# fish and heater



## archrider (Jan 23, 2007)

just joined the site and had a quick question. i have a mollie, not sure what specific species, but it is black with a fan tail. it seems to be hovering around the heater, is this a problem?


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

hes fine. when did u get him?


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## archrider (Jan 23, 2007)

i have had him for about a week. the tank is a 55 gallon, started about three weeks ago, i have the one mollie and two danios, and about 6 or 7 small goldfish. i know the goldfish will get larger quick, so they will be transfored in the not to distant future. hope some of this helps, thanks for all replies.


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

do you have salt in that tank? Livebearers require salt


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

not table salt though...(learned from experience..LOL)


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

yeah, good point matt, no table salt, buy salt specifically made for aquariums, and vice versa, dont eat aquarium salt


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

:arrow:


musho3210 said:


> dont eat aquarium salt


 LOL might make you go :demented:


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

musho3210 said:


> do you have salt in that tank? Livebearers require salt


They don't require salt unless they were adapted to salty conditions. _Poecilia velifera_ probably will.


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## lioness501 (Jan 9, 2007)

i have livebearers and do not have salt in my tank


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## flatcam1 (Oct 18, 2006)

i never knew they need salt :shock: ....lucky i don't have them :lol: :BIGwinky:


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

my plattys dont have any salt. and there doing good.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

flatcam1 said:


> i never knew they need salt :shock: ....lucky i don't have them :lol: :BIGwinky:


Cam, I posted previously they don't necessarily needed the salt unless they were adapted to salty conditions.


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

Matt your if your platies had salt, they would be much much much more happy. MAybe thats why she had dead babies. Mollies should have salt, they thrive better with it.


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## archrider (Jan 23, 2007)

i am starting to notice some white spots on the mollie, is this a problem?
i have heard of something called ick but i dont know what it is. need a little help here.


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

this is probably ich, black mollies are prone to ich. They normally get ich when the water temperature is too cold. YOu should raise the temperature a few degrees. To treat ich, you will need may different ways to treat it since some ways work for some people, other ways dont. You will probably need to try every way until one of them works.


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## archrider (Jan 23, 2007)

we just added some salt, will that help? and what are some of the other ways to treat ich, drops, water change?


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

water changes wont really help since the ich is on the gravel, ornaments and stuff, not free swimming around the water. You can buy medication at your fish store. May i ask what temperature that tank is, what salt your using, and how much salt you are using?


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

Remember NO TABLE SALT. I killed a whole tank of Fish Like That When I was 6.


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## FDStation152 (Jan 20, 2007)

while livebearers dont REQUIRE salt per se they seem to do much better with some salt. the salt also helps out with ich and fungal diseases. mollies in fact can live in saltwater if they are slowly adjusted to it. you might not NEED the salt but it certainly won't hurt and the fish will most likely do better.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

_Thread moved here as it seems more focused on diseases and problems than just fish._

Do the treatment against ich for 2 weeks minimum.
Good luck.


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

salt you can keep adding, even after the ich is gone since it will help build a healthy immune system. Also can you tell us the temperature of the tank since black mollies mainly catch ich in cold water.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

musho3210 said:


> salt you can keep adding, even after the ich is gone since it will help build a healthy immune system. Also can you tell us the temperature of the tank since black mollies mainly catch ich in cold water.


Musho, you are actually turning the tank into a brackish water and then marine environment. Focus the concern on the other occupants than just the mollies.


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

no im saying if she is adding 1 tsp per 5 gallons, she can keep that up every time she does a water change, not raise the salinity to saltwater.


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## FDStation152 (Jan 20, 2007)

you also have to remember to compensate for water evaporation. if you add salt at the concentration of 1tsp per 5 gallons without factoring in water evaporation along with the water changes you'll have a much higher salt concentration than you were originally aiming for.


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## archrider (Jan 23, 2007)

the temperature of the tank is 76 degrees


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## FDStation152 (Jan 20, 2007)

you may want to bump that temperature on up if treating for ich. the medications are generally more effective at a higher temperature due to the effect it has on the ich's life cycle.


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## Matt (Jan 20, 2007)

ya bump it up a notch(or2)


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