Molly help!

[Jake Chet]

Hi ive had this black and white molly for a few months now and all the sudden she wont stop shaking and definetly looks sick, what is it and what do i do? ammonia is 0, nitrites is 0, and nitrates are probably high but i just did a water change, please help thanks he also seems to have white stuff around his mouth and is moving rapidly side by side thanks.

 

[Jake Chet]

His breathing looks difficult to please help

 

[fishorama]

Is this the same tank you've had other problems with? It would help if you can keep threads going...

Your molly doesn't look healthy, WCs are always a good first step. I'll look at your other threads...

 

[fishorama]

Do you know the KH & GH? Sometimes called alkalinity & hardness. I think adding a small amount of table salt (iodized is ok) might help a little bit but you cardinals won't like much.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of tank volume in dechlorinated water. When you change water add enough salt to keep it at that level. So if you remove 5g, add another teaspoon. See if that helps at all, but watch the cardinals for stress. When it's time to remove the salt it'll need to be done slowly over several days by changing water.

I'm concerned about the white on it's mouth but I can't see it well in the pics. Does it look fuzzy? Clamped fins & shimmying are not good. Do any other fish (beside the 1 guppy) have white or grayish areas on the mouth or between the head & dorsal (top) fin? I'm worried it might be columnaris, a bacteria. Look hard!

 

[Tifftastic]

It looks like ich (the second picture) combined with some sort of fungus on the mouth and possibly an internal parasite as well (clamped fins). I would definitely start with a salt and heat regime, do any other fish have any symptoms?

 

[fishorama]

I can't tell if the white dots are on the fish, on the glass or in the water. Does the fish look like it has salt sprinkled on it? That's how ich looks.

You can treat it with salt. Over a couple days add salt dissolved in water to get to 1 tablespoon (=3 teaspoons) per 5 gallons. That's lowest dose you want to kill the ich but shouldn't stress the tetras too much. Do gravel vacs daily if you can & add enough salt to keep the level up.
You can raise the temp to speed the ich lifecycle. What is it now? If the cardinals seem ok you can gradually add salt to 2 TBSP/5g. You'll need to treat for ~ 2 weeks & gradually remove the salt with water changes.

 

[David Riddell]

Molly dies not look happy. You should consult an expert as soon as possible.