What could be wrong with my dalmation molly

[Christina88]

What's the entire stocking of the tank? Temp will depend on what fish you have in there, since different species like different temps. 70 is too cold for mollies, bump to at least 72.

I only have dalmatian mollies and one Tiger algae eater but I will check the temperature will I get home if I have to I'll make it higher

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Yes I put in a new replacement cartridge in the filter and I have the frys in a another tank and they are doing good for now. No I really didn't know fish could get worms, yes I get all 4 of them at my local fish store. As for anything dead I don't think so cause I just cleaned the tank bot to long ago. I could be over feeding though not sure

Ah, that seems the likely cause of the ammonia spike. If you let us know what filter you have, we can tell you how to modify it so you don't need to replace cartridges at all, save you a small fortune, and it'll preserve your beneficial bacteria too, so you're not throwing some away every time you replace a cartridge, risking an ammonia spike each time, especially if overfeeding is happening too.

I only have dalmatian mollies and one Tiger algae eater but I will check the temperature will I get home if I have to I'll make it higher

Okay, so I'd suggest re-testing the water when you get home, there's a very good change ammonia and/or nitrites have risen again since yesterday's water change, so please test again, and if ammonia or nitrites are above zero, do a 75% water change, giving the substrate a good gravel vac at the same time to remove uneaten food and fish poop. Then come back here and answer the follow up questions and let us know the water test results. We can fix this I'm sure Hopefully in time to save your molly.

Even if you take the sickly molly out of the net to take some clearer photos, it does make sense to put her back in the net afterwards so she's safe from the other fish; healthy fish can and do pick on and chase sickly fish, so you were right to separate her. It's normal for them to do that, sick fish attract predators, so it's in their nature to try to chase one off to keep the whole group safer.

Yet more questions I'm afraid! I'm sorry, but the more info we have, the better we can help you I'll compile them all together to make it easier for you, can just copy and paste the below questions and include your answers, it'll help! Thank you.


What size is the tank?
How many adult mollies?
Not sure what a tiger algae eater is, is it a tiger pleco? How large is it now?
Accurate tank temp?
GH?
pH?
Ammonia:
Nitrites:
Nitrates:
Filter:
Do you run an airstone, or does the filter agitate the surface enough for adequate oxygen exchange?
How often do you usually water change and what percentage of the total water do you usually remove?

Do you use a syphon to clean the substrate?
If you can include some photos of the whole tank and the other fish, that could be useful too.

I know it's a lot, but since we can't see the fish or tank in person or run tests ourselves, the more complete a picture we can get, the better we can help.

 

[Colin_T]

I was, post pictures of the fish in the tank rather than behind the breeding net when I get home. I was just afraid that the other fish might get it.

You can put the fish back in the net after you get some decent pictures but I can't see the fish properly and can't identify and health issues through the net. Put the fish in the tank, get some pics and then put it back in the net.

 

[Christina88]

Ah, that seems the likely cause of the ammonia spike. If you let us know what filter you have, we can tell you how to modify it so you don't need to replace cartridges at all, save you a small fortune, and it'll preserve your beneficial bacteria too, so you're not throwing some away every time you replace a cartridge, risking an ammonia spike each time, especially if overfeeding is happening too.


Okay, so I'd suggest re-testing the water when you get home, there's a very good change ammonia and/or nitrites have risen again since yesterday's water change, so please test again, and if ammonia or nitrites are above zero, do a 75% water change, giving the substrate a good gravel vac at the same time to remove uneaten food and fish poop. Then come back here and answer the follow up questions and let us know the water test results. We can fix this I'm sure Hopefully in time to save your molly.

Even if you take the sickly molly out of the net to take some clearer photos, it does make sense to put her back in the net afterwards so she's safe from the other fish; healthy fish can and do pick on and chase sickly fish, so you were right to separate her. It's normal for them to do that, sick fish attract predators, so it's in their nature to try to chase one off to keep the whole group safer.

