# can i treat tank with molly fry in it?



## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

my platys and molly have been flashing for almost two weeks now. no signs of perisites. no ammonia, nitrites and very low nitates. treated with fungus meds in the first week, it almost killd them. have raised the temp and added salt( 5 tbls for every gallon= 4 tbls). they r eating fine and the poo is looking better. was a whitish color. my ph is a constant 6.8 and hardness is round 75 to 150. the molly had babies 7 days ago. they r eating fine poopn fine. they r in a net bredder for now will release maybe the end of this week. i got some meds at walmart sat night called lifeguard by jungle. its non antibacterial. has anyone used this before? will it hurt the fry and adult fish? disruped the good bacteria? please help me. whats wrong with them? and how can i help them feel better? thank you soo much!!


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

*im begging for your help!!!*

please someone help. im at my wits end. if u dont know anything about the med, do u have any idea y they r flashing. dont just read then go to another question. post what u may think it is. any and all ideas will be greatly appreciated!!!! thanks sooo very much!!!


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Move the fry and treat the tank. If they are flashing that much then something is probably up. Try aquarisol but you probably won't get that at WalMart. I've used Jungle before. It didn't help for my tank but I can't say it won't work for yours. The other thing you can do is get methelane blue and use it as a dip/ You put the med into a cup and dip the fish in it. The package will give you instructions for that. Methelane blue is in things like "Rid Ich" but it comes in a few of them. This treats the fish and not the tank, but is easier on the fry. If it is ich then the increased heat and salt should help, but I would be careful how high you put the heat and how much salt with the fry.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

if the fish are flashing why use anti fungal? WOuldn't you use an antiparasitic?
Antifungals can be real hard on plants too and they seem to mess up water chemistry. keep a close watch on everything.
Parasites can hide in gills or under scales so you don't always see anything.
I have had good results with prazipro for flashing fish but make sure you do a water change and run some charcoal before adding any new meds.


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## elitesrock (May 4, 2011)

I'm a little late, whats a flashing fish? xD


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

I think it's when a fish rubs or scratches its side on something like a rock or the bottom of the tank.
I've used jungle before but never with fry in the tank.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Mollie fry are fairly large and sturdy. If there is ich or flukes in the tank, they need treatment, too. I would likely try quick-cure because it is easy to use and sold at wal-mart, but it will stain decor and can be harsh (contains formalin). Methylene blue is hard to get, even more staining, but less harsh than a product with formalin and I have safely used it with eggs and wigglers, so it should be ok for fry. Salt is good for sick platys and mollies, but pay attention to how much you add and only allow concentrations to change slowly.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

thank you all for trying to help me. i really do appreciated it. when it first all started i added salt and raised the temp. has not helped any. im on day two... well almost day three since its 11:35 here of useing this lifeguard. figured it was worth a try. everybody is doing fine. still swimming and eating normal. thank you jesus!!! still flashing but not as much. the box said do a 5 day treatment so hopefully it will work. oh just please say a small prayer that they will get better. OH also one of the female platy is starting to look kind of like...a cresent moon shape? like..... the letter c but not that defined. just curved. anyways ive read that it could be because of inbreeding or a internal perasite. what do you all think. well shoot just tell me what do and ill do it. lol!!!! thank you again for all the help.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

It could also be something like osteoporosis. In soft water, without sufficient calcium in her diet, a livebearer may give her fry the mineral out of her spine which can weaken and bend. It can get worse the more fry she has. It can be a hereditary weakness and/or a nutritional deficiency either from incomplete food or poor absorption of food because of an internal parasite. You can try adding calcium carbonate, either in the water as a powder, or something like crushed coral or oyster shells in the filter to slowly dissolve. If you have a 'water softener' with a big block of salt in it, you may want to get your aquarium water before it goes through the softener. Sometimes outside faucets bypass it. Read the fine print on the food and maybe add something with hard parts like frozen brine shrimp or daphnia. Once a spine bends, it rarely unbends, but fish can live a long time in that condition. If you see "wierd" poo, not food-colored, moving on its own, or no poo, consider a medicated food or garlic food, esp. if the belly starts to look concave/sunken. Female livebearers should be rounded outward.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

i have been thinking about adding crushed coral so u just helpd me out on that desition. how much coral do i put in the filter and i use aquarium salt, would it be better if i use marine salt? also i use a flake thats for livebearers. has spirulina and garlic. it this ok to. thanks again for helping me.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The amount is not real important. You want enough to be in the flow, but not slowing it down or getting loose in the impeller. You can use media bags or boxes if you filter supports it. You can also just put some in the tank, but it takes longer to have an effect. The flake sounds good, but some variety is good. Feed something else at least a few times a week. marine salt is better, it has calcium and potassium as well as sodium in it.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

ok thanks. i also feed hikari frozen blood worms 2-3 times a week. is that enough or do i need to do more. thanks


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I might add one more prepared food. All of them claim 'total nutrition' but I think the odds of it actually happening go up with the number of foods you feed. Getting fish used to a variety and changing foods makes them more likely to take medicated food when you need it.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

what other foods would u suggest. sorry im asking sooo many questions just want to take the best of care for my fish. thank you again for all the help. i really appreciated you alot!!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

keep up with the treatments....make sure you do your water changes...
i would add a vegetable flake to your feeding schedule..at least every other day...
mollies and platies do well in salty water...mollies have been caught miles out into the ocean..they can actually be converted to full saltwater...
i prefer using Aquarisol because it effectively treats a number of problems and does not stain anything...you can also use it as prophylactic.....i don't buy a lot of meds...what i always keep on hand just in case are.....

Aquarisol
Lifebearer
Melafix
Pimafix
Metronidazol


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

thank you lahachata very much for that response. i will get everything you have listed as soon as i am able to. as for the vegetable mater will algae waffers work? they seem to like them but if you would prefer i get something better, i will add it to my list. i was also wondering exactly how would i add marine salt instead of plain aquarium salt like ( sorry i forgot his name) advised me to do. what all do i need to do this. thank you soo very much. i appreciate you helping me.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

algae wafers are ok but a little on the hard side.spirulina flake and veggie flakes work best....PM me your address and i will send you a couple of small samples of the flakes...

oh....i forgot...buy a 5 gallon bag of sea salt mix...divide it up into 20 equal portions..you will need a scale for this..put each portion into a ziploc bag....each bag will make 1 quart of full salt water....enough for a 10 gallon tank...mix the salt in a small pail until all of the salt is dissolved and then add it to the tank...


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

oh...i forgot to tell you.....yes...you can treat a tank with the fry in it...all of my guppies stay in one tub...i do not separate them...i just keep color varieties separate...


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

ok good. cuz i left them in the tank. did u get the pm. this krazy phone of mine messes up sometimes.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

yep...got it..


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

i just saw the male palty kind of rub up against the rubber part of the heater and when he got done. the male plus 2 of the female platies swam over and it looked like a feeding frenzy. what the heck was going on. does this mean the meds are killing the perasites and the platies are eating them?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

that could very well be...


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