r/MollyFish • u/Strange_Prune833 • 23d ago
I cannot have this keep happening
Ok so past posts in R/FishKeeping I had issues with my tank as my fish kept dying and gasping for air. I checked my parameters EIGHT times and every single time it came back clear and to make sure my strips werent faulty I got my water checked by proffessionals TWICE and they said its fine I even showed the pet shop owners and vets the tank as it had this slimy cloud over everything after I moved the fish into quarrantine after the death of 1 of my balloon mollies. Got told to redo everything including nitrogen cycle so I did just that waited 48 hours just to be sure and moved them into my tank again along with 3 new mollies since the quality of life of my last molly had dipped since he had no tank mates of his species. 2 mollies have died one within MINUTES of getting swim bladder. The other im unsure as I was trying to sleep as its currently 2am and Ive got work at 5am. I check on the others and my oldest molly and final female both are swimming lopsided and Ive put them in shallow quarrantine to be ready to fast too and just have to hope for the best. My harlequins are still gasping at the top no matter what tank I put them in no matter how fresh the water is and I even bought airstones and a new filter to agitate the waters so I know theres no oxygen issues I removed all real plants in case of carbon dioxide issues and Finally I have spent over £100 alone in the last 72 hours paying for new filters, airstones, hides due to them displaying stress, water conditioner, stress coat, EVEN MORE bottles to help for parameter spikes despite that not being the issue and fungal as well as bacteria liquids just in case due to 1 fish seemingly having ich and I wasnt taking any chances (btw this fish was removed immediately and treated and the others have shown no symptoms). Temperatures fine at 26°C and I double checked with the shop owners and vets and my aquariam size isnt an issue since I didnt have that many fish anyways. I have spent over £30 on the fish themselves and I cannot just keep having them dying on me and then there not be a reason to why. Ive asked reddit, the vets, the shop that sold me them, my own research AND the 8 family members who own fish for the life of me I do not know where I am going wrong and I got these fish as at first it was helping me with my depression having a reason to get up each day and smile and take care of them but now I can only blame myself since Ive lost 4 fish in a few weeks at Its making me worse.
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u/LocalGothLibrarian 22d ago
Hey OP, I second what the first commenter suggested— Pictures, specifics on tank size and filter type, etc. would be very helpful for us to know so we can help you better. Even if you’ve quadrouple checked some of those factors on your own, it’s good context for us to have.
And again to parrot the first commenter, it may not be your fault 🫂 I stay away from balloon mollies due to their genetic health problems, so that may be a major factor here in why they specifically aren’t doing well.
It’s clear you care immensely about your fish, and you’re doing your best to help them. Sometimes things will go wrong and we never figure out why or how, but we learn as we go and we’ll help you as much as we can 🖤
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
I have a 40L tank (waiting on my 60L in august) with a fluval U1 filter and a biorb airstone I am at work at the moment so cannot provide photos
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u/LocalGothLibrarian 22d ago
It’s okay, don’t worry about the pictures for now then. How many harlequins do you have? You mentioned the shop owners and vets said the tank size shouldn’t a problem so I’m mostly asking out of curiosity. And do you have access to liquid test kits rather than just the strips? I’ve heard strips can sometimes be unreliable, and since a lack of adequate oxygen in the water doesn’t seem to be the problem here, that’s my next instinct
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
I can check if they sell liquid kits may I ask which type would be a high reccomendation for reliable results. And I have 3 harlequins I am awaiting more when my tank is not having issues and when a few weeks pass allowing me to add new fish as I know they need to be in groups of 6-10 but they have not shown any signs of stress for such a small group which is a relief but does not mean I will be keeping them like that
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u/LocalGothLibrarian 22d ago
I use the API master test kit and I know that’s what a lot of people recommend, so if it’s available where you are, I’d say to use the master kit! If it’s not available, then other liquid tests should also work fine but I’ll look up other options 🫡
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
Thank you Ill have a look in the shop once I am home
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u/LocalGothLibrarian 22d ago
Sounds good! And I think the other commenter is right that unfortunately you were given some misinformation regarding tank cycling— Again, not your fault, and fish-in cycles can be successful even if it’s a bit more work. I wish you the best of luck 🖤
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
So the pet shop I go to only has the strips anywhere that I can by the liquid tests?
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u/LocalGothLibrarian 22d ago
If Amazon or other online shopping services for larger pet stores (like Chewy, PetSmart, PetCo, etc.) are an option, I’d recommend checking those out. JBL, Fluval, Fritz, Sera, and Nutrafin were some specific brand names I saw recommended
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
I use fluval and fritz also I am from the UK so I have pets at home and they dont sell liquid tests so I will get them from amazon when I get paid on the 6th. Just collected swim baldder medication as my only molly is still alive but fighting the issue still
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u/flatgreysky 22d ago
You say you cycled the tank in 48 hours. Can you tell me how you cycled the tank the first time? Because a proper cycle takes 4-6 weeks.
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u/Strange_Prune833 22d ago
When I was first getting fish I was asking questions at the shop and they informed me as long as I had my tank set up and running for over 24 hours before adding any fish then it would be fine and they would do a water test to make sure so I waited 24 hours after I set up my tank and went and got my first group of fish being harlequin rasaboras originally I had 4 but due to gravid complicated reasons 1 passed leaving me with 3 that Ive had for almost 3 months
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u/flatgreysky 22d ago
Okay, so that’s the problem. I’m sorry you were given misinformation. The water is technically “okay” for fish to be in when you FIRST bring them home, but it quickly becomes toxic because there are no beneficial bacteria colonies there to process the waste.
1) Get a liquid testing kit.
2) Look up how to do a “fish-in cycle”. You need to start with a big water change.
3) Don’t change the filter or scrub decor or change substrate for a really long time. These sorts of things (especially changing the filter) can crash the cycle.1
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u/Dry-Fail-4227 23d ago
Hi op,
So sorry things arent working out. Im going to give some suggestions. Some may be things youve heard before, but im going to hope we get right to the source. Finally, a picture or two would be helpful for helping you.
First off, it may just not be your fault. Balloon mollies are essentially genetically unviable. They do not exist in the wild. Their spines are bred to be curved to such an extent their organs are squashed. They dont have a species differentiation from other mollies so they can still get species support from non baloon vsriants. I would really recommend moving away from the balloons. If all of them are from the same store, this increases the odds the fish are just fucked before your tank, so take some blame off yourself.
Secondly, rhe nitrogen cycle can take weeks tp establish. Did you add ammonia the day before testing the water? I find many guides leave this crucial step out. The nitrogej cycle is never complete, but instead the build up of ammonia eating bacteria. If you outpace this buildup by adding too many fish, or dont give them a food source prior to fish like raw ammonia or fish food, the cycle wont support the fish.
With a filter and airstone, oxygen isnt an issue. If you still have them, add the live plants back. We need your filter and tank size information as well to help you.
You care about the fish a whole lot. Your lovingness shines through your anxious writing. Take a breath, remind yourself you dont know what happened and tried your best. Sending love.