# Molly fish backflip



## brackishblack (Sep 22, 2010)

so my white sailfin molly fish is doing back flips.

he starts drifting backwards, nose in the air, until he is verticle (nose pointing up) then proceeds to flip backwards.

I have a small school of mollies in a community tank. Aside from the one doing backflips, the other mollies exibit normal behavior. 

i'm new to molly care, i have 2 weeks of experience...but i have been reading every single blog and info site around for HOURS a day for the past couple weeks. 

any ideas why the molly is doing back flips? (10 gal, bubbler, filter, heater, fed flakes and peas)


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## Tapil (Aug 24, 2010)

I read in a fish book that when a fish points himself straight up its a sign of submission

No idea if there is any truth to that but is there a fish that chases him around? i have a silver molly that is mean as a chicken sandwich to my dalmation molly

(although if you have a school of more than like 8 fish itll be hard for you to spot the chicken sandwich fish :/)


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## fish1983 (Aug 27, 2010)

sometimes fish exhibit unnatural behaviors as such to remove parasites from the body. ie back flips, rubbing, swimming in circles. i would take a real real close look and see if the molly has anchor worms or any noticeable external parasite. if not i would say you have a molly that enjoys back flips lol


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Best thing would be to put it in its own tank and monitor it for a week or two... How long has it been doing this?

Does it do it on the airstone, or in an area of strong current?


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## brackishblack (Sep 22, 2010)

well my hunch is parasites. i have a dalmation molly that i moved into a seperate tank because it was lying on the gravel and developing a white stringy fungus on his belly, dorsal fin, and tail. i also noticed that the dalmation molly now seems to have a noticably frayed tail. i moved him suspecting it was fin rot. the other fish had seemed fine except the one doing backflips

btw the submission thing sounds rite to me because i have an agressive dalmation molly in the community tank and the other males point their nose in the air usually when they are being passive agressive in response to his taunting. (backflip might be a sign of something else like parasites)

im nervouse my fish have ich. i see small faint white specks on their fins and tails. (no salt in water) 

soooo thoughts on treatment? (thanks for the earlier responses btw)


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