Yet more questions I'm afraid! I'm sorry, but the more info we have, the better we can help you I'll compile them all together to make it easier for you, can just copy and paste the below questions and include your answers, it'll help! Thank you.


What size is the tank?
How many adult mollies?
Not sure what a tiger algae eater is, is it a tiger pleco? How large is it now?
Accurate tank temp?
GH?
pH?
Ammonia:
Nitrites:
Nitrates:
Filter:
Do you run an airstone, or does the filter agitate the surface enough for adequate oxygen exchange?
How often do you usually water change and what percentage of the total water do you usually remove?

Do you use a syphon to clean the substrate?
If you can include some photos of the whole tank and the other fish, that could be useful too.

I know it's a lot, but since we can't see the fish or tank in person or run tests ourselves, the more complete a picture we can get, the better we can help.

To answer all of AdoraBelle Dearheart questions lol

What size is the tank = 10 gallon
How many adult mollies = was 4 but had to put one in another tank cause she is being mean but she's doing good with the little fish.
Accurate tank temp = was at 70 but now its at 75
GH = was 8.2
pH = 7.6
Ammonia: was 0. 25ppm
Nitrites: was 0.25ppm
Nitrates: was 40ppm
Filter: is a Whisper 10 to 30 gallon
I have air running
I mostly do water changes 2 times a month at 50% if the ain't very bad.

Sorry guys idk what I did so wrong but when I checked the levels again after I did a 75% water change this is what it is.
PH = 7.6
High range = 7.8
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0.25ppm
Nitrate = 160ppm
And sadly my fish didn't make it.
How do I get my nitrate and nitrite down?
In the pictures show what my tap water is and what it is when I put stuff in it and what plants I bought

 

[AilyNC]

Sorry you lost the Molly

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

To answer all of AdoraBelle Dearheart questions lol

What size is the tank = 10 gallon
How many adult mollies = was 4 but had to put one in another tank cause she is being mean but she's doing good with the little fish.
Accurate tank temp = was at 70 but now its at 75
GH = was 8.2
pH = 7.6
Ammonia: was 0. 25ppm
Nitrites: was 0.25ppm
Nitrates: was 40ppm
Filter: is a Whisper 10 to 30 gallon
I have air running
I mostly do water changes 2 times a month at 50% if the ain't very bad.

Sorry guys idk what I did so wrong but when I checked the levels again after I did a 75% water change this is what it is.
PH = 7.6
High range = 7.8
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0.25ppm
Nitrate = 160ppm
And sadly my fish didn't make it.
How do I get my nitrate and nitrite down?
In the pictures show what my tap water is and what it is when I put stuff in it and what plants I bought

I'm sorry about your fish

Test results: I'm guessing since you tested high range pH that you're using the API master test kit, are you sure you did the nitrate test accurately? It is the trickiest one to do, and requires really vigorous shaking since the ingredients settle, shake bottle number two for more than 30 seconds, and count it down on a clock or a watch because it takes longer than you feel like 30 seconds is, and then shake the tube for a while longer than a minute.

In the long term, sadly you're going to need a bigger tank. Mollies get pretty large, and have a relatively high bioload, and the pleco especially is going to outgrow that 10 gallon in no time at all, and have a famously high bioload.

I'd suggest no less than a 25-30 gallon for mollies, they can get to five-six inches each, I have some that are huge, they just keep growing. These large black mollies of mine are in a 57 gallon tank:

Those yellow mollies are adults, as are the blue and santy mickey mouse platies, and the black molly is at least five years old and completely dwarfs them, even though it's further away from the camera. They get big.

The pleco, I'm unsure of species. If it's actually a tiger pleco, they need base dimensions of 120 by 45cm minimum, which is a big tank and tells me they're a big fish. Being kept in too small a tank will stunt a fishes growth. Will it will stunt their adult size, their organs continue to grow, eventually killing them

More info from a reliable source, including adult size and minimum tank dimensions, here: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hypancistrus-sp-l066/

Going to tag @Bub here because I'm no good with pleco ID, but he is.

