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Post by parker002 on Jan 7, 2011 19:47:21 GMT -5
I have 3 large female mollies and 1 female balloon molly. They're all hanging at the top of the tank, breathing heavily, and moving forward and back in very short sudden movements, almost as if they're "shaking".
Every once in a while they'll dart, full speed, from one end of the tank to the other and then resume panting.
I've seen them do this sometimes when about to give birth but what seems odd this time is that it's ALL of them. The male molly as well as the other couple of dozen assorted fish in my tank are absolutely fine. It's just the 4 female mollies.
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Post by Carl on Jan 7, 2011 20:36:08 GMT -5
This seems to describe a problem common mostly to Mollies called "Shimmies". Shimmies is one of those "conditions" that is not always a specific cause/disease (it can be caused by Velvet) Often is is the lack of essential minerals and positive mineral ions in the water. Medicated Wonder Shells are about the best treatment for this, as they address Velvet and mineral cation deficiencies. Carl |
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Post by parker002 on Jan 8, 2011 9:36:59 GMT -5
Thanks. After closer inspection this morning, it appears that one of them might indeed have Velvet.
I'm thinking I will treat with Kordon Ich Attack - it says it will treat Velvet and I've had great results using it to treat Ich.
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Post by Carl on Jan 8, 2011 11:08:29 GMT -5
Kordon Ich Attack is a good product and while Velvet responds to slightly different remedies (meaning what works well for Ich may not be as effective for Velvet), this product can work for Velvet too. Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Jan 8, 2011 20:23:58 GMT -5
Just to add my 2 cents, I had my guppies get shimmies once. They went to the top stayed in 1 spot, and looked like they were waggling from side to side exaggeratedly with their tails. I lost two fish from it but the rest recovered when I put in a medicated wondershell.
I believe they never did have velvet and their minerals were fairly good. The ones that didn't appear sick or were mildly sick fully recovered. I had about 14 guppies at the time and I think I lost 3 from it.
Best of luck!
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Post by parker002 on Jan 8, 2011 22:42:32 GMT -5
Right now I'm honestly most-concerned with not infecting my cory cats or tetras with anything. I'm "emotionally done" with livebearers and when these mollies are gone I'm moving to an all-tetra setup.
I am going to try the Naptho first and if it's not effective enough, I do have just enough Coppersafe to treat the tank for a month.
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Post by goldenpuon on Jan 9, 2011 0:04:23 GMT -5
The good news if Carl and I are right that your mollies have'shimmies', the disease does not infect fish other than livebearers to my knowledge. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the velvet. Velvet can infect many freshwater fish.
My guess as to the the darting is may be the fish's attempt to 'scratch', a symptom of velvet. Also, based on not only swimming at the top but also the darting, (though this is a educated guess based on what you ahve told me), these fish may be pretty far gone.
The last two days my female tetra was alive that I had to euthanize, she was around the top though not gasping for air there which was odd. As well, she was swimming in circles and swimming aimlessly.
When I got her to end her suffering, she immedietly shifted to her side and was just shallowly breathing.
I say this because if the fish are close to death or just very sick, you would be able to tell if you get them in a small container and just watched their behavior. They may lose balance or go to the bottom without recovering in a couple minutes/appear weak, odds are they are on their way out. But if they were active or seemed to want to get out, they are probably not in super bad condition.
I am am not saying to try to 'catch' these fish (which may be tramatic since they are sick), just giving you some insight into signs to look for on how ill they are.
Best of luck and I hope your fish make it!
Renee
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Post by parker002 on Jan 9, 2011 18:14:36 GMT -5
They're responding already to the Ich Attack. Even the worst of them is now spending less time hiding, although she's still "shimmying".
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Post by Carl on Jan 10, 2011 10:56:48 GMT -5
They're responding already to the Ich Attack. Even the worst of them is now spending less time hiding, although she's still "shimmying". Great! Always nice to read good news. Carl |
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Post by parker002 on Jan 10, 2011 13:56:52 GMT -5
I did lose a platy but I'm not sure why. I noticed he was missing when I fed them so I poked around a bit and found him stuck in a plant.
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Post by Carl on Jan 10, 2011 19:33:48 GMT -5
I did lose a platy but I'm not sure why. I noticed he was missing when I fed them so I poked around a bit and found him stuck in a plant. OK fine, burst my good news bubble  BTW, sorry about the Platy Carl |
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Post by goldenpuon on Jan 10, 2011 20:41:10 GMT -5
I am glad they are doing better! Sorry to hear about the platy though.  |
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Post by parker002 on Jan 10, 2011 23:08:53 GMT -5
I'm not really heartbroken. As I mentioned, I'm most concerned with making sure none of my tetras or cory cats die. I'm not cold-hearted enough to say I'm glad he's dead but it's one less livebearer I have to worry about. Once they're gone I won't ever own any more.
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