Mel Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hi, my black male mollie has been swimming very eratically also swimming straight up. I thought maybe had swim bladder so I have him in a shallow tank with salt and been giving him peas. But it's been 3 days now and he still is swimming funny .. so what is wrong with the little guy?? and what else am I to do?? Please help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Same thing has happened with 3 of my mollies and thought it was a genetic weakness but am beginning to wonder now if you've got the same thing happening with your mollies....am really gutted cause my favourite dalmation male has done the same thing about 4 days ago? If anyone can help it would really be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 add some salt to your water... not sure it will help but they like salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Oh Tracey that sucks! I'm starting to wonder if we have weak strains of mollies in New Zealand - someone once said to me a good molly is hard to find, and I think they may be right! I have to admit, my mollies have always done much much better with plenty of salt in the water, but other than that, i don't know what you can do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 THANKS ANITA...really am gutted but he's looking a tiny bit better tonight I quaratined Big Boy and added salt on Day 1 and have tried Wonder Tonic but got advised to try Furan so have dosed him with this. My white male lyretail sailfin is also recovering slowly so am keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed Just found a website which might help us all if future mollies get the same symptoms and also incudes other molly ailments and treatments:- http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebInde ... isfaqs.htm MEL - Hope something on the link above helps your mollies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 I guess those of us keen on mollies need to try and breed good lines that live well and produce nice offspring. I know I had hit and miss with my first batch of mollies - people who bought them from me have had a 50/50 hit and miss with them. Some of mine have thrived and done fantastically, others have completely karked it very quickly, others seem to be doing ok but are very slow growing. Just looking at my mollies in my tank (brackish) now they all look really good bar one. My babies downstairs look pretty good too, and they are freshwater with salt added. Looks like they'll be two more batches some time soon, need to catch my mummies and put them in traps, feed 'em up and see what pops out. All i can recommend is to try salt, medicate properly with the right medications, and hope for the best. Good luck to you all, and hope your fishies recover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Thank you to all that have replied. Well after discovering that one of my other mollie has whitespot, then found a platy this morning with a whitespot - I imeditely went down to my LFS and have been given the medication to treat them - I told him about how my mollie has been swimming funny and he seems to think he has whitespot in his gills and thats why he swimming funny. So he recommended I put him back into my main tank and treat the whole tank - so I have done that ... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all my fishes will be ok. I have for years had cold water Fantails and have never had any problems apart from the odd swim bladder now and then - only recently been getting into tropicals .. I'm starting to wonder why I bother with tropical seems like to much STRESS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 if you want to avoid white spot in the future, just keep the temperature of the water really high. just make sure you change the temp gradually over a few days. my tank currently sits at 30degrees, and never once in the past 8 years or so have i got white spot. high temperatures are in the extremes of the ick's optimal zones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 if you want to avoid white spot in the future, just keep the temperature of the water really high. just make sure you change the temp gradually over a few days. my tank currently sits at 30degrees, and never once in the past 8 years or so have i got white spot. high temperatures are in the extremes of the ick's optimal zones. Yes the guy at LFS told to raise the temp to 30 and keep it there for at least 2 weeks - so i have turn my heater up, going up very slowly - taken 3 hrs to get it 2* higher so should take another 4 hrs to get it to 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 White spot is usually a result of stress. 9 times out of 10 it indicates poor, or incorrect, water quality or conditions. Find the cause or it will recur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 mel what i mean by slowly is not all the way up to 30 in one day... you can keep it at 27 - 28 today and put it up to 30 say tomorrow sometime. not sure what fish you have in your tank but i know neons do not take very well to temps like that... caryl is also right... stress does cause whitespot, as some ppl say... plant your tank heavily... make it look nice. let the fish have hiding spots, and with a higher temperature, and a more visually appealing tank you will find that things like whitespot are a thing of the past! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 my water conditions are all good .. ph 7 ammonia 0 nitraite 0 . I have a feeling though I added some bristlenoses a week or so ago .. I KNOW NEVER QUANTINE DID I .. so i am picking thats the problem. Well I learn from my mistakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Do not assume that the bristlenoses were 'carrying' the disease. It could have just been the stress of adding some more fish to the tank that set the others off. Mollies, IME, are prone to whitespot at the slightest provocation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 mel what i mean by slowly is not all the way up to 30 in one day... you can keep it at 27 - 28 today and put it up to 30 say tomorrow sometime. Sweet as, will get to 27 today then leave it over night then go alittle higher tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Bumping the temp up while treating is to speed up the life cycle of the white spot parasites... I wouldn't recommend keeping mollies or other community fish at 30C though it wont do anything and may even stress them more shortening their life etc.. It is caused by stress and usually no biggie.. Qtine is good but you may qtine then move them to your other tank stress them and they may well get it then. I find the best way to treat it is to add salt to the tank just plain old rock salt seems to get rid of it. Increasing the temp will get rid of it faster but I usually don't do it because I had a heated room and was too much effort for one new fish that got white spot. If you do have to add meds there is one that works really well think its the white circle or something like that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 What other fish are in the tank? Some will not cope with temps that high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I read on the internet that whitespot can't survive in temps above 28 so I thought if I get it to at least that for a week or two then bring it back down slowly. The guy at wetpets recommended Malachite green & formalin, it's how they treat there tanks - 14mls of each leave for 24hrs do a 25% water change then another 25% water change 24 hrs later. Carly I have in the tank: bristlenoses, cories, rasboras, afew guppies, mollies, platies, black widows, tiger barbs, green barbs oh and two baby brichardi cichlids. And some malysian trumpet snails ... I hope the snails will be ok with the treatment, forgot to mention them to the LFS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 The barbs really don't like higher temps. They prefer 20 - 25C. The black widow is a 20 - 26C type. The brichardi like different water conditions to the others. They are a L Tanganyikan species and like a higher pH. They also prefer 23 - 25C. I don't think the treatment bothers snails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I have increased waterflow and oxgyen though so I might just go to 28 - hopefully they can handle it for a week :-? GREAT I do hope my snails will be fine, they are so cool every night they come out and climb all over the front of the tank, me and my husband have such entertainment watching them .. and they are very quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 The brichardi like different water conditions to the others. They are a L Tanganyikan species and like a higher pH. They also prefer 23 - 25C These guys are only there untill they get abit bigger, we put them in my african tank but the bigger fish really chased them and tried eating them .. so they have to grow really fast, so they can back to Africa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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