For now, I'd up the water changes to at least 50% a week, perhaps twice weekly. I also think your water might be too soft for mollies, @essjay would know more there.

I'm sorry, wish I had better news. Always better to research the species of fish you want carefully before buying, but a lot of people make these same mistakes, I've made them too!

 

[Christina88]

I'm sorry about your fish

Test results: I'm guessing since you tested high range pH that you're using the API master test kit, are you sure you did the nitrate test accurately? It is the trickiest one to do, and requires really vigorous shaking since the ingredients settle, shake bottle number two for more than 30 seconds, and count it down on a clock or a watch because it takes longer than you feel like 30 seconds is, and then shake the tube for a while longer than a minute.

In the long term, sadly you're going to need a bigger tank. Mollies get pretty large, and have a relatively high bioload, and the pleco especially is going to outgrow that 10 gallon in no time at all, and have a famously high bioload.

I'd suggest no less than a 25-30 gallon for mollies, they can get to five-six inches each, I have some that are huge, they just keep growing. These large black mollies of mine are in a 57 gallon tank:
View attachment 118076

Those yellow mollies are adults, as are the blue and santy mickey mouse platies, and the black molly is at least five years old and completely dwarfs them, even though it's further away from the camera. They get big.

The pleco, I'm unsure of species. If it's actually a tiger pleco, they need base dimensions of 120 by 45cm minimum, which is a big tank and tells me they're a big fish. Being kept in too small a tank will stunt a fishes growth. Will it will stunt their adult size, their organs continue to grow, eventually killing them

More info from a reliable source, including adult size and minimum tank dimensions, here: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hypancistrus-sp-l066/

Going to tag @Bub here because I'm no good with pleco ID, but he is.

For now, I'd up the water changes to at least 50% a week, perhaps twice weekly. I also think your water might be too soft for mollies, @essjay would know more there.

I'm sorry, wish I had better news. Always better to research the species of fish you want carefully before buying, but a lot of people make these same mistakes, I've made them too!

Yea I'm trying to get a bigger tank and I did research but I guess not enough. I think I did the nitrate right but I'll retest it when I get back home. And what does soft water mean

 

[AilyNC]

I missed the full stock list for the tank. The smallest I've seen for any Pleco is a 60cm x 30cm tank or 24" length x 12" width. And that's only the Bristlenose & zebra pleco kinda size.

You've some lovely plants there that'll be really nice in that tank @Christina88. A heavily planted small tank looks really great.

 

[Christina88]

I missed the full stock list for the tank. The smallest I've seen for any Pleco is a 60cm x 30cm tank or 24" length x 12" width. And that's only the Bristlenose & zebra pleco kinda size.

You've some lovely plants there that'll be really nice in that tank @Christina88. A heavily planted small tank looks really great.

Thanks I hope the plants help but as of now I have to figure out how to keep my levels good. Keeping fish is harder than I remember lol

 

[AilyNC]

Thanks I hope the plants help but as of now I have to figure out how to keep my levels good. Keeping fish is harder than I remember lol

It's a steep learning curve but once I got my tank cycled things calmed down. Now I do weekly water changes and everything is very calm. You'll get there.

 

[Christina88]

It's a steep learning curve but once I got my tank cycled things calmed down. Now I do weekly water changes and everything is very calm. You'll get there.

Yea hopefully. And thanks everyone for the help I've learned a lot hopefully I can keep my other fish a live.

 

[Bub]

The pleco looks to be a clown pleco, Panaqolus maccus. They are a smaller pleco, staying around 3.5 inches, but I wouldn't house any species of pleco in a tank as small as a 10 gallon. Some places will sell them as tiger clown plecos (or just tiger plecos) in order to drive up sales, as a name with tiger in it is sure to draw attention.

 

[Christina88]

I'm sorry about your fish

Test results: I'm guessing since you tested high range pH that you're using the API master test kit, are you sure you did the nitrate test accurately? It is the trickiest one to do, and requires really vigorous shaking since the ingredients settle, shake bottle number two for more than 30 seconds, and count it down on a clock or a watch because it takes longer than you feel like 30 seconds is, and then shake the tube for a while longer than a minute.

