2 fish questions?

Question

Ok, about 2 months ago, i posted about a silver molly that i was almost positive of it being pregnant. Well, it still has not had babies. And i have seen her mate with the other male at least 2 times. When will she have babies!??!?!?!?!?!

And , I have a sucker fish, but he is not helping at all. My tank is a 10g, with 7 fish, and the algue is getting worse and worse. I don't want to clean the cage, because i have no other tanks to put the fish in, and i don't want to buy any. How can i get rid of the algue easy, and with out having to take out all the fish, and rocks, and plants, and pots?

Answer 1

For the algae eater: It's always a mistake to get a 'sucker fish' to clean algae. Cleaning is the fishkeepers job, one of the responsibilities to having a tank. Most 'sucker fish' - meaning pleco's, are too big for a small tank, and most need to be fed alternative foods to algae and can't be expected to keep the aquarium algae free. Make sure yours is suitable, and that you know how to care for it.

Instead, keep the lights on less, just a few hours per day while you are actually home to view the tank. This can make all the difference, and the fish can function fine by ambient room lighting. I use a timer that turns it on just before dark in the winter, and in the summer I turn them on in the evening when I get home (since it's still light). Also make sure you do your weekly water changes to keep nitrates and phosphates down, and most important - don't overfeed the fish or the tank.

As far as the guppies, if they're giving birth in your community tank it's doubtfull you'll see any fry survive - you need to seperate her.

Answer 2

While it's very uncommon, it's possible she is taking this long to release the fry. A heavily populated tank such as yours will make her hold fry longer as she doen't feel it's safe to release them.

When cleaning the tank, you shouldn't remove any fish or other items. You can use a gravel siphon to clean the gravel and replace the water it removes once a week to keep the tank clean. This alone will significantly reduce the algae problem. Here's a link to help you with the process. http://www.firsttankguide.net/waterchange.php

Doing that and keeping the light on only about 10 hours a day will control the algae in your tank.

MM

Answer 3

i don't know about the molly pregancy thing -- there are way too many "ifs". perhaps get a new female if you want babies.

for a real shocker most "algae eaters" don't eat algae. if they do its because they don't have anything else to eat and are starving.

your best at learning how to do small weekly cleanings to keep algae away. weekly wipe down the insides of your tank and wash out your filter and do a gravel vaccuum and change about 25% of your water. you sound like you have too many fish for a 10 gallon so 33% might be better.

Answer 4

when u do a water change, you can wipe the glass with a paper towel.

thats what people do, it is fine.

it is very possible that she is releaseing the fry but getting eatten.

7 fish in a 10 gallon is alot, plus a algae eatter, which im guess is a common pleco.

upgrade soon.

Answer 5

Stick your hand t in the tank, scrape the algae off the glass with an algae scraper.

Siphon the dirty water and algae out of the tank.

Answer 6

At low tank temperatures, gestation periods of fish increase dramatically. She could also be having babies and then getting pregnant again after they are eaten. Your tank is overcrowded and I am guessin you don't have salt. Mollies need salt to thrive.

Answer 7

dont worry!!! my guppy had been pregnant for 2months too, and she gave birth yesterday! im serious! i dont know if u would want to use this product called ''algae gone'' its made by jungle, and wont harm the fish....i use it on my 5 gallon tank, and ive never had algae! and too clean the tank, just move all your fish into a big container, adn they will be fine for the time you clean your tank! i promise, cuz i sometimes move my fish to clean, and they all survive just fine

