Melanie Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 I got two mollies from animates. One was always more active than the other, but they both sometimes seemed to take little "naps" at the bottom of the tank. But then they'd get up and be swimming around just fine for a long time until their next nap. Now, the less active one has died and I'm worried there's something wrong with the other. He looks fine; the only symptom is he has found a few nice places to nap--i.e. below where the filter is, below the plant, on top of the filter... and will stay there not looking particularly healthy for long periods of time. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 No ideas? The remaining Molly seems depressed. Swims fine when he's out, but he's only coming out to feed and otherwise has camped out under the plant, not moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 What size tank is it in? Any other tank mates? What are the water conditions like e.g Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? How old is the tank? When was your last water change? Enough questions for you LOL Could be several things so trying to get a better picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Melanie said: Swims fine when he's out, but he's only coming out to feed and otherwise has camped out under the plant, not moving. Two possible reasons.. Fear from something in the tank... Lethargic and run down due to an oncoming illness.. or stress. If he/she is a Sooty Molly, then look carefully at the scales. They should give the appearance of Black Velvet.. but if it has a slightly grey/bluey look about it, then the fish is stressing out and it is losing its coating of mucus. A progressive salt bath might help Mollies love the addition of some salt. Two teaspoons of Sea Salt (Supermarket).. in a couple of litres of water would be fine to start. Regards, Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 What size tank is it in? I call it a 10 gallon cos I'm from a backwards country that still uses gallons. Not sure what that is in litres. Any other tank mates? Couple guppies, couple tetras, and two of those little mountain minnows. What are the water conditions like e.g Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Erm.. I actually don't know how to test those things. How old is the tank? I found it outside of my house. But I didn't clean it with soap or anything, I'm a good fish momma. It's got to be fairly old though. When was your last water change? Just put the fish in on Saturday. I have not changed the water yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 He seems more active and less nappy now, so we will have to see. Maybe the addition of the guppies and minnows scared him, but would that be enough to kill his friend? He actually seems more active now that his little friend is dead. Would putting salt in the tank harm my other fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 A small dose of salt won't harm them, if the tank is newly setup and not cycled (beneficial bacteria established) it may be a build up of Ammonia or Nitrite, a test kit is needed to check these. If the tank has been setup for less than a week or two this may be the prob, their tank mates wont be a problem but water quality may be, do you know someone who has test kits? You could try doing 10ltr (2.5gal) water changes twice weekly which will dilute the Ammonia till cycled (2-3 weeks) won't hurt the fish at all and quite possibly will help. How long have you had the tank setup for? Did you set the tank up and add fish the same day? Hope this helps : -)> Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I had the tank set up for a week before I added the fish. I put the "good" bacteria into the tank and let it run. Would animates have the Nitrite test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Yep they should have it, you may be better off seeing if they have a master test kit, usually includes Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate & PH, works out cheaper than buying them seperate. These are the main ones you would use although there are others depending on how far you want to go/budget. I use these 4 and a phosphate test kit (this one because of my algae problem). When first setup your tank (fish waste & excess food) will produce a lot of Ammonia, next it will produce Nitrite and finally Nitrate. Ammonia and Nitrite are relatively toxic to fish and Nitrate is toxic in high concentrations. One form of bacteria will change Ammonia to Nitrite, then another form of bacteria will change the Nitrite into Nitrate which live plants use or you dilute with water changes. Basically it will take a few weeks for the tank to grow the bacteria and go through the stages of high Ammonia then high Nitrite then finally Nitrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Okay, so is there any point testing now when I know the levels will be high? Should I just change the water twice a week and wait? No more deaths, thank goodness, but some of my fish seem so lazy. Like they find a nice place to rest and have a nap. I've never had fish nap so much before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I would do the water changes but still get the test kits when you are able as they make life a lot easier when there are problems by being able to check water quality. You could even do daily or bi-daily water changes if you wanted, it could only make the fish more comfortable and would put your mind at ease. Hope your enjoying your intro to fish keeping, watch out for MTS though theres a lot going around :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I'm enjoying it. I've never had such an elabourate tank set-up before. I've kept guppies and goldfish without a heater. I've got another issue now. All of the guppies have chosen a spot and I really wish they hadn't. They're up above the stupid filter, hanging out in one corner. I don't know what this means. They leave occasionally, but they always seem to return to that one spot. The molly looks happier and the tetras and the little minnows don't have any issues, but do fish really hang out in one spot for extended periods of time? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 What is the temperature of your water Melanie..? Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I'd guess lack of oxygen, low water temps or high nitrates. You may have some odd chemicals/bacteria lingering in the tank from its vaction. When dealing with a recycled tank, ALWAYS use a bit of non-scented bleach to disinfect it. The chlorine remover (that you should have used) will take out any remaining traces when you put the water in. As you've taken an unknown old tank and set it up with random odds and ends, you never know what you're getting into. Also, when tap water turns into aquarium water there's a cycle of changes that the water goes through. There's a couple products (like "Cycle") that help with this process and speed it up. As you don't have any tests, it's really hard to tell you what's going on in your tank. Best to take a bit of water down to your local fish shop (LFS) and let them check it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Water temperature is 26. I did use chlorine remover. I did use Cycle. And nobody else has died, not to mention everyone is moving around normally now. Go figure why they were all in the corner above the filter. I did notice that they all left the corner as soon as I turned out the lamp that's on that side of the tank. Silly fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Oh and that's not to say I'm not going to grab the test kit for the water or bring some into Animates for a test. I should have done that when I bought the fish, but wasn't really thinking. Will my remaining molly be lonely? Does he need a mate? He actually seems happier without the other one in there, but I'm not a fish, so I don't know if he's actually happier or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 It wouldn't hurt to pair up the Molly, but i would wait a week or two until the water stabilises first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 I did wait a week before putting any fish in, but I'll wait another before I add any more fish. Everybody is looking fine. The guppies haven't gone back up to their favourite corner again, despite the lamp being on. I'm probably worried about nothing; I just don't understand most of these fish's behaviours. I have never seen fish hide so much when they have so much room to swim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 When you first start the tank you really need to have 1 or 2 hardy fish in it so there is some waste for the bacteria to convert (think of fish waste as food for the bacteria) Waiting a week will give the bacteria a chance to multiply to keep up with the waste from the fish, more fish, more waste, more bacteria needed to convert it. The amount of fish you can keep in there depends on how good the filtration is, what sort of fish and how often you do water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 So, how much water shall I change and when? Like 25% weekly, or do I need to do it twice a week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 For the first 2-3 weeks i would do 20-25% changes twice weekly then once weekly, that should keep you fishy friends happy : -)> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted June 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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