What do you think happened?

Question

I came home from school today to see that my female mollie, that I thought was pregnant, dead. I thought I fixed the problem a few weeks ago when i saw my other female mollie dead, she had really bad ripped tail. I thought it was my betta, so i separated it. But today when i came home i saw my other mollie up against the filter, skinny, pale, and being sucked on by my other fish, im not sure what kidn it is, but it usually sucks on the side of the tank, and its fins were a little torn but not really that bad. I saw my male mollie that I have been trying to breed them with hiding in a cave which i have never seen him do. My tank consist of 1 male mollie, 1 dwarf Gourami, 2 white cloud minnows, 1 sucker fish thing..lol, and 3 fish i dont no what they are my mom gave em to me but they arer liek speacxcialy breeded fish and are small and really bright colors. What do oyu think happened?!

Quiet Tempest, no thats not it, mine is brown and bigger

Temptest, it LOOKS more like this but I don't know if it is for sure
http://www.picolio.com/g2/d/45230-2/Pleco_02_20_2003a.jpg

stacy f the fish is dead

Yeah it might've been him, or it might;ve been attacked by lie kthe gourami or something becasue its tail was a little ripped

Answer 1

What type of "sucker fish thing" do you have? It may very well be the culprit.

Is this your sucker?
http://www.aquariumlife.net/profile-images/algae-eater.jpg

If so, they're notorious for sucking the slime coating off of tankmates.


Edit:

Is it smooth or armoured?


Plecos will also feed on the slime of their tankmates when algae or other preferrable foods aren't available.
http://fins.actwin.com/fresh-pics/pleco.jpg

I'm still guessing that whatever has the suckermouth in your tank is responsible for the fish loss and stress displayed by your male.

Answer 2

First, what Quiet Tempest showed you was a true Chinese Algae Eater. The picture you posted is of some type of plecostomus (pleco), of which many can look similar to the one you posted, so you will need to compare all the details, coloring, spot locations, fin shapes, etc., to determine exactly which pleco you have. And there is a huge difference in size, which is why it's so important to know what kind of fish you have so that you know what size of tank to provide for them. Next, plecos can suck the slime off of fish and/or eat them, yes, but because plecos move so slowly, they could never get ahold of a fish until the fish was so sick it couldn’t move faster than the pleco. You have bettas in with other fish and they have a tendency to nip and chew on long, flowing fins, and this is why we are cautioned not to keep them with other fish. Now, the ripped fins could be from the betta nipping at them or it could be from fin rot. You say you had a molly you thought was pregnant, and it could’ve been, but it also could’ve been the disease, Dropsy, which is the last phase of several diseases and it almost always fatal when it reaches this point. You have 1 male mollie, 1 dwarf Gourami, 2 white cloud minnows, 1 pleco, and 3 unknown, small fish. You have given us a fair amount of information with the exception of an always crucial piece, that being, what size is your tank? I’m going to bet that it’s 10 gallons? For this many fish, it should be 30 gallons minimum and if it is anything less, you are very overcrowded and, if this is the case, the reason that your fish are getting sick and dying is not from aggression by other fish, but from toxic water quality. Overcrowding causes a build-up of ammonia from fish waste, in addition to any overfeeding and/or dying plants and this ammonia will sicken and kill the fish. Poor water quality is also a result of improper feeding techniques and/or improper cleaning techniques. Plecos grow huge; 18-24 inches and one adult pleco alone is going to need 50-75 gallons of water. If you were to get rid of the pleco, with the remaining fish you have, you could get by with a 20 gallon tank. I’m betting that if you tested your water, you would find your ammonia levels off the charts. You need to get your water quality under control by doing a series of water changes, perhaps daily, until you get your water back in good parameters. Do a 50% water change immediately. Then go buy liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and get your water tested. Do 20-30% water changes every other day, or perhaps daily, depending on your readings, until they all drop to 0. Adding some Bio-Spira will help the situation as well but you must purchase it from a good, reputable local fish store, not any of the chains, where you can be assured that the stock is fresh and has been properly refrigerated.
There is a saying among aquarists: "take care of the tank and the fish will take care of themselves."

Answer 3

It sounds like they have fin and tail rot and droopsy.Treat for fungus with coppersafe and maracyn-two for the droopsy. Follow the instructions on the pacages and keep the sick fish in a hospital tank. I hope this works.

Answer 4

It sounds like your tank has an ammonia or pH problem. That would account for the ragged fins(ammonia burns).

Answer 5

hmmm...
a ripped tail isnt bad...
probably was sick