In the long term, sadly you're going to need a bigger tank. Mollies get pretty large, and have a relatively high bioload, and the pleco especially is going to outgrow that 10 gallon in no time at all, and have a famously high bioload.

I'd suggest no less than a 25-30 gallon for mollies, they can get to five-six inches each, I have some that are huge, they just keep growing. These large black mollies of mine are in a 57 gallon tank:
View attachment 118076

Those yellow mollies are adults, as are the blue and santy mickey mouse platies, and the black molly is at least five years old and completely dwarfs them, even though it's further away from the camera. They get big.

The pleco, I'm unsure of species. If it's actually a tiger pleco, they need base dimensions of 120 by 45cm minimum, which is a big tank and tells me they're a big fish. Being kept in too small a tank will stunt a fishes growth. Will it will stunt their adult size, their organs continue to grow, eventually killing them

More info from a reliable source, including adult size and minimum tank dimensions, here: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hypancistrus-sp-l066/

Going to tag @Bub here because I'm no good with pleco ID, but he is.

For now, I'd up the water changes to at least 50% a week, perhaps twice weekly. I also think your water might be too soft for mollies, @essjay would know more there.

I'm sorry, wish I had better news. Always better to research the species of fish you want carefully before buying, but a lot of people make these same mistakes, I've made them too!

Hey if I get a 30 or 40 gallon tank would that be enough and would it help my nitrate go down?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hey if I get a 30 or 40 gallon tank would that be enough and would it help my nitrate go down?

Hey, it's great that you're looking to upgrade the tank size so you can keep the fish you have healthy
Yes, it sounds like a 30-40 gallon will be big enough to house your pleco as an adult, you'll want to upgrade pretty soon as they grow quite fast, and you want them to be in the larger tank before their growth is stunted.

Having more water volume will definitely help you keep water parameters more stable, just be the nature of dilution. A small tank with a heavy bioload, like a ten gallon with a pleco - gets toxic much faster than a 30-40 gallon would. The live plants will also help. But the main way we reduce nitrates in a tank is through water changes. Up the water changes to twice a week, and you should see a big improvement until you upgrade to a larger tank. Then once a week to maintain should be enough

Some more info about the nitrogen cycle, it's important to understand what cycling is in order to understand how to manage ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, found this video very helpful for explaining the nitrogen cycle clearly:

And more info about your species of pleco (thank you for the ID, @Bub !)

Oh, and you need to get some driftwood for the tank as soon as you can, even a small piece will do. Plecos need to be able to rasp on some driftwood to help their digestion, so that's an essential even before upgrading the tank.

Panaqolus sp. – L403 (L403) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

PlanetCatfish.com - Panaqolus maccus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

 

[AilyNC]

Hey, it's great that you're looking to upgrade the tank size so you can keep the fish you have healthy
Yes, it sounds like a 30-40 gallon will be big enough to house your pleco as an adult, you'll want to upgrade pretty soon as they grow quite fast, and you want them to be in the larger tank before their growth is stunted.

Having more water volume will definitely help you keep water parameters more stable, just be the nature of dilution. A small tank with a heavy bioload, like a ten gallon with a pleco - gets toxic much faster than a 30-40 gallon would. The live plants will also help. But the main way we reduce nitrates in a tank is through water changes. Up the water changes to twice a week, and you should see a big improvement until you upgrade to a larger tank. Then once a week to maintain should be enough

Some more info about the nitrogen cycle, it's important to understand what cycling is in order to understand how to manage ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, found this video very helpful for explaining the nitrogen cycle clearly:

And more info about your species of pleco (thank you for the ID, @Bub !)

Oh, and you need to get some driftwood for the tank as soon as you can, even a small piece will do. Plecos need to be able to rasp on some driftwood to help their digestion, so that's an essential even before upgrading the tank.

Panaqolus sp. – L403 (L403) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

PlanetCatfish.com - Panaqolus maccus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

Oh that's a very pretty Pleco