lolagurl

Hi,emilai333 Im sorry about the loss of your fish. i just got a dalmation mollie today, Its a boy, and seems to be doing good, im glad I read about the salt i might now put a little in. I have a 10 galloon but hes in a smaller one. I was just wondering if i should put my heater in the tank. He has a lamp, and filter, obviously, i put the tank is beside my bed and the plugs are already taken up. I knw this is a very stupid question probably but I was wondering, does the light kinda work as a heater, otherwise I guess I'll have to attach my heater and put the tank somewhere else. Apparently for to hold one mollie you need 5 gallons of water is this true?
P.S- i KNOW I SHOULD PROABALLY post this somewhere else but I am new to this site, and I was looking for information on dalmation mollies and came this.

emilai333

Unfortunately, Peaches died today. I guess I'm glad that he isn't suffering any more, but I'm sad too because I got really attatched to him. I had to go to work today and when I left (7am) he was still sleeping so I didn't bother him; when I got back at five he was laying on his back but still alive and I didn't have time to try to help him - don't know what I would have done if I had had time. When I got back from my superbowl party, he was dead. Guess he goes back to the store tomorrow for a refund . It's way too cold for me to bring home a new fish at the moment though, unless I can take something to keep it warm on the way to and from the car. We'll see.

Terry, too bad about the babies and good luck finding a male. Good luck also with your platy. Keep me posted. I'm sure there will be more in this thread when I try my luck with my next molly.

Lola, Hello! I hope your molly is doing well. Livebearers such as mollies are social fish, and I and pretty much everyone else recommend keeping them in pairs or groups, with a ratio of 1 male to 2 females. If you have only females, you're OK... I plan to keep two males together but I'll have to watch and make sure they don't nip at each other, I've heard they do that sometimes. If you have a male and two females, which is good in a 10 gallon tank (3inches per fish times three fish, at one gallon of water per inch of fish, at least nine gallons), you will end up with fry. A five gallon is fine for one fish, but they are SO MUCH HAPPIER with friends!!! (which is why I keep trying to get a healthy buddy for my black molly). You should definitely put a heater in the tank (the light provides some heat but not enough... I believe 78 or 80 is ideal). You could get a surge protector to plug your aquarium stuff into. This not only protects about problems connected with power surges or outages, it also provides extra outlets. And they aren't that expensive!!! Feel free also to start your own thread, lots of nice people will be thrilled to help you out. I'm probably not the best to ask... I've only had three mollies for less than a month and two of them have died so far. On the other hand, I've picked up a lot by reading here, so as far as I know the information I have given you is accurate.

Terry

Sorry about Peaches. At least you didn't have to put him to sleep yourself. I think the platy is finally showing sign of improvement with the antibiotic added. I forgot to check him out this morning before I left for work. The gold dust molly looks fine after giving birth, so that's good.

Hi Lola. I agree that the thermometer is a good (necessary) idea. The light will indeed heat the tank, but assuming you turn the light off at night, the tank can cool down a lot & it's a good idea to use a heater to avoid big variations in temperature. It's a good idea to have a thermometer too - so you can keep track of the temperature. If it gets too hot from having the light on, turn it off for a while. 78-80 should be a good temperature to try to keep in the tank.

lolagurl

ok thank you guys..yea i put the heater in last night, and was looking for a thernometer but don't have one i'll have to get one today. I know i feel bad he's all by himself, I think im going to set up my 10 gallon, and put him in there with another male mollie i guess. see i onlly have a 10 gallon so i don't wanna put three in, or is that ok? so if i have a male now i guess i shouldnt get a female or it will pick on it? can mollies die of lonliness?
thankyou

Terry

Hi Lola. That's good on the heater. The thermometer would be a good idea too. I'm not sure if a fish can die of loneliness, but I know they're usually happier with more than one of their kind in the tank. I have a single platy in a 3 gallon hospital tank, and he sure seems lonely in there by himself!