hope i helped, even though i get jumbled up sometimes

Answer 8

Mollies are a bit tricky to keep. Most people tend to think they are good community fish, and they are, in that they get along well with their tank-mates. However, they do best in water which has had one teaspoonful of aquarium salt added per gallon of water. They also do best in hard alkaline water. Therefore, they shouldn't be kept with most fish which prefer softer, less alkaline water. The best community tank for mollies would be with other live-bearers that like similar water conditions. Salt is lethal to many catfish species, too.
Off-hand I'm not sure about the gestation period for Mollies, but I'm guessing that your poor fish is getting pregnant over and over again, only to have her fry eaten at birth. The fry cannot survive in a tankful of other fish. When the mollie is pregnant, she needs to be removed to a small tank (approx 5 gallons is perfect) equipped to be a nursery. A breeding trap is needed, and special care needs to be given to filtration, to avoid having the fry sucked up with the waste. A sponge filter is a good choice. And what do you intend to do with all those fry? Do you have any idea how many baby fish we're talking about, and how quickly they will grow? Get a fish book with an extensive section on the breeding of live-bearing fish! You can get one at any pet store, book store, or library.
Now, as for your tank. First, I suspect it is over-crowded. Second, you don't need to, and indeed shouldn't, attempt to remove everything from your tank to clean it!
If the decorations are algae covered, you will have to take them out to be cleaned. Usually, warm running water and a new, unused toothbrush is all that's necessary to do this. You can buy a special cleaner for aquarium decorations, but it's usually not necessary, unless you just want to do it the easy way.
To rid your tank of algae, you can add a large quantity of Daphnia (small water crustaceans, available from your fish dealer) to your tank for several days. You will have to temporaily remove your fish, or they will eat all the Daphnia. You could temporarily house them in the nursery tank. After the algae is all gone, put your fish back in the tank, and they will dispose of the Daphnia for you.
To get rid of algae without removing your fish, you can gradually decrease the amount of light your tank is getting. Be sure to do this gradually. If you cut off all the light suddenly, the algae will die en masse, using up the oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. This can quickly kill all your fish.
There are chemical agents you can use to kill algae, but reserve those for a last resort. They can harm your fish, also. If you use a chemical, use it according to directions, and watch your fish carefully for a few days after. A partial water change as soon as practical is a good idea, too.
8-10 hours of light per day is about right for most tanks. Turn the light off at night so your fish can rest. They need to sleep, too, and don't have eyelids! If you find your tank begins to develop a brown slime, it's not getting enough light. Just increase the daily amount of light and clean the tank to fix this.
You should buy a good gravel vacuum, and a couple of clean unused pails. 3 gallon sized is best, but 2 gallon will do. Fill one with clean tap water and add the proper amount of aquarium conditioner. Let sit overnight for the temperature to equalize with your tank. The next day, use your gravel vacuum according to directions to clean the bottom of your tank, and siphon out a pail full of old water (you can use this to water plants. Free fertilizer and they love it). Use an algae scrubber to clean the glass. Refill with your pail of clean water, and replace the decorations. You only need to remove the decorations if they are algae covered, or if your tank is so decorated you can't get to the gravel otherwise. Check and rinse, or replace, your filter material.
Now, your aquarium should be nice and clean! To keep it that way, don't overfeed your fish. Uneaten food is a source of food for algae, too. Use a feeding ring or two in the front and center of your tank, and only feed what your fish can consume in less than 5 minutes. A fishes stomach is about the size of it's eye, so a little pinch will do. Until you can accurately gauge how much food is enough, your sucker fish can probably get what he needs from the uneaten food sinking to the bottom. Once you're better at dispensing the correct amount, you'll need to provide sinking food for bottom feeders. Drop the pellet or wafer directly beneath your feeding ring. This helps keep all the uneaten food rounded up in one place to make your gravel vacuuming easier. A good rule of thumb is that you should vacuum your gravel and change 20% of the water every two weeks. 10-20% weekly is even better, but 50% once a month is worse. Frequency is key.
Some people might recommend adding snails to remove algae. They will do the job, but one snail will quickly turn into hordes of snails! They reproduce asexually, and are very proficient at it! So, I advise against this, unless you want your tank to turn into a snail farm.
Sorry my answer is so long, but your question is more complex tha it seems. I wanted to give you adequate advice. The best thing you can do is get a book or two on fish keeping, or aquariums in general. They will tell you everything you need to know. I have All About Aquariums, Know Your Aquarium, and A Guide to Freshwater Aquariums. They are invaluable references when I have a question. Good luck!