Molly fish is a favorite small fish in the aquarium world. They come in many different colors and are very easy to take care of, but they are very delicate and prone to disease. Many other things will make them die. So you must keep an eye on your Molly fish when they might have a sickness or if something is wrong with their environment. But how to know that your Molly fish is dying? Do they behave differently?
If you notice your Molly is acting differently than usual, there might be something wrong with it. Some of the signs that will help you know Molly fish is dying are loss of appetite and activity, sticky odor, fading of their color, staying at the bottom of the tank, swollen gills, white specks in the skin, and appearance of brown lines in the body.
This guide will go through some common causes of Molly’s death and symptoms you can look for to determine Molly Fish’s death.
What Is The Average Lifespan Of Molly Fish?
Molly fish are known for their longevity, with some living as long as eight years. They typically live up to six years in captivity and four or five years in the home aquarium environment. However, if you fulfill the standard requirement of this fish, they will live longer.
The average lifespan of Molly Fish is about three to five years, depending on how you raise them beforehand and if you treat them right at all times during ownership.
Is Molly Fish Prone To Disease?
Molly fish are very healthy fish. They have a unique organ called “Labyrinth” that allows them to breathe oxygen directly from the air and not use their gills like other fish do (this will enable Mollies to survive in low-oxygenated waters). They also don’t get any diseases or parasites that plague tropical freshwater tanks such as ich.
But still, Molly fish are prone to disease. Molly’s are scaleless fish, which means they don’t have scales to protect them from bacteria and parasites like other aquarium fish do, so Molly fish can get sick if not cared for properly.
However, the most common disease in Molly fish is dropsy, infection, fin rot, and ich.
How to Know If Your Molly Fish Is Dying?
Molly Fish is one of the most popular fish in home freshwater aquariums. They can live up to five years old, and Molly fish will grow about four inches long when fully matured. Molly fish are very resilient, but Molly Fish do die from time to time.
However, some of the signs that help you know and understand that your Molly fish is dying are:
Loss Of Appetite
Molly fish will stop eating when Molly fish are sick or dying. Molly fish may eat less and do not prefer food if Molly fish are fighting illness for an extended period. Loss of appetite is one of the first signs that Molly Fish could be ill or dying because Molly Fish does need nutrition to stay healthy. If your Molly Fish stops eating, there’s an issue between you and your aquarium so check all other possibilities before ruling out health issues.
Swimming Upright
Molly Fish, when they die, the body becomes rigid due to rigor mortis. Their tails stiffen up, which results in them swimming upwards instead of downwards, as typical Molly Fish do. It can also happen if Molly fish have contracted ich disease, but it’s best not to take any chances with your beloved pets!
Laying At The Bottom Of The Tank
A healthy Molly Fish hardly stays near the bottom; however, this could indicate health issues such as swim bladder problems which causes Molly fish to sink to the bottom because they cannot control their buoyancy. Molly Fish with swim bladder problems will also have trouble eating and staying upright.
Swollen Gills
Molly fish will have swollen gills when Molly Fish is breathing heavily and having difficulty getting oxygen. Molly fish often keeps their body horizontal, but if Molly Fish’s gills become swollen and enlarged, Molly Fish is experiencing stress.
Change in Coloration
Some of the most common Molly fish colors are orange or light brown with black spots on their sides; however, some Molly Fish have more vibrant hues like reds and blues. If your Molly Fish loses many colors, it could be because the water is not clean enough. Also, mollies that live in an overpopulated environment are more likely to fade their usual color.
Sickly Odor
Another indication that your Molly Fish may be dying is an unpleasant odor coming from the aquarium where you keep them. This smell means bacteria grow inside Molly fish’s water which Molly fish can’t survive in. In addition, Molly Fish needs the right amount of oxygen to breathe, and too much ammonia from other Molly Fish will make Molly fish sick.
Lethargic Behavior
Another sign that your Molly Fish are dying from old age or another illness is if they seem lazy most days and don’t move around very often; this means something is wrong with their environment or Molly Fish.
White Specks On Molly Fin Skin
Molly fish are very susceptible to a cotton fungus that they suffer from in uncleaned water. So if Molly Fish has white specks on their fins, they might have Cotton Fin or Molly Fish disease, and you need to quarantine them in a separate tank because Molly Fish can pass this on to other Molly Fish.
Molly Fins Falling Off
Another sign of dying Molly Fish is when their fins fall off. It’s usually due to stress from environmental changes (water chemistry), but sometimes Molly Fins will start falling off for no reason at all. It happens with some livebearers like guppies and goldfish, too, so don’t automatically assume your Mollie has died because one of their Molly Fins has fallen off.
Tiny Brown Spots On Molly Fish
Tiny brown spots on Molly fish occur due to parasites such as anchor worms. So, you can use the same treatments for Molly Fish that you would use to treat these parasites in other types of livebearers, including goldfish.
Molly Fish Burying & Hiding From Their Tank Mates
Another common sign is when Molly fish will start hiding all day long and stop eating because they don’t feel comfortable being out in the open with their tank mates. If this happens, give them more places to hide so that your Molly feels safe again, but if it doesn’t help, then do water changes until your water parameters are back to normal, and Molly Fish will go back to being themselves again.
Can You Treat A Dying Molly Fish And Save It?
The treatment of Molly fish depends on the cause and severity of the disease. You can treat conditions like parasitic, bacterial, and fungus infections with the proper medication. However, Molly fish diseases caused by injuries or trauma are not treatable since they are physical problems.
