vivi

hello everyone... im kinda new to all this fish-talk. i just got 3 girl mollies yesterday and i'm already scared im doing something wrong. i woke up today and the bowl i have them in is gray and kinda blury already?!?! did i do something wrong? now im reading all this information and i read that they shouldnt be in a bowl to begin with but the lady at the shop said it was fine. another thing yesterday they were swiming around, now theyre just swimming up top not doing much playing or anything. is there something i should be doing? what did i do wrong? can anyone help?

Izabela

No, fish, especially mollies cannot be in a bowl. They need filtration and a heater. Furthermore, a new tank setup has to go through a cycling process so that the beneficial bacteria can grow and establish. Without the bacteria, the fish will just suffocate in their waste (ammonia). Also, when you add the water to your bowl, you need to add a water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chlorimine, which are harmful to your fish. Do you have a heater? Most tropical fish other than goldfish will not survive without a heater.

The milky/hazy/cloudy water is probably ammonia in your water. I would suggest changing 50% of the water (make sure to condition the new water) untill you can either get the right tank for your fish or take them back to the store. The rule is an inch of fish per gallon of water. So, with three mollies who will avarage 3 inches as adults, you need 9 gallons of water (a 10 Gallon tank would work well here). You can get a 10G tank kit for about $40. Good luck and keep us posted.

Izabela