snacksmom

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i'm a new tank owner ( 3 or 4 months) and i got a sick molly from the store, i know, i know, i should have quarintened him, but i didn't. i already had a female black molly, and got him for company.

he immediatly started to fall apart, like the next morning, he got what looked like a cob web on his tail, then the next day that was rotted off, and he had mor cob web further up till he eventually litterally rotted away, despite my best efforts of tripple sulfur, and erythromycin, i even made a hospital tank and was trippling the salt for him, but he died.

that was a week ago, and my miss molly had gotten one tiny spot on her lip, but that had been getting smaller till today, now it loos like a blister, i pulled her out and made a hospital tank for her, i added fungus cure and erythromycin, and trippled the salt for her.

she was in a breeder tank cause she had babbies about a week ago i guess, didn't know till i found the remaining baby( and named him snack) and i think she's gonna have em again. every where i go they tell be different things to do. I'll do whatever i have to, if i only knew what that was. please help my miss molly, she's a mommy.
 

bad coffee

Inept at life.
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First of all, Welcome to Manhattan Reefs!

as it's been said, most of us have saltwater tanks. But I'd bet 90% of us started with freshies.

It sounds like your molly had a fungus of some kind. And you said it yourself

"I should have QT'd the new fish."

If you tell us more about your tank, we will be able to help you out a bit more.

B
 

snacksmom

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everyone keeps telling me that, but here i sit with another sick fishey
but thanks, i did post to a fresh water site.
 

noodleman

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Yea sounds more like a bacterial infection or a fungus than a parasite....try treating her with Maracyn. Give her a nice water change and increase the salt levels...thats what i used to do when my guppies and swordtails get sick. I used to just dump the salt straight in, and when the fish swims near the sudden increase of salt area seems to kill the fungus for me.
 

snacksmom

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well she was in a 55 gallon, plenty of live plants, i have 15 neons, 2 catfish, a pleco, 2 gold dust mollies, 2 sword tail molleys, and it's got a curtian of bubble rock accross the back. been up for about 3 monthsthere are 3 other fish, but i forget what they are, 2 are smaller then the neons and one is about 2 inches long. I've been changing their tank like 15% every week, i use stress coat anytime i do a change, the temp is good, i just don't want this one to fall apart like the lase, thought i was gonna have to ball him up in a towel and smack him with a hammer, poor little lamb. what else can i tell you? i haven't been adding salt cause i'm afraid to change too much on their system.
 

ezee

Senior Member
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Brooklyn
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Mollies

snacksmom,

Mollies should be able to survive in saltwater. How did you acclimate them? Even thought they are brakish and can go from one to the other, I believe that the acclimation is probably very specific.

E
 

snacksmom

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yes, but she was one of the first fish i got and she's been fine for months, i'm worried that the male infected her, and also she's going to have babies again( i assume( and that that may be weakening her, but is the medication bad for her or the kidlets?
she's eating and swimming well, i just worry, was hoping there was a "right" answer.
 

noodleman

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chiefmcfuz, the molly is in a hospital tank already.

Mollies are very hardy fish, medication, salt and such shouldn't affect it that much. unless its really sick to the point of death. And did you take the carbon out of your filters before adding the medication?
 

snacksmom

Junior Member
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thanks, i have tetras and loaches in my other tank, now i know not to mix em.
before this fiasco i was considering moving both to the big tank ( i have snails i wantted my loaches to clear out for me) but then that one got sick and i'm not introducing anyone else to there till i know everythings ok. makes me wonder, should i move Snack( the baby molly) into the smaller tank? or will he infect it, i'm worried cause he's so ssmall if the big tank is infected he may not make it, just cause he's a baby. don't know if that's true.
 

snacksmom

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yes i removed the carbon when the other fish was in there and treated the entire tank for a week, then took out the sick fish and medicated the other tank for 2 more days and kept the sick one alone and medicated him there
but i've put the filter back since and thought everything was going well
 

ezee

Senior Member
Location
Brooklyn
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Molly

snacksmom,

If you have the QT and the breeder you should separate her from the babies. Try to see if you can find out exactly what she is suffering from. If it is a saltwater parasite or related condition, instead of increasing the salt, try hyposalinity. REDUCE the salinity slowly, if it is a saltwater parasite it may not be able to survive the lowered salinity but she should be able to.

Here is an article on hypo

You will need: Refractometer or a glass hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures, pH buffers, a tank or quarantine area for the infected fish that is adequately filtered.

Hyposalinity is a procedure involving lowering the salinity from normal tank levels to 14 ppt (1.009 Specific Gravity) over the course of 48 hours. This is done by doing a series of small water changes using fresh dechlorinated water. During the procedure, pH must be closely monitored as pH tends to drop as water become less saline. Fish are maintained in hyposaline conditions for three weeks after all symptoms are gone. Again, accurate measuring is essential, and the standard swing arm hydrometers are not going to work. A refractometer or large glass lab grade hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures is needed. Once the fish have been asymptotic for three weeks, the salinity is then raised back to display tank levels over the course of a week. Fish can not tolerate rapid increases in salinity. Leave the fish in quarantine at display tank levels for another week.
 

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