Symptoms That You Can Treat At Home
If your fish show the following symptoms, you can quickly treat the illness at home without taking them to the Vet. So, you can treat the minor symptoms at home are:
- gasping for air
- sunken belly and red marks on the body or fins.
- Cotton-like growths on their skin.
You can treat them by giving them Epsom salt. Put one tablespoon of Epsom salts in five gallons of water and let Molly fish bathe for ten minutes once a day until they get better. You can also use Maracyn to treat the problem caused by bacterial infection.
When Should You Need The Help Of The Vet?
Molly fish diseases are not treatable in some cases, so you need to take them to the Vet. You can also seek help if Molly fish:
- loss of appetite
- fins clamped and lethargic behavior
- changes in color or size of scales
- have ulcers on their body that bleed easily.
- cloudy eyes or pop-eye (the eye bulges out from its socket)
If you see any of these signs in your Molly Fish, immediately take them to the Vet for treatment as soon as possible because on-time treatment can save their lives. You will need a proper prescription from your Vet for treating Molly’s fish problems like bacterial infections, fungus infections, etcetera. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat Molly’s illness caused by bacteria effectively.
How To Prevent Sickness In Molly Fish?
Prevention is always better than cure. Molly fish are pretty sensitive to water quality. Always check up on your tank conditions and ensure it is not stagnant (no bubbles or movement). The best ways to prevent sickness or disease in molly fish are:
Ensure Proper Nutrition
Molly fish are omnivorous, so you can feed them both plant and animal-based foods. Molly fish tend to be picky eaters, though, so some may only like one or the other. If your molly fish is not eating well, try switching up their food source by offering a small piece of blood worm once in a while (they will love it!).
Good Habitat
Molly Fish needs plenty of space to swim around as they grow considerably for most aquariums. So ensure there is ample room for these little swimmers. Also, make sure that any decorations have round edges because mollies are more likely to stick under sharp objects, which can cause injury, illness, and even death.
Always Keep The Tank Clean
Molly fish are susceptible to water conditions, and thus you must ensure that the tank is clean at all times. In addition, these fish prefer a temperature between 24-26 degrees Celsius, so always check your aquarium thermometer beforehand.
Avoid Using Tap Water In The Aquarium
Use only pure or distilled water for Molly Fish. Otherwise, they will most likely die due to impurities in tap water such as chlorine, chloramines, etcetera. All of these are difficult for Molly fish to cope with easily.
Maintain pH Levels
Molly fish thrive best within this range of pH levels and if it goes out of line. Then, Molly fish will become sick by developing fin rot (inflammation) and bacterial infections due to the weak immune system. So, keep the water pH between around seven and eight.
Always Introduce Molly Fish To The Tank Slowly
Molly fish are susceptible. Thus it would help if you never introduced Molly fish in a tank without water recycling. In addition, Molly usually dies because they cannot cope with the ammonia levels in the water build-up within 24 hours. So, you must ensure a regular exchange of water before you introduce your fish to the tank.
Don’t Breed Unhealthy Mollies.
Breeding Molly fish can be a lot of fun. However, if you have not properly researched how to breed Molly fish, it is probably best that you do not try this at home (or anywhere else, for that matter). Breeding Molly Fish require some special attention and care, so make sure the parents are healthy before adding them into a breeding tank with their fry.
Some FAQs on Molly Fish:
What Is The Best Way To Feed Molly Fish?
Mollies are omnivorous, so they eat both plants and meat. Molly fish live in freshwater habitats with little vegetation to feed them in the wild. Thus Molly fish have developed a strong appetite for plant matter in captivity; Molly Fish prefer vegetables over meats if given the option.
What Is The Ideal Water Temperature For Mollies?
It would help if you kept Molly fish between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit. Please do not use an aquarium heater as it may cause your Molly Fish to become too warm or even die! If you need help keeping your tank’s temperature stable, we recommend using one of our Top Fin Heater/Thermometers.
What Is The Best Way To Know If Your Molly Fish Is Dying Or Not?
Many signs can indicate if your Molly is dying or not. These include loss of coloration, lethargy, discoloration and black spots on their body, anorexia/inappetence, fin rot / fraying tail fins, bloating stomachs, and pop-eye. It’s crucial never to ignore all these symptoms, leading to Molly Fish Disease and Molly Fish Death. (link will go here)
What Is The Best Way To Clean My Molly’s Tank?
There are a variety of ways you can clean your Molly’s tank. We recommend gravel vacuuming, water changes, siphoning the substrate, using Biological Aquarium Filter Media (link will go here), cleaning up uneaten food in the aquarium, etc.
How Long After I Feed Molly Do They Need To Be Fed Again?
Mollies generally don’t need more than three hours before you should feed them again. However, it is best to provide them little by little so that all of their stomachs become full, which causes bloating. Overfeeding or over-stocking Molly fish tanks can also lead to Molly fish disease and Molly fish death.
Conclusion
Molly fish are lovely pets to have. These fish can be an excellent way to learn responsibility because they need daily care and feeding. Unfortunately, they do not live very long, so you must know when your Molly fish is dying to prepare for losing one of your best friends.
Nothing will last forever, Molly fish included. However, knowing what to look for when your Molly Fish is dying will be a much easier process and not as shocking or stressful.
Thank you so much for reading! We hope that this ultimate guide was helpful to you in learning more about Molly fish and knowing when they are dying.
If there are any other questions about Molly Fish, please let us know in the comments below.
