molly with bouancy issue

[Jorl Dagger]

Last night one of my oldest mollies died, then this morning another one was having trouble swimming and it is staying near the tank bottom mostly. Its tail will sometimes float upwards so that its nose is facing down. Does anyone know what this might be or how to treat?

 

[Harlock]

Sounds like it could be swim bladder disease. Has any of the fish poop been stringy, white or segmented?

 

[icka]

i would definetly say treat for swim bladder disease. i would try something like malachite green or formalin but i am not positive.


Icka

 

[Jorl Dagger]

Unfortunately, this morning he was a goner. Is this a contagious condition? All my other fish seem normal, healthy, and active. I did a tank cleaning when I removed the fish. Is there anything else I need to do?

 

[icka]

i would go ahead and treat the tank. This way you know the other fish are ok and dont add any until the treatment is over. do some research online on what best gets rid of swimbladder disease and use it for the recommended time then i think you should be alright.

 

[ash]

sorry about your fish- swim bladder problems may be bacterial as well, are you doing frequent enough water changes? Everything cycled, properly stocked, etc? How often are you feeding? I have read in some places taht swim bladder problems can be related to blockage, mostly in goldfish. Fasting or feeding a pea (since mollies also like veggies this may help) can sometimes help. I wouldn't treat for something unless you know the problem as conclusively as you can- inundating your tank with unneccesary chemicals is a really bad thing, be sure you know what you are treating and look at all possible causes for the problem before you treat.

 

[Jorl Dagger]

I have a 20 gallon tank with 6 mollies, 2 ottos, one female betta. I have been doing 20% water changes weekly. The tank should be cycled well, I've had my tank set up for about a year. I usually only feed once daily rotating flake, spirolina, and brine shrimp for a treat. Do you think the dried shrimp swelled up after the fish ate too much? Should I soak the shrimp first before feeding?