Silver Molly

Question
Hello Lauren,
I have two male mollies, a creamsicle one and a silver one in a ten gallon aquarium. I am currently in college, and my parents take care of them while I am away, performing a 25% water change once a week. The fish are also fasted once a week to prevent constipation. When I was home visiting over the weekend, I noticed that my silver molly had a two red splotches by his gills on both sides of his face. They are a pretty decent size, and it looks  almost like a blood clot beneath his skin. He is eating though and is still seems as active and healthy as ever. Being the smaller fish, he is often chased around by the other molly. They have been living together since march however, and this has never seemed to be a serious problem before. Do you have any ideas what could be causing these red circles? Is it a sign of maturity, or is there something wrong that we should be concerned about? Thank you!

Answer
Could be ammonia poisoning...
the symptoms of ths are
-Fish gasp for breath at the water surface
-Purple or red gills
-Fish is lethargic
-Fins are torn & jagged
-Loss of appetite
-Fish lays at the bottom of the tank
-Fish may appear darker in color
-Red streaking on the fins or body

Ammonia Poisoning General Description:
Ammonia poisoning is one of the biggest killers of aquarium fish. Ammonia irritates the fish by burning there gills and scales and sometimes the scales even fall off. It occurs most often when a tank is newly set up. However, it can also occur in an established tank when too many new fish have been added at one time, when the filter fails due to power or mechanical failure, or if bacterial colonies die off due to the use of medications or sudden change in water conditions.

Ammonia Poisoning Treatments:
Do daily water changes to reduce ammonia levels to 1-2 ppm for freshwater or below 1 ppm for saltwater. Aerate, and make sure pH is at or below 7.0 for freshwater tanks. In addition to or instead of changing water, you can also add a dose of something like AmQuel, but I prefer the water change method. Find out why ammonia is present and correct the problem.  

Ammonia Poisoning Prevention:
-Stock new tanks slowly, proper cycling.
-Feed sparingly and remove uneaten food (I'm serious)
-Change water regularly 20% weekly.
-Test water regularly.
-The key to avoiding fish death from ammonia poisoning is to not let the ammonia build up in the first place. Completely cycle the tank before adding fish. Even in an well established tank, avoid overstocking.

Feed fish very small quantities of foods. They really don't need much to eat. Gravel wash and change 20% of the water weekly, taking care of fish is a responsibility