Mollies: lethargic, bottom of tank, breathing fast?
We just bought a 10gal setup off Craigslist yesterday and set it up. We put the water in, put the drops in, left it running 8 hrs and then went and got some fish. We got 3 female guppies, 2 male guppies, 3 mollies, and a little pitbull pleco. We also put in a couple plants. The pleco was kinda spazzy in the store. It swam from one spot to another a couple times and then settled itself on the glass and just hung out there for the 30 min while we were picking everyone else out. When we got home the pleco was swimming erratically from the top to the bottom this way and that. After an hr or so it settled down. When I woke up this morning, everyone looked fine. Tonight we found him dead around 6pm. So I went to get a water testing kit. When I came home 2 of the mollies (the Dalmatians, the other is yellow, but all were in the same tank at the store) are sitting on the bottom breathing fast. The black one of them will drop down there, breathe fast for awhile, and then swim around like I'm used to seeing and responds to food with vigor. The white is just hanging out on the bottom, doesn't respond to food and has a small pink area in front of her left eye. (And the weird part is she's sitting on the bottom where we found the pleco dead tonight.) I don't think either molly looks bloated and I've looked very carefully for any kind of fluffiness, milkiness, red streaks, slimy feces, backwards swimming, worms, swimming at surface, rubbing, loss of balance, fin issues, scale issues, nodules, or dots. She also doesn't seem to have the black pregnancy dot. What is a clamped fin? How does one gender a molly? (I'm not familiar with gendering the mollies, just guessing for pronouns. The white one has a crescent and the black has a longer lower part of the tail.) The water test looked ok except pH is a little high...so I've just put in the tablespoon of aquarium salt as the package suggested and I'm on my way to the store for some pH solution... Was the pleco diseased coming in? (I kinda think so, but maybe just stressed?) Do the mollies have a different thing going on? Would both sets of behavior be explained by pH? Are my mollies brooding? I kinda don't think so. That pink spot is troubling...and so is the dead plec. Any suggestions are welcome.
Why are my fish lying on the bottom of its tank?
In my experience, sluggish fish lying or hovering just above the gravel (not on their sides with clamping fins) is indicative of a potential bacterial infection onset. Clean the gravel! and do a 1/3 water change. Check the pH and NH3/nitrite/nitrate levels - chances are the aerobic/anaerobic bacteria ratio is too low and in favor of the anaerobic microbes.
What does it mean when a Betta fish is laying on the bottom of its tank?
It really depends what you mean by “rest”. If the fish appears alert and it’s long pelvic fins are supporting it, you’re probably fine. I am more concerned by the “80% of the time”, as my betta, though more active than most, spends 95%+ of his time swimming around the tank. How large is your tank and what temperature is it kept at? If the tank is too small (<5 gallons) and too cold this might make your betta stressed and sluggish. They’re a beautiful fish, so it’s well worth the investment in some additional equipment.
My betta fish is struggling to breathe and is not eating. What's wrong?
Change the water it sounds like ammonia poison. Ammonia poisoning can occur for any or all of the following reasons and is probably the number one cause of death in cultured fish. Occurances: When a tank is newly set up. When you add too many new fish to a tank at one time. When the filter fails. When bacterial colonies die off because of medications or sudden changes in water conditions. Symptoms: Fish gasp for breath at the water surface. Purple or red gills. (Fish appears to be bleeding) Fish is lethargic Loss of appetite Fish lays at the bottom of the tank Red streaking on the fins or body Ammonia poisoning can take days or appear suddenly.Usually you will notice your fish gasping for air at the waters surface.Since it is not uncommon for Betta fish to breath on the surface, it is important for Betta owners to know their fish in order to spot the changes. The gills may appear to be bleeding by turning a reddish or lilac color. The most obvious sign you will notice is that your Betta will become very lethargic and stop eating. Sometimes your Betta will simply close its fins and lay on the bottom of the tank. If untreated the poisoning will eventually do tissue damage which will appear as red streaks or bloody patches on the body and fins. Internal damage occurs to the brain, organs, and central nervous system. Unchecked your Betta will hemorrhage internally and eventually die. Treatment: Lower the tanks pH below 7.0 Change 25 - 50% of the tanks water. (use aged water) Apply neutralizing ammonia chemical like AmQuel (available at pet supply store) Reduce feeding. (the uneaten food will only increase problems)
My male dalmatian molly sits at the bottom of the tank, why does he do that?
