If you can’t find one of your mollies in your tank, you have come to the right place. I know how frustrating it can be, as it happened to me a few months back.
Here, you will learn why molly fish might go missing, what to do about it, and the steps to follow if you have found a dead molly fish in your tank.
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
5 Reasons Why Molly Fish Might Be Missing
If your molly fish suddenly disappeared, these could be the reasons behind it:
1. Your Molly Fish Died
Molly fish are sensitive creatures and can die from various causes such as disease, stress, or poor water conditions.
Their death can often go unnoticed if the body is eaten by other tank mates or decomposed quickly.
Here are key points to consider:
- Poor water quality: Molly fish require clean water with stable pH and temperature. High levels of ammonia, nitrites, or drastic temperature changes can be fatal.
- Disease: Molly fish can contract diseases like Ich or Fin Rot. Without timely intervention, such diseases can lead to death.
- Stress: Conditions such as overcrowding, bullying from aggressive tank mates or frequent changes in their environment can cause stress, leading to weakened immunity and potential death.
- Poor nutrition: Molly fish need a balanced diet. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to weakened immunity, leading to sickness and potentially death.
- Inadequate tank size: Molly fish require ample swimming space. Limited space can cause stress, impair health, and lead to premature death.
2. Your Molly Fish is Hiding
Molly fish are known to hide when they are stressed or feeling unwell. They can easily hide in tank decorations, plants, or even burrow in the substrate.
Factors causing molly fish to hide include:
- Stressful conditions: If your tank is overcrowded, or there are aggressive tank mates, molly fish might hide to avoid confrontation.
- Illness: Unwell molly fish often isolate themselves, hiding in decorations or plants.
- Breeding behavior: Female molly fish tend to hide when they are about to give birth.
- Lack of hideouts: Molly fish need places to hide for a sense of security. If they don’t have these, they might stay hidden in any available crevice.
- Inadequate lighting: Too bright or too dim lighting can cause discomfort, making molly fish hide more frequently.
3. Escaped from the Tank
Molly fish can leap out of the tank if the water conditions are poor or they are stressed. Once out, they can’t survive for long without water.
Reasons for escape could include:
- Poor water quality: High levels of ammonia or nitrites can cause discomfort, prompting molly fish to leap out.
- Stress: Bullied or frightened molly fish might jump out of the tank to escape.
- Overcrowding: A crowded tank can stress molly fish, provoking escape attempts.
- Lack of a secure lid: An open or poorly secured tank gives molly fish the opportunity to jump out.
- High temperatures: If the tank water is too warm, molly fish may attempt to jump out to cooler conditions.
4. Your Molly Fish Might Be Resting Somewhere
Molly fish, like many other fish, rest or sleep at times. During these periods, they might stay stationary and can blend into the tank environment.
Potential reasons for resting include:
- Natural sleep cycle: Like many creatures, molly fish need rest. They might tuck away somewhere quiet during this period.
- Recovery: If a molly fish has been sick or stressed, it may rest more frequently to recover.
- Post-Breeding: Female molly fish often rest after giving birth due to the exertion.
- Age: Older molly fish may rest more than younger, more active ones.
- Low light levels: Molly fish might rest more during periods of low light, similar to a nocturnal sleep cycle.
Also Read: Do Molly Fish Sleep?
5. They Went Missing During Tank Cleaning
During tank cleaning, molly fish can accidentally be scooped out or can hide in small, unnoticed places. This can lead to them being missing post-cleaning.
Points to consider during cleaning:
- Accidental removal: Molly fish can be accidentally scooped out with the water or substrate during cleaning.
- Hiding in decorations: Molly fish might hide inside decorations that are removed during cleaning.
- Stress: The process of cleaning might stress molly fish, causing them to hide and appear missing.
- Jumping out: The stress or temporary changes in water conditions during cleaning can provoke molly fish to jump out of the tank.
- Inadequate post-cleaning checks: A quick check after cleaning might miss hiding molly fish. They may appear to be missing until they come out of hiding.
Also Read: 15 Things You Should Know About Molly Fish
Finding Missing Molly Fish
Finding missing molly fish involves careful observation and checking all potential hiding places within and outside of the tank.
It’s important to understand their behavior and usual hiding spots to increase your chances of finding them.
Here are five ways to support your search:
- Observation: Spend some time observing your tank, especially during feeding times when molly fish are more likely to come out.
- Checking hideouts: Thoroughly inspect all decorations, plants, and crevices in the tank, as molly fish might be hiding there.
- Looking outside the tank: If your tank is not securely covered, check the floor and surrounding areas as molly fish can jump out.
- Inspection after cleaning: Always double-check your cleaning equipment and areas around where you cleaned, molly fish might be hiding or inadvertently removed.
- Lighting conditions: Check during different light conditions. Molly fish might be more active and visible during certain light levels.
Disposing of a Dead Molly Fish
When a molly fish dies, it’s important to remove it from the tank as soon as possible to prevent the spread of any potential disease and to maintain water quality.
Disposal should be done in a respectful and environmentally responsible way. Consider these points when disposing of a dead molly fish:
- Immediate removal: As soon as you notice a dead molly fish, remove it using a fish net to prevent the spread of potential diseases.
- Avoid flushing: Flushing dead fish down the toilet can introduce diseases and non-native species into local waterways, impacting the ecosystem.
- Use of household waste: Wrapping the molly fish in a biodegradable bag and disposing of it with regular household waste is a common method.