Concerning whether you need to get a male or female friend for your male molly, I would say get a female. Two males might fight, but I'm no molly expert. If it was possible I'd have 2 females & one male. That way the male could split his time btween his 2 girlfriends. If you had two males & one female I'd guess the males would tend to fight over the one girl. I would think 3 mollies in a 10 gallon would be just fine. Just my opinions, for what it's worth. Maybe someone else can comment.

emilai333

3 mollies in a 10g (remember to CYCLE FIRST!!!) would be fine. You'll end up with fry, but you can sell them or give them away... or just let them get eaten. Two females and a male would be ideal. I have heard stories about molly males fighting; as I mentioned I am taking a risk with putting two males in my tank... I would not risk it but I've already got one healthy male and not enough room for two females. One male and one female can result in the female being chased/stressed until she dies. Two males and one female is definitely an even worse decision as the males would fight over the girl and the girl would be chased by two males - everyone gets twice the stress.

As far as a fish DYING of loneliness, I don't believe they do, but I can give you a 100% guaruntee that they will be happier with friends. Think of it like this: You could SURVIVE in complete isolation, provided with all the necessary items... but you wouldn't be happy with noone to interact with.

lolagurl

yes thats makes sense..ok so two females one male...i'll have to wait till i find my 10 gallon tank and set it up. Im gonna get one of those thenometer bands that stick on the outside of the tank i think cuz the pet store is right near my house. so Terry i see you say you have one empty tank and three 10 gallons in the attic, so you keep your fish in the attic?..thats pretty neat..just thought id say

emilai333

Hey, I hadn't noticed that! Terry, how can you have a 55g and NOT HAVE FISH IN IT!!!!
I've got about every container I own that holds water and is larger than 4 gallons, filled with water and fish. lol.

Yes Lola, please be certain that your ten gallon is well-cycled before adding your mollies. The stick on thermometer bands are good, I have a couple of them on my tanks (I took the heater out of the tank that the lyretail was in and found out that my room is 63 freaking degrees. No wonder I'm so dang cold. Time to buy a space heater, I think.)

One advantage of mollies is that females are as brightly colored as males. Make sure you keep us posted on your fish!!

Terry

Hi! Sorry - I should change my profile a bit - the three 10gallon tanks in the attic are empty, as is the 55 gallon. The only tanks I'm actually using are the 12 at home, a three gallon at home being used currently as a hospital/quarantine tank, and a 6 at work in my office. My son used the 55 gallon for a 3 foot long iguana he once had, and other than my wife putting some fake plants in it, it just sits in the corner of a room seldom used. I'd love to set it up with fish, but I just don't know if I want to deal with emptying a 55 gallon tank at some point in the future. Taking down & cleaning the 12 gallon properly is a couple hours of work, and I dread the thought of have to do that with a 55 gallon! Maybe I'll lose my mind some day though and do it! Then again I may just list it on freecycle & give it away - that would make the wife happy! Right now I just want to get everthing under control with the fish I do have, before I think of any more tanks. Then again, if I do start raising fish again I'll need a 10 gallon or two set up to raise the young in...................

emilai333

LOL, yeah, gotta get each tank healthy before you consider the next one. I wouldn't love cleaning a 55. Though the fish would be worth it... and it can be done, there's a guy upstairs who has chichlids in a 55. In a college dorm room. Actually, I prefer the 10 to 30 range of tanks. You can tuck them into corners and things.

So, I replaced Peaches with a red dalmation molly male (who I have named Mandarin). **crosses fingers that this fish will survive**

I have to go buy a new heater because the temperature in my room is so absurd, I need an extra for my big guppy fry tub. But I wasn't smart enough to do that before going to exchange my molly, so of course I had to come back and start him floating first. ah well.

Terry

Hey. Good luck with Mandarin!* Sounds like a pretty molly. There'll be an extra set of crossed fingers in Charlotte! Let us know how he does.

lolagurl

I dont know how my mollie is doing he goes to the top alot, but is not gulping, but I already made the mistake of not cycling...never even heard of it before i got on here..anyways i took glass fulls of water to change it and am getting spring water tonight and gonna put a little bit at a time..he swimming right at the top...is not tilted or anything or resting on the bottom as i think amonia infected fish do. Fish sleep though too dont they, he is pretty much stays in one spot for 15 minutes then goes to another spot, has been in the middle a few times, but mostly near the bottom or top. I know i have probably plagues him with amonia but i know he could still be ok, i was thinking of getting a zeolite or something to help take out the amonia. I know a lot of people who never cycled but still have healthy fish so we'll see...