He's probably been trying to flirt with your female and so now she's fighting back. Community fish like to be put in groups. I noticed that it lowers the aggression. I had two guppies and one was always fighting, so I got a few more and they were fine. idk. Anyways, fish lay on the bottom of the tank if they're resting. I know my goldfish lay at the bottom throughout the night. Your fish is probably stressed. Keep treating him with ich and buy some stress coat conditioner from a petstore. Make sure the water is at 78 - 80F because mollies are tropical fish. How big is your tank?
Do betta splendens (fighter fish) eat other fish?
The fish got eaten because it was already dead or dying - that's what fish do. Unless you actually see your betta bullying the tetras, don't worry, It's usually a good mix. Inactive bettas are common, but not normal. Most bettas are inactive because they are not kept properly (in a bowl they have no room or reason to be active, and in an unplanted tank they have no reason to be active) Your betta is not active because you only have one fake plant. It's very important to have lots of plants in your tank, especially in a betta community. Plants will give the fish places to hide from each other, and as far as activity - the betta is sitting in the only place he feels comfortable, near your only plant, and he's stressed out because of it. Betta's need tight spaces. Amateurs accomplish this by sticking them in a tiny bowls, but more knowledgable fish keepers will accomplish this by having lots of plants to fill the tank in. Planting will also block lines of sight across the tank, encouraging the betta to roam and explore. In my 15 gallon tank, which is heavily planted, my betta is active all the time, and he gets on fine with his cardinal tetra and corydora catfish tankmates. And he and the tank are 4 years old. FYI the above poster makes a good point - a betta community tank should be 5 gallons at the very least, and 10 gallons is a better minimum - betta's are territorial, which means there should be enough room for them to hang out away from each other, should they choose to.
I have a Black Moore fish who is drowsy at the bottom of the tank. Any thoughts as to a diagnosis?
What size tank? Was it cycled? What are your water parameters? What other fish in the tank as a Black moor should be in at least 40 gallons ? Try doing a 50% water change but you need to test your Ammonia and Nitrite in the tank?
My new betta fish won’t eat in its new home. Is this normal? He is in a 5-gallon tank with a filter and an LED light. I transferred him over a couple of hours ago, and he seems to be swimming normally so far.
Know and understand that overfeeding fish is a major problem…despite the 2-3 times a day crap they try to feed you in the lfs fish don't need that.Bettas, in particular have some of the slowest moving digestive systems in the fish world that i have seen, and you can watch as that ominous little bulge slowly moved down and finally out after several days.So if your little guy isn't hungry after a transfer,it's not a big deal odds are they had already fed him in that little plastic hole of a temporary home at the store before he came home.Another thing, if this is a new fish Bettas can be kinda picky so if you feed him tomorrow with no action it's probably the food. We give our betta fish tetramin and frozen brine shrimp periodically…but don't try to feed him every day
What do you do when your fish is floating on its side but still breathing?
It sounds like your poor little fish friend may be having a swim bladder issue.I had a few fancy goldfish (mostly lionhead Orandas) and one in particular, Stewart, had a swim bladder problem.The first time I found him upside down in his tank, I panicked thinking that he had passed. When I went to scoop him out, he quickly uprighted his little body and attempted to swim down to the bottom of the tank. Unsuccessfully, sadly.More panic ensued.I phoned my local pet store that carried fish and asked them what I should do in this case. They told me that he likely wouldn’t be able to live much longer, so I should just keep him comfortable.That was not was I wanted to hear.So, before there was Quora, there was just this internet thing, so I searched and searched.I found recommendations for creating a hospital tank situation. I made a makeshift tank out of my original (read mini) size tank that he had quickly outgrew. You only fill a small amount of water in the tank and add sea salt. I kept him in his hospital tank a few days until he was able to consistently right himself. During this time, I only fed him shelled peas. The easiest way to shell them is to microwave them for a just a few seconds until they pop. Then remove the shell and feed the pea halves to your fishy friend. The peas help force the gas out and that helps them be able to regulate their ability to swim down and float up.My Stewart lived for a total of 5 years. 4 years after he had his very first scare of being upside in his tank. Throughout his life, he did spend some time upside down and in and out of his hospital tank when necessary. I fed him peas daily to every other day and made sure to only buy fish food that sank—no more floating pellets! When they come up to eat on the surface, they also take in air and that does not help the swim bladder.As for his quality of life, he was a happy fish. He always responded to his name and did the best wiggles. He also really enjoyed having his tummy rubbed while upside down. He would lay in my hand and I would rub his little fishy tummy.It was a very, very sad day when he passed. Not even because of his congenital defect, just circumstances out of our control.Best of luck to you and your fish.***The picture above is not my Stewart. My computer I had at the time met an untimely demise and I lost everything. This is a stock photo from Pinterest.