- Composting: If you have a compost heap, adding the dead molly fish can contribute to nutrient-rich compost. Ensure pets can’t access this compost to avoid disease spread.
- Burial: You may choose to bury the molly fish in your yard. Make sure the grave is deep enough to prevent scavenging animals from digging it up.
Also Read: Why Do My Mollies Keep Dying?
How to Prevent Mortality in Molly Fish
Here are some steps you can take to prevent your mollies from dying in the future:
1. Improving Water Parameters
Keeping the water parameters in optimal ranges is vital for molly fish. Small deviations in water chemistry can adversely affect their health.
To ensure this:
- Temperature Management: Use an adjustable aquarium heater, which can be set to keep the temperature stable between 72-82°F (22-28°C). My recommendation: Orlushy Submersible Aquarium Heater (link to Amazon).
- pH Balance: Regularly test water pH levels. If needed, use buffers to raise or lower pH to maintain it between 7.5-8.5. My recommendation: API PROPER pH 8.2 (link to Amazon).
- Hard Water: Use a water hardness test kit. If your water is soft, add a commercial water hardener to reach 10-25 dGH.
- Stability: Changes in water parameters should not exceed 10% within a 24-hour period to prevent stressing the fish.
- Monitor Ammonia and Nitrate Levels: Use test kits to monitor these levels. For ammonia and nitrite, the levels should be zero, and nitrates should be below 20 ppm. My recommendation: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST (link to Amazon).
Also Read: Molly Fish Tank Setup
2. Conducting Regular Water Changes
Consistent water changes are key to keeping your molly fish healthy. It helps remove toxins and replenish vital minerals in the water.
Here’s how to proceed:
- Schedule: Set a schedule to change about 10-25% of the water every week.
- Avoid Complete Change: Never change all the water at once, as it can disrupt beneficial bacteria balance and stress your molly fish.
- Dechlorinate: Add a dechlorinator according to the manufacturer’s instructions, typically 1 drop per gallon of tap water. My recommendation: Tetra AquaSafe (link to Amazon).
- Match Temperatures: Use a thermometer to ensure the new water is within 2 degrees Fahrenheit of the tank water.
- Removal of Waste: Removing water also removes wastes. Aim to lower nitrate levels to under 20 ppm with each change.
3. Vacuuming the Substrate
Regular vacuuming helps prevent harmful ammonia spikes by removing rotting organic matter from your molly fish’s habitat.
Effective methods include:
- Cleaning Schedule: Use an aquarium vacuum to clean 25% of your substrate with each weekly water change. My recommendation: Laifoo 7ft Aquarium Siphon (link to Amazon).
- Waste Control: Focus on areas with visible waste. The goal is to remove any visible uneaten food or fish waste.
- Spot Cleaning: Check your tank daily for waste or uneaten food and remove it using a siphon.
- Food Control: As a guideline, only feed what your molly fish can consume in 2-3 minutes to avoid leftover food.
- Beneficial Bacteria: Avoid cleaning all the substrate at once as it can remove beneficial bacteria. Aim to clean about 25% each time.
4. Providing Adequate Tank Size
Having a tank of appropriate size is crucial to ensure molly fish have ample space to swim, forage, and exhibit natural behavior.
Points to remember are:
- Tank Size: As a general rule, you should provide a minimum of 20-30 gallons for your molly fish. That’s about 1 gallon of water per inch of fish.
- Swim Space: Provide ample horizontal space, as molly fish are active swimmers.
- Overcrowding: Aim for no more than 1 inch of fish per 2-3 gallons of water to prevent stress and aggression.
- Growth Consideration: Keep in mind that adult molly fish can reach up to 5 inches in length.
- Breeding: If you plan to breed molly fish, you should add an extra 10 gallons to accommodate the young.
Also Read: Molly Fish Tank Size
5. Selecting Suitable Tankmates
Choosing the right tankmates can significantly reduce stress and prevent aggression in your molly fish.
Consider these factors:
- Choose Peaceful Fish: Consider species like guppies, platys, and small tetras, which are all peaceful and thrive in similar water conditions.
- Size Matters: Don’t mix with fish that are large enough to see molly fish as food. Ideally, all fish should be of a similar size.
- Water Compatibility: Make sure all fish in your aquarium prefer similar water parameters, with a pH between 7.5-8.5 and a temperature between 72-82°F.
- Avoid Fin Nippers: Avoid species known for fin-nipping, like tiger barbs, which can cause stress and physical harm to molly fish.
- Breeding Care: If you notice fry in your tank, consider a separate “nursery” tank or provide plenty of hiding spaces, as some fish species might prey on the young.
Also Read: 19 Great Molly Fish Tank Mates
Conclusions
If you are in a rush, here is a brief summary of what I discussed earlier:
- The sudden disappearance of a Molly fish may be attributed to its death, which can result from factors like poor water quality, disease, stress, poor nutrition, or inadequate tank size.
- If a Molly fish goes missing, it could be hiding due to stressful conditions, illness, breeding behavior, lack of hideouts, or unsuitable lighting in the tank.
- Molly fish may escape from the tank when water conditions are poor or stressful, making it crucial to have a secure lid and maintain proper water quality.
- Resting is a natural behavior for Molly fish, and they may hide in the tank during these periods, particularly when they are unwell, post-breeding, or experiencing low light levels.
- During tank cleaning, Molly fish may accidentally be removed or hide in unnoticed areas, necessitating thorough checks and observation to ensure their safety and well-being.