Terry

Hi again. I'm not sure if anything is wrong with Mandarin or not. Did you just set up the tank or was it the one you had set up already? If new water did you add dechlorinator to the water? Did you float his bag fo a while (I think you said you did?) before setting him free. I've been trying to gradually swap my tank water with the water in the bag when I get new fish now, especially since I have some salt in the water now. BUT, it may just be stress from the trip from the LFS, and the new tank settings. What type of filter do you have? If you think it's ammonia then zeolyte shoud reduce it, but it's a hard granular stuff that you rinse first (that doesn't dissolve), and to use it you'd most likely need a filter bag to put it in an internal or external filter. Or you can buy AmmoLock or one of those liquids you add to tie up & reduce any ammonia. But, it may just be stress. See what he's like in the morning. Hopefully you'll be happily surprised to find that he's fine (fingers crossed).

By the way I've been using a soft sided insulated cooler bag lately to bring fish home in this cold weather. I'm trying anything I can to not lose fish, but I'm not always successful in spite of everything I try. It seems like I always have fish losses here & there, not that I like it.

This is totally off-topic, but it sounds like you're in college? If so what are you majoring in? I majored in biology (zoology) with a chemistry minor, but that was probably long before you were born!

Hang in there, be positive, and hope for the best!

Terry

lolagurl

i got spring water cuz i was told to change 50% of the water slowly a day, and before i used tap, so im doing that slowly, got a stick on thernometer...he goes through weird spurts, first he'll be swimming up and down the tank and be fine, then he'll be hiding or near the top of the water. But i think it is because hes scared of me, cuz i notice everytime i turn the light on he goes and hides, when he was in the middle to begin with. I dont know, i really like this fish, and i love animals, and cant sleep knowing even a little fish may be in pain. hes a male mollie dalmation fry about a month old, i have no idea what he will look like when hes full grown. i HOPE YOU WERE TALKING TO ME ABOUT THIS OR I'LL FEEL REALLY STUPID..LOL

emilai333

Yeah, Lola, Terry got my fish mixed up with yours. Mandarin is still floating, actually, I'm becoming obsessive about floating my fish. I recommend keeping dechlorinator on hand even if you use spring water - first of all, I think its cheaper and secondly, if you have an emergency and are out of spring water, you can use dechlorinated tap water. I agree, keep an eye on him and see how he is tomorrow. Good luck and keep us posted!

Terry, I am a biology major. I am hoping to get a job doing some sort of field research, though if I can't find one (yeah pretty much those jobs don't pay at all), I wouldn't mind working at a zoo. One of my greatest passions is caring for animals; I would love to work at a zoo helping improve habitats and such to make it more comfortable for the animals. I am particularly interested in large carnivores, mostly mammals but birds are kind of my "hobby animal" - I never considered a career working with them but I always loved them nearly as much, and now I'm considering if maybe I'd like to work with raptors. I am currently in my second year of college and have started a research project dealing with avian vocalizations and how ambient noise affects them. I'm probably going to get a chemistry minor but I hate Chemistry and my Organic grades are sinking rather more than I would like, so I may choose not to. Bummer since once I finish organic there's only one semester left to get a minor... Anyways, I'm also hoping to get an Irish Studies minor because one of our Gen Ed requirements is to do either a bunch of random courses or an interdisciplinary minor. If I don't do a Chem minor, I might consider a Psych minor. I don't know. I have two years left and I'm a full year ahead in credits - I have a lot of play room.

Terry

Hi both of you! Yes - I guess I'm getting your mollies mixed up. Sorry. Blame it on old age I guess. Keep us posted on both of your molly situations. I'm almost tempted now to set up another tank just for mollies!

