Possible problem

[GSM]

I am fairly new, as I have had my aqaurium for only a month or so.

I have a 15 gallon tank, with two bala sharks, three black mollies, and a catfish, I have tested the water, for all its parameters, and everything is fine, but what i have noticed is this....

The two bala sharks stay together, and look healthy, the catfish scurries around and also looks healthy, two of the mollies a male and a female are close and stay together, the third molly a male, stays in the vegetation, very quite indeed, swims around but just keeps to himself, and when he is in the vegetation he spends hours there, and if he does come out he goes to the filter outlet and swims near that, near the surface before returning to his spot, is this normal or are these the signs of the impending doom of this fish?

Any help will be apprecited...

Thanks

[jdheff1982]

I don't know about the mollies, but those balas are gonn get big quick!! They can get up to 15 inches!! I had a pair of balas in a 20 gallon for about a month before I realized it was too big.

[GSM]

Yeah i belive so! well, when they get to big for the tank, then i will take them to my LFS and get an exchange, or i might even get a bigger tank!

But i think i have figured out what is wrong with the molly, its front fins, the long drapy ones, have a white fluff on them, so i suppose this is some sort of fungal infection, so i will have to get some meds tomorrow to treat it with, any reccomendations?

[rockhead44]

here is a site that I keep bookmarked http://www.2cah.com/pandora/Disease.html#External . It may help you and its got pictures too.Good luck

[GSM]

Thanks for the link, seems I have found my problem there, fin fungus, treated with compounds that contain methelyene blue plus a water change, will do so tommorrow!

Thanks

[wetmanNY]

The fin rot may be compounded by keeping a molly in water without salt, where the pH is below 7.0. Salt is another remedy for Saprolegnia fungus on mouth or fins. I've just finished successfully treating some Black Ruby Barbs for tailfin rot, using salt alone. about 5 teaspoons to the net gallon, over three weeks. No harm to young Java Ferns in the same Q tank.


(We all lurk and answer at the Freshwater Newbie Forum too, where our answers may be expressed in simpler terms.)

[GSM]

Thanks for the advice again, but alas it seems to be too late! found my molly floating above the fern today, so i have just done a water change of about 30% with salt added at i tablespoon per 5 gallons and hopefully that will sort out floating bits of spores left in their!

What a shame hey, but i suppose one of my fish were to die sooner or later, and i guess that is all part of the learning process!

Live and learn hey.......

May get another molly, but will leave it for a few days and then get one...!

Also found a single fry in my tank?????

[GSM]

well what a day! the second male molly looked poorley and a pleco decided to get ill aswell, so i took them both with a water sample to my lfs, who tested my water, not good news! high nitrate and nitrites!

So 50% water change and added some cycle to help try to balance the tank!

Not a very good start to this hobby of mine!

Maybe I will get some better luck in the next few days or weeks!

:(