Hi group,

I'm sorry that my first post (after my introduction) is a call for help...

We have a 30 litre BiOrb and have had it up and running for about 5 months now. We initially had 2 mollies introduced followed by another 2.
We had a lot of problems with nitrite and nitrate levels and lost all 4 fish.
We then noticed babies swimming around and from the 9 that we saw, we have 5 left...

This morning we noticed that the smallest one (about 1cm in length) was swimming quite rapidly in circles and somersaulting. There's no obvious signs of injury or any problems physically on the outside.
I raced to the local aquarium and they advised us that Mollys need a little salt in the water, which they had never told us before.
I got back home to find her a little wobbly but swimming kind of normally.
I have just introduced some of the salt they sold me to the tank now and carrying out a 20% water change as we have had problems with nitrates being a little high.

Watching her now she still does swim in circles a little, but just seems unsteady. She's trying to eat and doesn't look too distressed.

The aquarium place also said it may be a stroke or bacterial infection.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

Jon

The aquarium place is right - and you'll probably never know what it is. Sometimes they recover, sometimes they don't - it depends on what it is a symptom of. I had a variatus male doing that last week, really out of control. I thought he was a goner, but he is now fine and has been for days.
It could be bacterial, so keep the water clean. It could also be an injury, a tumour, a parasite or a virus... pretty well anything that can go wrong can give that symptom.

Thanks so much for the very quick reply.

She's my favourite of the 5 too - having rescued her from the inside of the filter when she was tiny.

Did you do anything to help your fish?

I suppose now we've done the water change (20%) and added the salt it's just a waiting game now isn't it? :-(

Thanks again though

Jon

So, the young molly seems ok (fingers crossed).

Two things I've found out from this problem:

1) No-one told me that mollys like a little marine salt in the water. I've been going to the same aquarium shop for months setting up the tank etc. and getting fish from them and not once did they mention it to me. So, now there is a little in the tank which seems to be helping.

2) I didn't realise that fish could get constipated, but that's what seems to have happened judging by the amount that came out of the poor little thing and it was a strange orange colour.

She seems happy enough and not lethargic at all or twisting as before.

Here's hoping....

Glad your little Molly is doing better. I used to have mollies and they can be little pigs so constipation can be a problem. I gave mine peas once a week. I just took a couple frozen peas, took a little tank water in a dish and defrosted them, then peeled the skin off and cut them into littler pieces. They loved them.