lost 1 of my sailfin mollies! 1 other sick ! need advice!
#1 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 23 April 2014 - 11:49 AM
#2 Guest_Dustin_*
Posted 23 April 2014 - 12:07 PM
#3 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 23 April 2014 - 03:41 PM
How to acclimate them to saltwater depends on who you ask. I can see all of this article http://jeb.biologist.../207/6/905.full which says in the methods section that,
"Seawater was made by diluting Instant Ocean brand salts (Aquarium Systems Inc., Mentor, OH, USA) in dechlorinated Edmonton tap water. Fish [freshwater rainbow trout] were acclimated to 10‰ for at least one week before transfer to a second system containing full-strength seawater (30‰) for at least an additional week before sampling."
So what they did was put them in brackish for a week, then just BAM saltwater. Not sure I'd use that method. But apparently it can be done without killing all of the fish, or at least trout. Considering that your fish are diseased, you might want to give them more time.
Devilishturtles said, "I've heard that a slow drip acclimation for 6 to 12 hours would work fine, and there are people on here that have done it in 3-4 and some who have done it over a few weeks." http://www.aquariuma...ter-101706.html
Here's a multi day example: http://www.fantasyre...read.php?t=2559 Four days to 1.005, ten days to 1.010.
You're gonna need a hydrometer ($10 local pet store) and marine salt, but yeah the change in salinity theoretically shouldn't shock the mollies and should kill whatever pathogen that is.
#4 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 23 April 2014 - 08:47 PM
these are yucatan mollies from arizona aquatic gardens. I've been feeding them a combo of cichlid flakes and betta crumbles. they love both. the breeder recommended 76-80f as these mollies are more tropical than most. what kind of veggies do you feed them?If possible, I would suggest lowering the temperature. Where did the fish come from? If anywhere but Deep South Florida they will thrive at temps in the low 70s. Also be certain they are getting plenty of vegetable matter in their diet. In the wild, these guys eat Mostly algae with the addition of any meaty goodies found In the algae.
#5 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 07:18 AM
Also, I agree about the lower temperature. 70 F stresses fish less than 80.
Hornwort is an enormous nitrogen sucker, and competes with the population of beneficial bacteria, decreasing their number. <- This statement is based on my own experience, where I gave my friend my filter sponge from my heavily planted tank to cycle hers and it didn't work. She got an ammonia spike. My filter was there and set up, but there weren't any bacteria on it. It turns out I was plant-filtering my tanks back before I knew I was.
#6 Guest_gerald_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 09:35 AM
One other comment on mollies: There are many species and they are NOT all brackish water fish. Many of the Mexican inland species occur in fresh water that is hard (high Ca+ and Mg+) but is NOT brackish (low Na+ and Cl-).
#7 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 10:08 AM
#8 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 10:27 AM
There are very few organisms that are capable of transitioning from full freshwater to full saltwater. If the fish can, this gives you the fishkeeper a great advantage. Transitioning the fish from fresh to saltwater may not phase the fish but might kill the pathogen. There are definitely some nasty critters that will make the transition right alongside the fish (example, hydras) and this technique doesn't work for them. And I'm not claiming to know anything about your particular molly species, just that the genus has some species that are capable of the transition. 'Cause if you can transition the fish, with zero casualties, and completely 100% kill the pathogen without any medication, well, I think that's amazing and super worth mentioning. Mollies and, I hear, even guppies are sorta awesome for that ability.I dont see anything "crazy rare" about a pink sore on a fish in brackish water. There are plenty of diseases that attack brackish and saltwater fish. This one sounds most likely bacterial. Increasing salinity might help cure it, but not always. Depends what kind of infection it is.
#9 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 10:32 AM
So there are certainly some nasties that the fresh to salt or vice versa won't kill. But they're rare. A lot of problem creatures (ha ha ha suck it leeches) can't handle salinity.
