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Cycling 10 Gallon w/ 3 Black Mollies - Lethargy

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Flint 
#1 ·
Hi, everyone. I have been cycling my aquarium since last Wednesday with three black mollies - one male, two female. My test kit was delayed due to the holidays so I do not know my readings but it should be here by Wednesday (it was due to be here LAST Wednesday or I wouldn't have gotten the fish). I have been doing 35% WCs every other day with Seachem Prime.

Ever since they were added to the tank, the mollies have just swam in place in various spots of the tank, generally at the top or bottom, rarely the middle and they either stay in their trio or two will be in one spot (varies from females together and male/female) and one on the opposite side of the tank. They haven't eaten that I have seen but I will be adding a 1/4 of an algae wafer today to see if they pick at it.

In the LFS, they were in a group of 70+ so are they just feeling insecure alone in this comparatively large tank? The 70+ were in a 40 gallon but very packed and all in a suspended school, kind-of like what these are doing but with more room and less fish. I don't know if adding more will make me produce so much ammonia I can't cycle or if they'll always be like this. I'm going to be switching out the substrate soon for a different kind of sand and will begin adding salt once the tank has cycled (the reason I chose black mollies).

Any advice would be appreciated. I may just be a worry wart and this is their behavior but I am not used to such inactive fish.

Thank you,
Flint
 
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#2 ·
The cycle will occur no matter how much ammonia they produce.

35% is not large enough of a water change - id be doing at least 50%. Too, you should be dosing with prime every day to detoxify the ammonia, to hold things over to the next water change.

Ammonia poisoning is the likely cause for your fishs behavior. Glad you have a test kit coming.
 
#3 · (Edited)
My fiance and I came back from his dad's and they were swimming around when we walked in. I threw 1/4 of an algae wafer in before we left. I just went and checked on them and they were chasing each other around and fighting over a sliver of gravel or something one of them picked up. When I got closer, they all sunk to the bottom into their normal formation. I threw a pinch of food in and left. I am confident they will eat it now.

EDIT; This is how they sit when they are "grumpy" and a photo of the tank layout at the moment;
 
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