sick male black molly

Question
QUESTION: Greetings Mr Hight,
I have a male black molly that is clearly sick and or injured. He can't get his back end up straight, is struggling to stay affloat a little, and is swimming with an extreme curve or "warp"  A female molly in the same tank has chased him there in the same tank and I did have some ammonia probles a while back. There seems to be a bald spot near his eye. You know what is going on?

ANSWER: Hi John

Black Mollies usually get this bent spine condition when water quality does not meet their requirements, and they aren't being fed a proper diet. First and foremost, Mollies require clean water. I change the water in my Molly tanks twice a week, 25% on weekends, and a 10% change mid-week. I also keep the filters maintained by changing the carbon twice a month.

Mollies also require warm salty water. Temperature should be 79-84, and add a teaspoon of freshwater aquarium salt for every 2 gallons of water. There are people that advise 1 tsp of salt per gallon of water or 1 tbsp per 5 gallons. I think that is a little excessive. Make sure you use freshwater aquarium salt and NOT marine salt of table salt. Another thing to keep in mind that if your Mollies have not had salt in their water, they'll need to be acclimated to it. Add one teaspoon the first week, then increase the level by 1 tsp each water change. You also have to remember to replace the salt at every water change. Also, if you have catfish or other scaleless fish in your tank, the salt will make them sick if not kill them. So you'll need to transfer your Mollies or scaleless fish to another tank in this case.

Next, Mollies need greens in their diets. Feed them a quality flake food like Tetramin Tropical Flakes which has greens in it. Also, drop in a couple of algae wafers and zucchini occasionally. Feed them bloodworms and baby brine shrimp about once a week.

Here is a link to further help you with your Mollies.

http://www.squidoo.com/Black-Molly

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard

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

QUESTION: Richard,
Thanks for your thurough,knowledgeable response to my question regarding my molly. I waas able to determine that he had ick based on the white spots on his side and under side. They appear to be diminishing  after I applied the second dose of ich medicine.  I did notice that one of my platy's has a spot on her top side. The manufacturer suggests that I apply the medine twice in between two 48 cycles. I think I may want to do it one more time.   Is this ok?   I am a little worried about not having a filter in place for this long. He has a small bald spot that also appears to be improving. Are there any other diseases he may have?
I will be fairly aggressive with my
water changes as suggested as soons I complete the ick treament. I am aware of water quality issues.
Sincerely,
John Martint.

Answer
Hi John

Before treating again with the medication, replace the carbon in your filter and do a 40% water change. There are many good Ich medications on the market and I don't know what you're using, but the fastest way to get rid of Ich is to raise the temperature in your tank to about 85 degrees, and add the salt that I mentioned in my previous answer. Heat and salt will take care of the Ich parasites relatively quickly. Quick Cure is the most common medication used by many aquarists. I've never had Ich in any of my tanks, but people I talk to about it tell me the heat and salt work best without chemicals. However, the higher temps in the tank will decrease the oxygen level so you'll need to add an air pump with a large air stone to the tank if you don't already have one. You can also lower the water level in the tank to get a little splash from your filter which will increase the oxygen.

Here is a link to help you further understand and treat Ich.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?88601-FRESHWATER-ICH

Hope this helps you, good luck!

Richard