#10 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 12:14 PM
thats too bad about your seahorses. i thought they were neat! do hydra attack fish directly? luckily i don't have any in my tanks as far as i know but I've seen a few leeches from my mts. the mollies make quick work of them! thanks for all the help once again. good luck with you new project!Here's a video of my hydras. They came in from material collected near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and infested my ocean salinity seawater tanks. A while later I gave up on saltwater (because the hydras. The treatment I tried to use to kill the hydras in one tank killed my 70 seahorse colony . Levamisole hydrochloride gives hippocampus zosterae seizures and kills them within an hour) and transitioned the tanks to full freshwater. This is a video captured from a tank I had thought was hydra free and had not dosed with any drug, just transitioned straight to freshwater. No acclimation, just drained and filled with fresh. And my tap water is basically RO; it's 0 DH and 0 KH. As you can see in the video, the hydras had no problems making the transition.
http://youtu.be/o8I9p9woyU8
So there are certainly some nasties that the fresh to salt or vice versa won't kill. But they're rare. A lot of problem creatures (ha ha ha suck it leeches) can't handle salinity.
#11 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 01:55 PM
Let us know how your mollies fare.
#12 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 24 April 2014 - 06:53 PM
#13 Guest_mikez_*
Posted 25 April 2014 - 08:09 PM
#14 Guest_Gavinswildlife_*
Posted 25 April 2014 - 09:09 PM
Don't dump in chemicals just because you see a "spot"!!!! More harm is done by aquarists adding chemicals than is done by waiting and watching.
I think this is pretty urgent, one has already died.
#15 Guest_mikez_*
Posted 25 April 2014 - 09:37 PM
Check water quality but add nothing and maybe one dies. Dump in random chemicals without knowing what your doing and everything dies. Me, I net out the one with a spot and move on. That's why I don't own chemicals or test kits but I never have any kind of problems. My mollie colony is 7 years old. It originated from 3 adults collected in Fl. I have moved the colony from salt to fresh and currently back to full salt. I have never added a single drug or chemical.I think this is pretty urgent, one has already died.
#16 Guest_Skipjack_*
Posted 25 April 2014 - 09:45 PM
#17 Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Posted 25 April 2014 - 11:12 PM
Salt is not a random chemical. For these estuarine fish changing salinity is just part of their daily life. For the pathogen that's bothering them, it's not. Therefore, it's worthwhile to increase the salinity at a rate that won't phase the mollies but may 100% eradicate the pathogen that's on them. It's the very definition of a natural, non-medication solution. A medication solution would be trying to target bacterial cell wall synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, protein synthesis, etc.
"I have moved the colony from salt to fresh and currently back to full salt. I have never added a single drug or chemical."
This is likely why you have had no problems. The vast majority of pathogens on the fish would not have survived the transition with them.
#18 Guest_Skipjack_*
Posted 26 April 2014 - 07:04 AM
#19 Guest_jacksmelt_*
Posted 26 April 2014 - 10:00 AM
i thought about netting her out but she was very pregnant so i was reluctant. hopefully the pathogen doesnt go to any of the other fish.Check water quality but add nothing and maybe one dies. Dump in random chemicals without knowing what your doing and everything dies. Me, I net out the one with a spot and move on. That's why I don't own chemicals or test kits but I never have any kind of problems. My mollie colony is 7 years old. It originated from 3 adults collected in Fl. I have moved the colony from salt to fresh and currently back to full salt. I have never added a single drug or chemical.
#20 Guest_mikez_*
Posted 26 April 2014 - 11:06 AM
My success with my mollies has nothing to do with moving them from fresh to salt and back. This was done only twice, at a wide interval and was needed when I moved and lost most of my fishroom space. My mollies thrive and the colony is selfsustaining because I understand the nitrogen cycle and never kill my bugs with chemicals and because I understand the natural history of my charges and give them a healthy stress free environment. And, once every 3 years or so I spot a sick fish, I remove it.
Edited by mikez, 26 April 2014 - 11:20 AM.
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