BKNJ

This is a great forum, hopefully you can give me some advice. . .

I am relatively new to fishkeeping, but my son and I have a 15 gallon tank and stocked it with 3 creamsicle mollies. One arrived expecting and delivered fry 1 day after we got home. We have 4 surviving fry. This was about 1 month ago. For the last several day's two of the three original fish have been lethargic and not eating. They also look a little 'fat'. The third fish and four fry are still acting normal, swimming fast and eating. The two that are lethargic have no visible symptoms of being ill other then their change in behavior.

Tank was cycled with ammonia for about 4 weeks before I added fish, and has had zero ammonia and nitrite since adding fish, I do 20% water change weekly. I have been feeding them fish flakes. pH is a little low (6.4).

What should I be looking for to figure out if this is a problem, or a phase of life?

Best regards,

Bryan

kbrakeall

If I'm not mistaken, Mollies like the Ph between 7 & 8.5

Minnow

Yes, but pH doesn't really matter. Your mollies will have already adjusted to the pH. You could use chemicals to raise it, but you would have to adjust it every single time you do a water change, which would be time-consuming and costly. Better to leave that alone and try to focus on the real issues.

Are all of your fish female? If one is male, then they are almost certainly pregnant. If not, there's still a chance they are pregnant. Otherwise, they could be bloated. Try feeding them some tiny pieces (the size of their eye) of thawed, shelled frozen peas. I'm not an expert on pregnant mollies, so I can't give you any further advice than that, but I'm sure someone will be along to help you soon. Good luck

BKNJ

I think one is a male. He is somewhat smaller, and his dorsal fin is larger then the other two. I know the water is too acidic for their liking, is there anything I can put in the tank to raise the pH?

I posted two pictures, the Molly1 is the fish that I am concerned about, Molly2 is the suspected male and one of the fry.

Best regards,

Bryan

Attached Images

	Molly1.jpg (80.2 KB, 10 views)
	Molly2.jpg (73.3 KB, 12 views)

Minnow

Like I said, the pH is not an issue. As long as it is stable and doesn't fluctuate, it won't affect your fish.

What pretty fish! Both of those mollies are female. Male mollies have a modified anal fin called a gonopodium. It is long and tube-shaped, not fanned out like the female's fin.

Feed them some peas--if they are indeed pregnant, it won't hurt, and if they are constipated, it will help. Perhaps someone with more expertise can tell you whether or not they are pregnant.

BKNJ

Thanks for the advice. The 'sick' fish does seem a little happier this morning, but still not as zippy as it was a week or so ago. Thanks for the compliment, we also think they are pretty, and the baby's are cute as can be.

Best,

Bryan