Balloon Belly Mollie.. Pregnant???

Question
QUESTION: HI Brittany,
I have a 5 gallon and a 2.5 gallon tank, I keep the temp around 74, I have 2 kuli loaches, 1 male balloon belly mollie, 1 female balloon belly mollie, 1 bumble bee catfish, 1 placostimous (sp), and a gold snail in my 5 gallon.  We are getting ready to move and I am going to set up a larger tank at that time.  I usually keep a beta, algae eater, and gold snail in the smaller tank. I haven't done any water tests, I clean the tanks about every 2 weeks.  I feed the fish 2x a day, in the AM and PM, and I rotate food, from flakes,granules,and dried blood worms.  I also add a little algae for the snail and algae eaters.

Here is my question:  My female mollie is sluggish the past few days, she seems to be fatter so I thought she could be pregnant.  I moved her to the 2.5 gallon tank with the algae eater and put the beta in a large fish bowl I have.  Would being pregnant cause her to just sit on the bottom of the tank.  It seems like she doesn't have the strength to swim to the top of the tank very much.  Also, she doesn't seem to be eating much.  All my other fish are just fine, the male mollie is healthy, so I don't think it's something in the tank.  How can I tell if she is pregnant and how long does it usually take for a mollie to deliver babies.

Thanks for any assistance,
terrie  


ANSWER: Terrie,
I can see a few things wrong with what you have described to me. Briefly, you need to do water changes more often. Your tanks are too small for so few water changes. 40% once a week for both will do it - and always suck water from the bottom - out of the gravel. Also, algae eaters can mean a large number of species. If you mean the Plecostomus, please remember they grow to be about 2 feet long and larger, so you will need to upgrade to at least a 55 gallon tank for each one, or find a new home for them.
I recommend buying a test kit, so you can keep an eye on your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. I can guarantee you at least one of those is higher than what is safe, because of the infrequent water changes.
Start doing those water changes and keep on it, make sure you are not OVER feeding, also - gravel vacuums are your bff when it comes to keeping your fish and tank healthy, and upgrade as soon as possible to a much larger tank. Mollies are recommended in a tank of a minimum of 30 gallons. I can leave a few links for you to look at so you can do some more research if you are unsure about anything I have said here, though I can assure you I am only here to help and would never purposefully steer you wrong :)
As far as your molly goes, I don't think she is pregnant, but you can tell by the shape of her belly. It should be very large and appear "boxy". Her feces should also be coming out clear. But laying on the bottom is not normal, and indicates a problem. Your other fish may appear healthy, but it is not as simple as looking at them - fish hide their illness.
Last but not least - you'll want to get that temp up. 74 degrees is a bit too cool for your fish's needs. I recommend a temp of around 78-79 degrees.
Note - Find out what specific kind of algae eater you have, so you can make sure you are providing a suitable home for them. I will leave some sites on various kinds of algae eaters as well. (Scientific Names are good to write down and keep a record of what kind of fish you have, because stores go by many different "common" names for the same fish. It's important to be able to identify the fish you have in your home, so you can take proper care of it.)
Best of luck to you.

Links for you to check out about your fish -

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/livebearer_mollies/mollies_lyre_tail_p

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1958&articleid=2617

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Kuhli%20Loaches.htm

http://www.aquariumsecrets.com/Algae%20Eaters.htm

http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Pleco.htm





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for the info.  I will start changing my water more often and get a couple heaters for my tanks.  I live in AZ and it is usually warm so I haven't gotten heaters yet.  I will also get a water test kit.  
I have a placo and a Chinese algae eater, the Chinese in the smaller tank because it is aggressive and has already killed one fish. I know that I will have to get a new home for the placo someday, but for now he is quite small.  I do have a gravel vacuum and use that to do water changes.I don't think I am over feeding, the mollies have quite an appetite.  
As far as my mollie, her feces are coming out clear and her belly is getting larger, but I am not sure if she looks "boxy".  What are some illnesses that would cause her to sit on the floor of the tank? The male mollie is not doing this and he is swimming around like normal.  How can I look for hidden illnesses?  
I have acquired a 10 and a 20 gal tank that I am going to set up in a couple weeks, as soon as I move.  I am also talking to a friend about buying his 29 gal.  I do understand about not putting too many fish in one tank, so I'm going to spread them around.
Thank you for the web sites, I glanced at them and they seem quite helpful.

Answer
The best way to keep an eye out for potential problems or illnesses developing is regular water testing. That way, you can make sure none of  the toxic chemicals reach an unsafe/stressful amount and you can be sure perform enough water changes.
There are other things that can cause problems, of course, but water quality is the most important factor, and the most common cause of disease.
Some other ways you can prevent disease developing in your tank is always soaking new plants/decor/gravel in 10percent bleach 90 percent water solution, then rinsing off VERY well until no bleach is left.
That will kill any parasites or snails or whatever else may be on the new "thing" you are adding to the tank.
Also, it's a good idea to always have an spare tank up and running with no fish in it for use as a quarantine/sick tank. That way your other fish and your main tank has a better chance of not becoming infected.
You will want to upgrade to a much larger tank soon. Keeping a fish that is supposed to grow very large in a tank that is too small, will generally stress it out, and therefore "stunt" it's growth, killing it prematurely. If that happens, you will have a fish that suffered for a long time and died before ever reaching adulthood. So it is really important to get a tank that is suitable for the adult size, not the size of the fish when you first bought it. It is pretty much impossible to tell when stunting begins, so it's best just not risk it at all.
Remember, the most important goal for a fish keeper (or hobbyist, as the experts say) is to keep the fish alive, and stress free!
There are a few things that can cause a fish to "sit" on the bottom of the tank, one of the most common being SBD. You can help prevent this by cutting back on how much you are feeding.
Two TINY pinches of flakes twice a day is substantial. A fish's stomach is only about as large as it's eye! And fish are opportunistic eaters - their instincts tell them that this may be their last meal for who knows how long, because that is how it has been for generations in the wild - and make no mistake about it - fish ARE wild. So they can and will eat themselves to death.
YOU are playing god, and have to balance an entire mini watery eco-system, so it's important to know when a fish has had enough.
Fish are not really pets, they are a piece of nature in your home, and  it is important to keep it as natural as possible so as not to stress out the fish. Why? Because stress lowers immunity, and makes them much more susceptible to disease, which can lead to death ... and what is the number one goal of any fish hobbyist?