One of my fish just died and I'm not exactly sure why, so I'm hoping maybe someone can help me identify the problem in case the other gets sick.
I started up a new tank about three weeks ago, and about 4 days in added two dalmatian molly fish. I was testing the water regularly but only found that the pH was a little low, the water a little soft and alkalinity a little on the low side. There didn't appear to be much in the way of nitrite or nitrate as far as my test strips showed.
The fish seemed fine for about a week and a half, then the male fish developed one small orange spot. This never grew or changed in any way, I kept an eye on it to be sure. I assumed perhaps the parent fish had some orange in them and it was just a genetic thing. About a week later he started to swim a bit wobbly. The only out of the ordinary experience was some very hot weather/my unA/C-ed apartment, which made the tank temp rise to about 82-83 degrees. I floated ice in bags in the tank to try to keep it cool.
By the next day he was lingering at the top swimming very slowly, or sitting in the back corner of the tank. He wouldn't swim for food, or if he tried he'd lose his balance and start to go belly up. I never saw any white or yellow spots, mucus, or anything hanging from the body of the fish. By the time I got off work today, he was dead at the bottom of the tank.
The other fish in the tank seems to be doing okay so far, still eating and swimming around actively. She has no orange spot, or any other color spots for that matter, though I think she may be pregnant (not too surprised about that, since I was warned it'd happen).
Anybody with fish experience know what could have been wrong?
I started up a new tank about three weeks ago, and about 4 days in added two dalmatian molly fish. I was testing the water regularly but only found that the pH was a little low, the water a little soft and alkalinity a little on the low side. There didn't appear to be much in the way of nitrite or nitrate as far as my test strips showed.
The fish seemed fine for about a week and a half, then the male fish developed one small orange spot. This never grew or changed in any way, I kept an eye on it to be sure. I assumed perhaps the parent fish had some orange in them and it was just a genetic thing. About a week later he started to swim a bit wobbly. The only out of the ordinary experience was some very hot weather/my unA/C-ed apartment, which made the tank temp rise to about 82-83 degrees. I floated ice in bags in the tank to try to keep it cool.
By the next day he was lingering at the top swimming very slowly, or sitting in the back corner of the tank. He wouldn't swim for food, or if he tried he'd lose his balance and start to go belly up. I never saw any white or yellow spots, mucus, or anything hanging from the body of the fish. By the time I got off work today, he was dead at the bottom of the tank.
The other fish in the tank seems to be doing okay so far, still eating and swimming around actively. She has no orange spot, or any other color spots for that matter, though I think she may be pregnant (not too surprised about that, since I was warned it'd happen).
Anybody with fish experience know what could have been wrong?