I've noticed that when I put my tank light on in the morning before I leave for work, that my little gold dust molly is nowhere to be seen. I've been finding her on the bottom under a leaf of one of the plants, practically laying on the gravel. But after the lights been on a while and especially after putting some food in she's up & about & looks very active & normal. Lola - to me it's normal that when you put the light on the fish tend to get a little frightened till they get used to it. When I turn mine on in the morning it's dark (I get up at 4:30am on weekdays & leave the house for work before 6am) the fish (platys, the molly and the neons) are either up at the top or close to the bottom. Once they get used to the light they're swimming all over the place waiting to be fed! I usually turn a light on in the room before I turn on the tank light - trying not to shock them too much by turning on the tank light in the dark. After all - fish can't close their eyes so it has to be a shock turning on the tank light in a dark room?

Emilai (not sure what to call you LOL!) - that's really cool on the biology major! I had a feeling you'd say that you were a biology major. I only listed that zoology degree because it was the type of biology major I chose - an option so to speak. Had nothing to do with zoos or working in zoos, as you probably know anyway. I was hoping after I graduated to get into wildlife management or fisheries biology, but that never happened. I ended up in the chemical industry instead. I took a lot of field courses in college & loved them - ornithology, mammalogy, ichthyology, etc. My favorite field course was ichthyology - we had to go out & collect native fish from lakes, streams and creeks. I think my collection ended up with over 100 different species of fish (got an A on it!). I was amazed at how many fish could be found in little tiny 2-3 foot wide creeks, and some of them were absolutely beautiful! Small fish like little red belly dace, darters of all kinds & colors, etc. A lot of these little fish could compete with the aquarium varieties for color, but they didn't do well in aquaria because a lot of them needed swift current to thrive. So many beautiful little fish that most people don't even know exist in tiny little creeks! Ornithology & mammalogy collecting trips were fun too, but getting up early on frosty mornings to go out in a farmer's field to see what was caught in your traps (a field study we each had to do) wasn't always the most fun! Besides, I never much cared for killing anything just for a course - birds, mammals or fish. I remember we each had a rabbit in physiology that we were supposed to inject with curare (arrow poison) just to record what it went through as it died - what a waste! I snuck my rabbit out under my coat & took him home! Heck - I wasn't even comfortable with pithing a frog. Anyway - I'm starting to ramble on so I better quit. But, good luck with the degree and the future!

Terry

emilai333

Yeah I'm hoping to aviod killing anything myself. I'm pretty sure that at least for my undergrad degree I won't have to; my school only has a rat lab and that's for either A&P or an independent research project. Most courses use things that are brought in already dead, and I can deal with working with something already dead. Injecting a rabbit with curare to see how it died, I find barbaric. Is curare a neurotoxin? I can't remember for certain; but if I remember right, it is naturally produced by dart frogs?

Well, Mandarin seems to be doing well! He's very active and his dorsal fin is up. YAY! A HEALTHY FISH (so far).

Oh, and my name is Emily, but a couple of years ago my boss hired a second Emilee, so we had to come up with a way to tell us apart. Hence she remained Emilee and I became Emilai (a theory which didn't work because only one person ever remembered which one was which, and he was the boss's son and didn't work there until after Emilee left). I still use Emilai sometimes with my friends or online so that its easy to tell which Emily I am. I hate having such a generic name.

Terry

Hi Emily/Emilai . Yes - curare is originally from the poison dart frogs. I'm not sure if it's a neurotoxin - it causes paralysis & death by asphyxiation as the respiratory muscles are unable to contract. You can imagine being in a room with several rabbits going through this. I never knew rabbits made noise till then, and it's a scream type of noise that I think they only make when in pain (sorry for the yukky description). After I snuck my rabbit out (the usual white albinos used for labs) I kept him a few months till it just became too much to deal with in a tiny apartment, and the daily ammonia smell in the cage was getting to me too. I ended up taking him to a remote place out in the boonies where I used to go fishing, and let him go in a nice spring green field of grass & brush. That in itself was sad, especially since as I was leaving I saw a big red tail hawk circling overhead. I imagine he had no problem seeing a white rabbit in a green field, but I told myself it was a more natural and diginified way to go than being poisoned in a classroom. And maybe he escaped the hawk - I'll never know.

That's great news that Mandarin looks good today. That activity and the dorsal fin being up are good signs! I hope Lola's are doing well too. I'm convinced now that I have more mollies in my future - either a friend for my female or a tank with a few.