sick and dying mollys, why?

Question

I put salt in the water..I do a partial change often..(maybe 1 to 2x's month)
they do fine at first...then they start hanging around the heater and slowing down...but still moving around and feeding..then they get more lethargic and more lethargic..then they die. A couple of them got what is called "whirling disease"
I tried medicated food, and a couple of them died of starvation (seemingly) they refused to eat the food.
I give them 1 tbsp per 10 gallons for salt.
I've tried ick treatment, completely sanitizing the tank, melafix, antibiotics, everything..I want fish that will give me babies (no, please don't suggest guppies, I have another tank for them) The mollys are about 5 in a 40 gallon tank. I want them to give me babies but they die before they give birth usually, and the one that did give birth there was a big power outage and they all died of cold exposure. :''(

Yes, I have a heater on the correct temperature, and also I use artesian well water...I previously had it tested and the tester said it was perfect for fish habitat.

Answer 1

Have you checked the ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank? If your tank is fairly new (set up for less than 6 months) it could be cycling, and this could be killing your fish. You will be better off doing more frequent water changes, I do a 20% change weekly.

If mollies are just not working for you, you could try other livebearers like platies or swordtails. Neither of these species require salt. Good luck in finding the problem.

Answer 2

oh you have a heater and on the right temp?? i have 3 mollys and 12 babies. they like salt and heat. maybe you need to do partials every week.

Mollies need very clean water to thrive so if the water was new, being in the hospital tank helped her feel better. Do a partial water change of 25% in the main tank to help the water there be more fresh as well. Use a water conditioner and be sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water. Do these water changes at least once a week. may be suffering ill effects of being in older water for too long where she used to live if the tank was set up at your house with new water. Most hobbyists don't know how important water changes every week really are. Another possibility is that the tank is going through a break-in period. If the tank is new, that's what's going on. I will include my article on new tanks at the end of this letter just in case.

Replace 25% of the water every week as normal maintenance. Water changes lower nitrate which is an invisible dissolved waste toxin that builds up over time. (Not nitrite, that's a different and very dangerous toxin) Nitrate is a waste product from the beneficial bacteria that lives in your filter, gravel and decorations in your tank. The bacteria feeds on fish waste and eventually makes nitrate. It is only removed by water changes or mass quantities of live plants as long as there is a low population of fish.

Answer 3

you probably know this already but when a fish goes up to the surface gasping for air usually means that they are oxygen deprived. But in your case I think the cause would be the fish might be dying of old age unfortunately. I think that platties only live for about 2 years, which is the average life expectancy. It could possibly be some fin damage which i think would be another good reason. I had a guppy for a while and he was fine the day right before he died. The next day he suddenly died. Since you recently bought this fish it probably isn't two years old so old age could be the reason. Normally if a fish is like that then they would be heavily infected with a very noticeable disease which is obviously not the cause. Once you get home check your fish for abnormalities and get your filter back on as soon as possible. If need be you could put a divider or something like that in your tank to separate your fish from the filter. hope this help. Good LUck!

Answer 4

You might want to do water changes more often then that. I do weekly water changes and my fish love it. Do you have a python for water changes? If not it is a must!! I'd be curious as to what you ammonia, nitrate, nitrite levels are. Have you checked them recently?

Are you using something to get rid of the chlorine in the water? The best stuff to use is Prime.

Don't treat your tank with things UNLESS you can properly identify an aliment or you will make the issue a lot worse. If you have ick just raise the temp and don't use any medication.

Join and read these web forums. They have a wealth of information.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/index.php?sid=b8a857cb5e0a96a4b865242e2bc8ccdc

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/phpBB2/index.php

Answer 5

If you are using minicipal water which is chlorinated, let the water stand 24 hours before using it, so the chlorine dissipates.
Try doubling the amount of salt you use.

Answer 6

Mollies are fairly harty fish. They can live in cold or warm water. I actually have 5 in my salt water tank, since they are fresh/brackish and salt water fish.

First off, be sure you are not buying mollies from walmart. No offence, but I have never had a fish live for more than a week from there. Have you checked your water nitrates?

Piece of advice, not sure if you have a gas stove but when the power goes out, Quickly run hot water into a double bag. Float this hot water in your tank this will help maintain the temp. Also, if you do have gas, you can heat water in a pan and float a large tupperware bowl for heat.

Trout usually get whirling disease not tank fish which is associated with knapweed. Knapweed does not grow well in tanks nor do I know a rep. dealer who will sell it as such. Dropsy iswhat you may be thinking of. The best form of defense is to know what exactly you are dealing with.

When you have fish that are sick (bacterial, fungal, protozoan, or other parasites), you want to try and isolate them in a hospital aquarium whenever possible. Regular water changes before each treatment allow for a more effective treatment, especially when treated in the display aquarium. Sponge filters work well in hospital aquariums. Remember to remove carbon, as carbon will remove many medications. Also not that silicone in the aquarium will absorb malachite green, methylene blue, and copper sulfate. Most corals (crushed and otherwise), and ceramic decorations will also absorb medications such as malachite green, methylene blue, and copper sulfate.Proper calcium levels are important, as calcium also helps in healing and stress, and without proper calcium levels healing may be diffficult or impossible. The addition of antibiotics (such as Tetracycline) will lower calcium absorbtion.
TRIPLE SULFA (Sulfamerazine, Sulfamethazine, Sulfathiazole):
TRIPLE SULFA (Sulfamerazine, Sulfamethazine, Sulfathiazole):
USE: Treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections, fin and tail rot, mouth fungus and collapsed fins, columnaris. Also useful for damaged fins caused by fin nipping. An old standby that is still usefull and can be used in combination with Malachite Green or Acriflavin (do not combine with copper sulfate)DOSAGE: 250 mg per 10 gallons every 24 hours with a 20% water change before each treatment. Treat for a minimum of 10 days.

KANAMYCIN SULFATE;
USE: It is used to treat many sensitive gram–negative and some gram–positive bacteria. Works especially well in salt water aquariums. Works well combined with Nitrofurazone for flexibacter (columnaris) (Symptoms: Fuzzy, thin, white coating on the body and fins. Looks like a fungus). Also useful for Pseudomonas-Open red sores or ulcerations, fin and tail damage,fins and tail are eaten away, in severe cases, down to the body (can be combined with Neomycin for this). Kanamycin can be effective for whirling disease and dropsey. Kanamycin sulfate appears to prevent bacteria from making their cell walls, so the cells die.
DOSAGE: 250-500 mg per 20 gallons. Treat every 48 hours with a 25% water change before each treatment. Treat for 10 days.

However, before you start dumping chemicals into your tank and buying medicated food clean your tank....DO NOT TOTALLY drain your tank. Now you have to start over and cycle it. Mollies are great baby fish. Remember one male to every 3 females. When you medicate remember remove the filters. Take your decorations out of your tank. Cracked or broken ceramics leach toxins into your water as well. Gravel, be sure you have natural gravel or this could raise the ph if you are using sand. Allow your tank to cycle. Add one male and one female mollie. Let them be for two weeks. See how they are reacting. Remember, mollies are harty and will live in water from 60 - 82 degrees rather well. I would recomend for now, turning up your tank to around 78. Get yourself a good floating thermometer. The stick on the glass kind do not accurately read the water temperature inside. Ditch the filters you have now and start over. Put new filters in your tank. If you are still having problems, IM me and I will help you further.
Good luck kiddo