To Scott and Wilder
Thank you, can't tell you how much better I feel now after your comments, have renewed enthusiasm
The fish do certainly have black spots on them, though different to each other, the orange mollie has about six big black spots which you can hopefully make out in the picture, and the white mollie has little black flecks, like if you made them with a biro, with one or two slightly larger.
The black spots don't stand out from there scales like they do on the internet pictures. They have not been itching or seemed irritated, just mega thin and colour loss on the orange mollie. Her breathing is still fast, but she seems a bit brighter this morning. will pop her in a great concentration of salt again (one teaspoon, 1 litre) as this seems to be helping.
With regard to the snails, they came first! I set up my tank in August and bought some lovely plants, next thing you know there are creatures in the tank which turned out to be snails. They were cute and I read up on various opinions and decided to keep them. There breeding rate is alarming though. I have cleared tank of snails and although the odd one appeares every now and then, I thoroughly picked them all out by hand and scrubbed tank decorations which did have jelly eggs on! little blighters!!!!
With regards to medications, I went to my LFS and asked re: black spot medication. The only thing she had was Methylene blue. I didn't want everything to be dyed blue and also have plants and fry in the tank, so I did a couple of dips in a bucket for 20 mins with the orange mollie, obviously not the best thing, as made no differece. think I was expecting a miraculous recovery LOL!
I don't think the weight loss is due to not eating, although she wasn't yesterday, but is trying today. Their poo is the same red colour as their flakes. There are no worms coming out of them, and they're not swimming on their side. When you say bent spine, which way? Sometimes her tail bends to the side when stationery but this is not permanent.
I have another tank with two two month old fry in, and again their tank has been infested with snails which I am struggling to get on top of, as they are miniscule. There is cucumber in there as we speak! One of these fry is covered very badly in black spots.
AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!
Am about to water change both tanks and will take Stats again later and post. See pic attached....
Many many thanks
T x