PDA

View Full Version : Mollie trouble... Need help!



robdog696
08-06-2006, 07:24 AM
Hello, this is my first post on this site. Best site for freshwater fish I have found... very informative, but there are so many diseases listed with similar symptoms that I am confused. Here goes my Sad mollie story LOL.
First of all, I have 2 tanks. I have a 29 gallon with a divider in it and a 10 gallon tank. Currently I have 3 male mollies and 2 dwarf frogs in the 10 gallon. In the 29 gallon I HAD 4 pregnant females. However, one female mollie died suddenly, showing no symptoms of illness except that many of our fish appeared to be "glancing". We treated both tanks with a product call Quick Cure. Two days later the female died.
Since then another of the females gave birth to 23 fry, all of which have survived and grown very fast to about 1/4 inch. We have the female mollies seperated from the babies in the 29 gallon by a divider. Soon after giving birth the mother started being very lethargic and floating by the heater or near the surface of the water, apparantly gasping for air. After a few days her scales began to stick out, and we found that she probably had dropsy or kidney failure. It has been about a week since she gave birth and we have not been able to figure out what medication to give her. Yesterday she died.
Now my current problem is with the two remaining mothers. One of them appears to have an enlarged redish swollen anal area. Her excrement is very reddish as well. The other mother seems to be nipping at the area. She is not acting strange at all, though. We are wondering if this redness and swelling is associated with giving birth or the other female biting her or if she has a bacterial infection or disease. I put the female that was harrassing her into the 10 gallon with the males and now they are harrassing her.
I am so lost on what to do now. If the mother is, in fact, suffering from a communicable disease then I have the problem that she is in the same tank with 23 babies. Also I may have just spread the disease to my other tank by moving the other female. If not, then is there any danger the males will harrass the other female in the 10 gallon until she dies? Which fish should I have where, and does it sound like my pregnant mother with the redness and swelling in her anal area is diseased? PLEASE someone help me! Thank you in advance for ANY help!

William
08-06-2006, 08:37 PM
Sorry to hear about your females.

The swollen anal area can be though to the fact that she is ready to give birth.

A few questions what are you feeding them. How is the nitrate/nitrite ammonia levels?

You could add some aquarium salt to the water. 1 tablespoon per 4-5 gallons. aquarium salt helps treat a number of diseases and Mollies are much hardier if kept in slightly brackish water.

robdog696
08-06-2006, 10:11 PM
I don't know my nitrate/trite levels but I have them tested weekly by PETCO, and since cycling the tank they have always said my readings were good. We added 1/2 tsp of InstantOcean salt to the tank each day for about a week as the only suggested treatment for the 2nd female that died (forgot to mention that). On a good note, since seperating the two females last night, the redness and swelling has supsided a little and her behavior is still very normal. The dominant male (who happens to be the one that impregnated her) has taken up defending the pregnant female that I moved to the ten gallon tank. So she is doing fine. I'm still just a bit concerned that I may have some bacterial infection, however. Thanks for the reply and I welcome any other ideas or suggestions. Thanks!