*sigh* My mollies keep dying :(

MollyFishLover

MollyFishLover

AC Members
Aug 6, 2010
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Lawrence, Indiana
Real Name
Lindsey
Lately I have been having the worst time with my molly fish. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I know you're going to ask for my parameters but right now I'm exhausted from cleaning tanks lol.. I can say that the temp is 79 degrees. The tank is a 55 gallon and stocking is as follows, 1 betta, 13 adult mollies and 6 babies, 8 cories and a whole bunch of snails. I have a Topfin 60 and Pengiun 350b filtering this tank. I change about 10 gallons a week. This is the only tank I have problems with and it's only the mollies that are dying. I don't get it! A friend of mine said that maybe my water was too clean and the fish were having weak immune systems as a result but I don't think that's the case. Oh and by the way they are fed once per day and they get plenty. I'll check my parameters later.
 
The fact that the corys are fine but the mollys aren't is a sign that its probobly not related to water quality. Have you seen any signs of disease in the mollys? (weird behavior, the way you found them dead, strange markings)

The only param I would be worried about is PH, mollys like it around 7.5-8.5 if I'm correct.
 
There have been things I've noticed, they do the 'shaking' thing or point upward. Those ones I have no idea but one got fin rot and I tried treating with melafix but he didn't make it. Others have gotten pop eye and also tried melafix with no luck. I don't know what's going on!
 
I had a horrible time with Mollies when I started my 75 gallon at the beginning of last year. I really think it was weak stock. I had bad luck with the fish from 3 different stores, but no issues with any other fish (cories, red-eye tetras, and severum were all fine). I lost every single one of the 8 mollies I started out with, and the one baby that survived being eaten. I haven't bought anymore mollies since. Just not worth the effort right now for me. I don't know if there's some bad fish being bred and sold to the pet stores or what, but my params were perfect, and nothing worked with them...

Hopefully you have better luck than I did...
 
rainbowcharmer said:
I had a horrible time with Mollies when I started my 75 gallon at the beginning of last year. I really think it was weak stock. I had bad luck with the fish from 3 different stores, but no issues with any other fish (cories, red-eye tetras, and severum were all fine). I lost every single one of the 8 mollies I started out with, and the one baby that survived being eaten. I haven't bought anymore mollies since. Just not worth the effort right now for me. I don't know if there's some bad fish being bred and sold to the pet stores or what, but my params were perfect, and nothing worked with them...

Hopefully you have better luck than I did...
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Yeah me too but if I don't after they all die I'll get something else. Not sure what to go with yet. Gotta do me some researchin'
 
That shaking and pointing upward disease is common in mollies that I have seen. It killed 2 of the original mollies that I had once upon a time and I see it in chain stores all the time. Strange.
 
Due to the ease that mollies breed I think they get inbred to the point of weakening the gene pool. The same pair has offspring that are then bred and sold back to the same stores and then it is repeated again and again. Probably nothing that you are doing wrong.

That being said, 10 gallons a weak is not enough to change in a 55 in my opinion even though you are lightly stocked. 20 per week would be better.
 
Yeah, I was thinking of doing 20 a week now anyways, I did last week but I was tired tonight and did 10 lol... I'm thinking after I have no mollies left I may get killifish if I can find them
 
It seems to me that mollies have the same problem as many hybrids. The seem to have a genetic defect. In the case of mollies they seem to be very susceptible to disease. Also they do not have long life expectency even in the wild. I heard something like 2 years. My brother keeps an impeccable tank and he has not had much success with mollies.
 
prober said:
That being said, 10 gallons a weak is not enough to change in a 55 in my opinion even though you are lightly stocked. 20 per week would be better.
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I disagree, in my 55 I only top off evaporation and I've never had a problem. Mine has been up since last april-may, and I've never lost any fish (except for when i was just starting and ick wiped out almost everything) For filtration I have a Top Fin 60 and a Aqueon Quietflow 20.
 
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