# Black Molly Hanging Vertically



## Sylverclaws

I just got in a pair of new mollies yesterday, they're currently in my ten gallon planted quarantine tank. One is a silver lyretail, the other is a black molly. Both from the same tank at the shop, so I hope this is nothing contagious! Hence the QT tank anyway.

I only just noticed her having issues this afternoon. She seems a tad wobbly when swimming in the normal position, but she goes face up quite a lot and just stays there for a while before righting herself. Not upside down, but vertically with her head facing the top of the tank, but it's not like she's gasping for air or anything, just kinda seems to float that way when she's not swimming, anywhere she is...she's not always at the top, but mostly about mid-level in the tank. When she is swimming in the normal position(holding still there, not exactly swimming, I'm not sure how to put that, fish swim!) she wobbles just a little bit from side to side, and her tail moves in a way that makes me think she's unable to balance right. Almost like a clench, but not quite. For the most part she seems perfectly normal swimming around, it's when she holds still that she wobbles or goes vertical. 

I am thinking this may be swim-bladder disease, but I've never seen it so I want to be sure! The only treatment I know of, if it is, is peas unless someone has a better suggestion. 

She has no other signs of anything, no funny eyes, no itchiness, no bloat, no spots, marks or damage, no anything I can see out of the ordinary aside from her issues staying in the right position.

My water parameters are: PH: 7.3 Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0, Nitrate 0. I don't have any test solution for GH, so I can't tell you that unfortunately.

The tank is planted and has sand substrate. 

The temp is kept at 78 degrees.

Currently in the tank I have three mystery snails(Two are young and about the size of a quarter, one is quite large, about the size of a fifty cent piece in width, but she's pretty big! lol), one zebra nerite snail, a few young Malaysian Trumpet Snails, four ADF's and a male betta. The tank is divided for the mollies so the betta can't kill them. lol It's fairly densely planted and has been running for two years, it has higher filtration than I'd like...I have an Aqueon Filter that came with the ten gallon when I purchased it and have it tuned down a little bit, but it's still pretty strong. The apple snails are a recent addition because the tank they're supposed to be in is being re-done a bit. Considering I feel I'm a tad over-stocked with my new duo, even with plants, I suppose the higher filtration is better, unless it's the cause! The other molly I got with her seems just fine. They were both perfectly normal when I purchased them yesterday though.


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## OSagent23

From personal experience. My mollies do this when they are about to drop fry in relation to the swimming straight up. When she swims vertical and shakes kind of crazy like, that's the sign that she will give birth within a day or two. 

In relation to the wobbling. In other words staying in place and wiggling. They do this a lot. My males and females all do this. They choose to stay in place. Not go forward or back, sink or rise. It's what they do to stay in place. This is normal behavior.


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## Sylverclaws

Mm, my mollies do this when getting ready to give birth as well. But this female doesn't look to be pregnant...that IS always a possibility! Especially with mollies. I have had some females that didn't look pregnant give birth before, so I will keep watch for that. But this seems to be a bit different...every molly has their own way of things, so you never know. Let's hope that's it. =)

In the last hour she's seemed a bit clenchy too. I can now see for sure she is clenching, more than she was before. I added in some cooked peas, so if it's constipation, that'll help. If it's labor, it wont hurt. She did eat some.


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