live bearer and should ideally be kept in larger than a 10gal. I would do small weekly water changes unless your parameters are too high then I would do a 50% water change.

 

[carligraceee]

You should test the water at least once a week. That will tell you when to change the water. When doing a fish in cycle you have to change the water at some point or you risk losing all your fish.

What were your exact water parameters?

Molly's have a large bioload for a live bearer and should ideally be kept in larger than a 10gal. I would do small weekly water changes unless your parameters are too high then I would do a 50% water change.

I wasn't given the exact measurements but I know that I was in mid-cycle. I also know that the ammonia was light yellow. I was told by the guy (who works with exotic fish) that I was almost finished with my cycling and that putting the fish in wouldn't do much harm if I kept the conditioner and bacteria treatment in every single day. If I truly should do a water change, I will.

Again, I wasn't given exact measurements.

As of now only one fish is showing signs of lethargic but he is breathing and he still swims around. Right now he is swimming in the same spot, chillin' next to my house in there.

The other two seem to be doing okay.

If I have to change the water to keep them alive, I will change them tomorrow. But my numbers weren't too bad. I believe my ammonia was still a little high. But again, I am mid-cycle and almost finished (he said around a week to two weeks).

 

[Kyle E.]

Your plan is great. Do exactly what you are doing and I would say if your fish start acting sick again that's when you should do a water change as this means that the ammonia level is too high for the fish to handle. If they act mostly normal just leave it as it will make your tank cycle faster if no water changes are done.

 

[Fishiemang]

You guys are sure passionate about this cycle business.

A couple small fish in a larger tank (larger than 5 gallons anyways), especially something like a molly, is not going to create enough waste to cause issues. It just isn't.

Get your water tested. Sounds to me like poisoning.

If you're concerned about enough bacteria, buy a bottle of quick start. Dose according to the directions on the bottle. The stuff does work just fine.

Why do people insist water does not maintain bacteria? This makes absolutely no sense. Bacteria is everywhere. Our bodies are 75% water. We have more bacteria on us and in us than cells we are made of. There is indeed bacteria in the water as well. It's everywhere. Stop this nonsense.

I do cycleless tank starts all the time over many, many years. Never once have I had an ammonia spike, nor have I have nitrite issues. As stated, 2ppm of either will kill fish fast. 2 mollies ain't gonna generate enough waste for this level. This is a huge amount. The only possible way this would happen rapidly enough is by overfeeding the tank. Either that, or your water source is contaminated. Normal water doesn't come out with high levels of this stuff, otherwise you'd have people dropping dead all over the place, or at the very least, falling ill.

 

[carligraceee]

You guys are sure passionate about this cycle business.

A couple small fish in a larger tank (larger than 5 gallons anyways), especially something like a molly, is not going to create enough waste to cause issues. It just isn't.

Get your water tested. Sounds to me like poisoning.

If you're concerned about enough bacteria, buy a bottle of quick start. Dose according to the directions on the bottle. The stuff does work just fine.

Why do people insist water does not maintain bacteria? This makes absolutely no sense. Bacteria is everywhere. Our bodies are 75% water. We have more bacteria on us and in us than cells we are made of. There is indeed bacteria in the water as well. It's everywhere. Stop this nonsense.

I do cycleless tank starts all the time over many, many years. Never once have I had an ammonia spike, nor have I have nitrite issues. As stated, 2ppm of either will kill fish fast. 2 mollies ain't gonna generate enough waste for this level. This is a huge amount. The only possible way this would happen rapidly enough is by overfeeding the tank. Either that, or your water source is contaminated. Normal water doesn't come out with high levels of this stuff, otherwise you'd have people dropping dead all over the place, or at the very least, falling ill.

Thank you for your information!

Do you recommend I do water changes? If so, how much? My fish are doing okay but I am noticing abnormal behavior in one of them.

I got my water tested and all they told me was that I have a little high ammonia and that it looks like I am mid-cycle... not sure lol.

Please help, this is so stressful wow.

 

[carligraceee]

Your plan is great. Do exactly what you are doing and I would say if your fish start acting sick again that's when you should do a water change as this means that the ammonia level is too high for the fish to handle. If they act mostly normal just leave it as it will make your tank cycle faster if no water changes are done.

Gosh thank you so much! I am noticing a bit of lethargicness in my usually hyper fish. But that is all I can see as of now. I put them back into the water after I ran my filter with Prime and Biological Boost in it for a couple hours. They have been there since around 3 oclock mountain time.

If I do water changes, do I take the fish out? Or can I do it with them in? I am thinking about a 50% water change if I do do one.

 

[Cherrys]

Gosh thank you so much! I am noticing a bit of lethargicness in my usually hyper fish. But that is all I can see as of now. I put them back into the water after I ran my filter with Prime and Biological Boost in it for a couple hours. They have been there since around 3 oclock mountain time.

If I do water changes, do I take the fish out? Or can I do it with them in? I am thinking about a 50% water change if I do do one.

Keep the fish in. If you keep taking them out you are going to stress them more.

Prime will only detoxify for up to 48hrs. Its not a cure all. You really want ammonia and nitrites at zero, which is why it's so important to get the real numbers so you know what you are working with. Half way through your cycle doesn't mean much. To get them to zero you need to do a water change. It will slow the cycling process but that's not a huge deal in my opinion.

I've always done fish in cycles and have never lost a fish, but I always did frequent water changes.

 

[Fishiemang]

You can do water changes to bring down ammonia. Do a 75% change and bring it down. Make sure to temp match what goes back in. You can safely do this provided your source water is ok. Get a bottle of quick start. Buy some plants and plant the tank. Plants will eat up that ammonia and crap out oxygen for the fish...so a win win.

Telling you you're "mid cycle" is subjective. You can't look at water and tell that, no matter what chems or strips you use. You can get an ammonia spike in a well established tank if you're not careful and overfeed for a couple days, and wipe the whole tank out. You could have a dead fish you don't find right away cause a spike in a tank (I believe you said you had a 10 gallon in the other thread) of the size you have.

Get the water right, then get some live plants in there. Some dwarf grass, and some ferns and broad leaf plants. Your tank will balance itself out, and your fish will be happy.