If you would like further tips on what to do in an emergency refer to "Got a Sick Fish?" by Jonathan Lowrie.

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Molly
By PHPhoenix

Mollies are livebearing fish in the Poecilia family, originating in parts of North, Central and South America. "Livebearer" means the females will give birth to live fry, rather than depositing eggs. There are many types of classifications of Mollies, which include Poecilia sphenops, Poecilia latipinna, Poecilia chica, Poecilia vivipara, Poecilia mexicana mexicana, and Poecilia velifera.

Mollies come in many color variations besides the standard black molly. The types of variations include dwarf, sailfin, 24-carat gold, lyretail, one spot, gold dust, tuxedo, short finned, pointed mouth, shortfin, and pearl. Mollies can be found in fish and pet shops. They are the most common beginner fish besides the guppy.

Housing is very simple, depending on the species of molly you purchased. There is a minimum of 20-40 gallons because of the length they grow to.

Here's what you need for your mollies:

Depending on the size of aquarium you have depends on how many mollies and fish can be housed. For example (20 gallon - no more than 11-15 small fish, or 5 large or medium fish.

Feedings should only be once a day. You can feed your molly tropical fish flakes. There are also other foods you can give them for extra nutrition such as: Brine Shrimp, Daphnia, and Blood Worms. It is necessary to add sea salt to your fish tank with mollies, because they are brackish water fish and not freshwater.

Breeding Mollies

What happens when a molly is pregnant? Your molly will most likely look like there is a something bulging on the underside. However with a black molly it's hard to see her gravid spot, so the size of her belly may be a better indicator. If you suspect your female molly is pregnant then place her in another aquarium such as a small 5-10 gallon with a breeder net. This will keep the mother on top. When she gives birth, the babies will fit thru a small hole to the bottom half of the tank, keeping them safe. After the mother has rested you can then place her back in the other aquarium with the other adult mollies. This will leave the babies by themselves to grow. You must then feed the fry 4-5 small feedings a day. Since fry need extra feedings, you will need to clean their tank 3 to 4 times a week to keep water parameters under control.

Foods that safe for fry are:

Once the fry have grown to 1 inch it will be time to place them into the aquarium with the other adult fish.

Mollies can be a good beginner fish. Not only are they pleasant to watch, but are very peaceful and not aggressive towards other community fish.

What To Do When The Power Goes Out
By PH Splendens

All year round there are storms, tornados, hurricanes, and blizzards. All of these common events, and others that may not be so common, can cause your power to go out. There are several things that can happen to your tank while the power is out.

Your tank can crash, leaving you with an underwater wasteland and causing you to have to start your tank from scratch. There are many things you can do to try and prevent this from happening, and the time of year will determine what measures you need to take to make sure most everything in your aquarium survives.

One of the first things you will need to do is prepare everything before the power goes out. There are several items you will need to buy and keep on hand just in case.

No matter what time of year it is, if you can afford it, a generator can power all of your aquariums' basic equipment and will be the only thing you will need to save your fish if the power goes out, well the only thing other than the gas to power it. If you don't have or can't afford a generator one major thing to keep in mind, which will prevent your water parameters from going completely out of whack, is to reduce or cut out feedings completely.

During Warmer Weather

Warm weather will cause your tank to overheat pretty quickly, and you will need to be prepared to keep it cool if the power goes out, along with making sure oxygen can get to the bacteria and fish. The first thing you will want to do is open doors and windows so air can circulate through your home. A closed up home is a heat trap and the temperature in your tank will rise more quickly. Next, you will need to hook up your battery-operated air pump to get some water circulation. This will help with the gas to oxygen exchange and provide the oxygen both fish and bacteria need to live. Also, since water circulation helps in cooling a tank, it will help keep the temperature down. If you notice your tank temperature start to rise, add the battery-operated fans and direct them to blow across the surface. This will help to cool your tank off even more.

If by chance a power outage catches you unprepared there are other things you can do to help keep your tank cool and help with the gas to oxygen exchange. You can cool your tank off by doing small water changes if you notice the temperature starting to rise, and to cool it off further you can add ice cubes to a baggie and place them in the tank. However, it is best to only use the ice cubes in dire situations, since they will cause parts of the tank to become cooler than others. Fish that swim through these cool areas will become stressed. Not only will doing small water changes help cool your tank, but since it will cause surface movement, it will also help with the gas to oxygen exchange. Another way to help is by agitating the water manually every 30 minutes for a couple of minutes at a time. You can do this by taking a large spoon that you have rinsed thoroughly to remove any soap residue, or by using your hand. If you have carnivores like piranha it would be best to use a spoon. Even though fish can handle warmer water for short periods of time, it is very important to remember that warmer water contains less oxygen so it’s imperative that you keep the surface moving as much as possible.

During Cooler Weather

The opposite challenge is how to keep your tanks warm during the colder months. This is perhaps even more difficult than trying to cool them off. The first thing you will want to do when the power goes out is wrap your tank in blankets. This will help to keep the heat from escaping your tank, although it won’t prevent it completely. After several hours you will notice a drop in the temperature, but by wrapping it in blankets it will give you time to take other measures. One way of warming a tank up is by warming up the room it’s in, and this would not only benefit your tank, but everyone else in the house as well. Battery operated heaters can help; you can also use kerosene heaters if local ordinances allow them, but be aware of safety and ventilation concerns. Woodstoves and fireplaces in the same room as the tanks can help too. Don’t forget to hook up your battery-operated air pump so it can keep the water circulating and help with the gas to oxygen exchange.

If it the temperature starts to drop too much and you have a grill of some type, you can place heated stones or even potatoes in the tank. If you’re using stones make sure they won’t affect your pH before placing them in the tank. You can check to see if they will affect your pH by pouring vinegar over them; if the vinegar bubbles then they will affect your pH. Also make sure you clean them thoroughly before placing them in your tank. As in the warmer months, make sure you provide surface movement with either your hand or a spoon.

No matter what you try at any time of year, some deaths are bound to occur. The moment you find a dead fish remove it to try and prevent your water parameters from taking a dive. If you notice live plants start turning brown, remove those leaves, as they will also foul the water. Once the power comes back on, do a water change, especially if it’s winter since you won’t want to do water changes during the outage. Keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrites. Even though you may not lose all your beneficial bacteria, depending upon how long the power is out you will lose quite a bit, and ammonia and nitrite spikes are bound to happen.

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