Red Molly

Question
Ok so i'm not really good with fishes names.  Ok i'll add the salt and there are alot of hiding places and things in the tank.  It even has a dragon air bubble thing.  This has only been recent though and no other fish are affected.  its a 10 gallon tank i have 5 fish 2 aqua frogs and a new one but i dont know his name, he just sits on the bottom and sucks on alge.  He has also gotten really fat within the past week.  he keeps looking at the floor like i guess trying to get more food but i feed them every night and i feed them a good amount.  How would i know if it has babies.  Thanks for your help
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-----Question-----
I have a red molly and recently its been floating vertically with its nose down.  He seems content though.  Should i just let him be? or what can be causing this
-----Answer-----
Good day, Craig! Thanks for your question...

A red molly. Hmmm...I don't believe I've ever heard of a red molly. Unless you have some kind of hybrid of a sailfin molly, my guess would be that you have a red [wag] platy.

The best way to know if you should act, is by testing your water. The ideal levels of Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate that are 0 ppm of all three of these. However, up to 20 ppm of Nitrate is acceptable. The behavior you describe could be "pacing" which is generally caused by having a single schooling fish (that is, only one when it's the kind of fish that wants more of its kind around) or just plain boredom. How is your decor? Fish like a rich aquascape. If your tank is on the bare side, consider adding some plants (plastic will do) and providing hiding places using your decorations.

Another possibility is that your molly (or possibly platy?) is pregnant. Livebearers have the seemingly magical ability of getting pregnant at will, because they store the male's sperm for up to months at a time! Neat, huh?

If you are really considered, I would add a teaspoon of aquarium salt per five gallons. Whether your fish is a molly or platy, it will appreciate the addition.

Good luck! I hope that helps.

Nicole


Answer
Hi again, Craig! The fish you speak of is a common plecostomus. Look at this web site to make sure:

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/compleco.htm

He will need his own special food after the lights go out on your tank. Look for algae wafers at the pet store, or even at Walmart. He will also eat raw veggies (like romaine lettuce, zucchini and cucumber slices) weighed down somehow, say with a magnetic clip. They are night feeders and night time is when they are most active. Your pleco sounds hungry, so do look into getting him his own special food.

Here is a subsection of a website about the platy species:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile4.html

Here are a few articles on breeding and pregnancy:

http://www.atchison.com/fishinformation/breedinglivebearers.htm

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platyreprofaqs.htm
(Follow the linked files above for more information. This website has articles, as well as answers to questions.)

About the frogs...don't exceed more than 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons in your tank. It would be best if you knew whether you had african clawed frogs (ACF) or african dwarf frogs (ADF), just in case they ever got sick and needed treatment. This site should help you determine the difference:

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/frog4.htm#salt

Sorry to give you all these links to read, but reading is the "ounce of prevention" they speak of. If you know more about your fishy friends offhand, including their common names, then you will know how best to take care of them. For example, if you went out today and bought a juvenile bala shark, did you know that that little 2" shark can easily grow over 10" long? Researching before you buy anything is a good way to save yourself the trouble and expense, not to meantion heartache, of having new fish fail to thrive.

Take care, hope you found the information helpful!

Nicole

P.S. If you prefer reading books: at the library, 639.84 is the call number for aquarium books.