[smartcookie323]

Hi everyone,

I hope I can receive positive news, but more importantly, I need very honest and realistic support.

Now, 2 days ago my molly was severely attacked while my husband and I left home for a quick outing. When we came back home, we notice that it was perched upside down on top of our filter so we hurried to put it in a breeder basket so that the other fish could not get to it. Once settled, we observed our Molly closer and noticed that most of its fins were gone; there was a red stain on what was left of its right fin, left fin was mostly shredded, and its back fin had been just about eaten all the way to its body. All day yesterday we were keeping an eye out and it seem as if it was doing okay, perching itself upright and supporting its weight on the net, eating, swimming around, etc.

However, my husband and I went out again yesterday evening also, to which we find the breeder basket at the bottom of our tank and upside down, our poor Molly at the bottom of the tank, behind a rock, and even more torn and eaten up. Again, we rushed to its aid, set the basket upright again, and put it back in the basket. This time though, all of his fins (upside, sides, back, & belly) are gone and he has a huge red stain on its side. I'm very afraid that it is doing much worse tonight (that's why I'm keeping the tank's lights on tonight and pulling an nighter to make sure it is not attacked again at night. At this point in time, it is still, upside down, at the bottom of the basket, and lightly breathing.

Therefore, my questions are:
*How do I properly care for an injured fish with essentially no fins?
*What are the prognostics of it surviving?
*Because I haven't been able to find a good answer online, can my Molly breath upside down?
*Should I keep it in the same tank once it recuperates (if it does)?

To give a little background info on my tank, and I know this is not the best combo of fish (but my husband says that they all HAVE TO GET ALONG): I have 2 plecos, one almost a foot long and the other maybe 3 inches; 2 silver dollars (male & female); 8 goldfishes, & 2 mollies (one healthy & the other one who is in critical condition. They are all in a 100 gallon tank, which has 2 filtration systems and a heater that keeps the water 75 degrees F.

If anyone has support, ideas, suggestions, or even scoldings, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Shanti

 

[willow]

hi cookie (may i call you that ? )
i'm sad that in the end he died (saw that in welcome thread )
i don't scold you...i just feel saddened by OH saying "they'll have to get along"
well ...they won't ! it's going to continue like this until i would imagine until
they all perish,as they have different needs,and this combination will fail.
goldies don't need heating,and it will only lead to poor health.
they shouldn't be kept with tropical fish..because...they're not tropical.
build a pond (if you have a garden) another tank, for goldies.. a large tank
as they have the potential to grow to more than 12 inches.
plecs create a whole lot of waste...not bad if well filtered and planted tank.
goldfish large amount of waste...also ok in well filtered and planted tank..
but not together...they need their own beautifully made aquariums.
any chance of investing in another aquarium ? or please return one species
to a LFS.
i'm glad you joined us here,and i hope not to have been over the top with my reply,

 

[smartcookie323]

Hi again Willow,

I don't mind being cookie.

As for the fish living together, i've told my husband many times that they don't belong together. Although I wish we could make a garden pond, it's unfortunate to say that we live in an apartment. Therefore, i am on the lookout for another tank. However, space is limited b/c we have another huge tank filled with guppies & 1 platy. Well, i don't want to let go of any of my fish, i've gotten attached, so i am going to look diligently for another tank and make room for it. Should i Move the plecos & silver dollars together?

And in no way did you offend. All your words are greatly appreciated!!

Best,
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[willow]

hey cookie
another tank yippee :-D
hmm i've never kept silver dollars,so i hope someone else will chime in here:-D
perhaps the plecs and the dollars together,then the goldfish in their own
aquarium :-D
i'd love to see some tank shots :-D

(glad i didn't offend. xx)

 

[Sylverclaws]

I know I'm a bit late on answering here, but I hope I can help you out for future reference.

If you get any further injuries, clean water and stress zyme is usually the best treatment, their fins often grow back if they survive the stress of it happening in the first place, and if the water is clean and healthy. Stress Zyme helps repair the damaged slime coat and protect them, clean water keeps chances of bacterial infections and rot down, salt can also help clear up infections and fin rot if you have fish that can handle it, which mollies can but plecos cannot.

You can put plecos and silver dollars together, but you need a huge tank! Silver dollars like groups of 3-5+, and you need a 75 gallon tank for them at the very, very minimum, I suggest a bigger one that is closer or more than 100 gallons if you want that mix together. You could probably keep them happily in your 100 gallon tank, but I would suggest at least one or two more silver dollars. =)

As for your goldfish, oh dear. Not even a 100 gallon is enough unless you have siamese dolls, eight -might- fit in that...any other type would need a ton more room! Unfortunately many people don't know that goldfish not only get very large for all species but the siamese doll(the smallest goldfish type who stays around four inches or so), 6+ inches, but they have the highest bioload of any freshwater fish, at least I think...they certainly have a high one. They require a great deal of maintanance, even in proper sized tanks, and a lot of filtration(usually double what is required for the tank if properly sized and properly stocked), sometimes a bit more.

What kind of goldfish do you have? They look like commons...or some type of single tailed goldfish. If they're commons, for eight of them you'd need about 60+ gallons with an extra 20 or so per extra goldfish. They get around a foot long, this is why it's better to have them in ponds. All single-tailed goldfish get around a foot or more and need a huge amount of space. So for eight commons you'd need a 600+ gallon tank with double or more filtration. Same for any single-tailed type but koi.

Now if you have koi, you really should find them a new home if you can't get yourself a 16 foot DEEP pond that's several feet around(like 20+ feet), as they will get three feet long.
They don't do well in home aquaria, they get big, are dirty, also social like all goldfish, and will stunt very fast and die. All goldfish kept in tanks too small will eventually stunt. Stunting means their bodies stop growing, but their organs do not, and so the organs are very slowly crushed by the body, ending the fishes life many years before they should die. Most goldfish can live anywhere from twenty to around fifty years if properly cared for.

The multi-tailed goldfish don't need QUITE as much space, but still require a lot. Usually 40 gallons with an extra 15-20 per extra goldfish.

Your molly will unfortunately die if not given his own home, as will the goldfish if they're kept in temps higher than 70 degrees for long. Keeping fish in water too warm speeds up their metabolism to rates they cannot withstand for very long. This will shorten their lives by many years if not fixed. Mollies kept in water that is below 76 degrees opens them up to fungal and bacterial infections and slows their metabolism, inhibiting their ability to digest food properly. Same effect as the goldfish but a quicker killer, still not fun. Your silver dollars and pleco also cannot handle being in the same kind of water(the pleco might be ok in it provided you have a big enough tank with proper filtration, but it's not really recommended because they also have a high bioload). Basically with that amount and those types of fish in the same small tank(small for what you have), they'll be poisoning themselves with their own filth regardless of heavy, often cleanings.

So you have quite a bit of work ahead of you if you keep them. I know it's hard, but if you keep that many goldfish in there they wont live very long, it'd be best to find them a home with someone who has a large, well maintained pond. With a 100 gal, you could keep your silver dollars and even add a couple to the group, as well as the pleco. You may even be able to find a small school of compatible tankmates to go with them, so long as they're not huge, but also are big enough to not be eaten.

If your molly is still alive, I suggest you get him his own tank or find him a new home. If you want to keep it, give him a nice 25-30 gallon tank, cycle it, heat it to about 80 degrees, and get him four other mollies, they do like groups. =)