Why is my Molly not Moving? (With 10 Quick Solutions)

Has your fish been sluggish recently? Does it frequently seem exhausted? Is it evading us? Are you certain your molly is not under stress? Finding out why your pet is acting this way is crucial since these are the questions that cross your mind when you see that it isn’t performing well. and there are several explanations for this, like being worn out, being bullied, or having poor water quality.

When mollies are under stress or when they are infected, this behavior is observed. They could have ich or swim bladder disease, or they might be pregnant. Additionally, this behavior is adapted when the tank is not functioning properly,  either the acidity is too high or the water temperature is unstable.

There are many more causes in addition to these, so read the material below to have a better understanding of them all and learn how you may aid your molly.

Why won’t my Molly Move?

Mollies are gregarious and energetic animals. As a result, you should look into it right once they stop moving. They may be listless for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Your Molly is Expecting

Do you have a female molly fish? If so, it could be expected. Live babies, not eggs, are delivered by mollies. By observing the gravid spot, you may determine whether a molly fish is pregnant. Additionally, the stomach will enlarge and expand. During the latter weeks of pregnancy, the eyes of the fry may be seen if you look at the tummy.

A molly fish’s outward appearance is just one aspect of the changes it goes through during pregnancy. The organisms will gradually start to shun other fish as they get more sluggish, eating slowly, swimming less vigorously, and so forth. Sometimes they just cease moving.

Some mollies may remain motionless at the bottom, while others will hover close to a piece of decor or a plant. This can be attributed to pregnancy-related weariness and stress. There is another explanation for the lack of movement, though, if you are aware that the fish is a male.

2. The fish are Oxygen Deficient

A molly fish’s energy can be depleted by an oxygen deficit. Oxygen insufficiency may result from very hot or low temperatures. While it’s not always best to use cold water, too much warmth will make the water leak oxygen. It absorbs oxygen less effectively.

You should check the filter if the temperature isn’t the issue. In order to satisfy the demands of the organisms in your tank, stagnant water cannot effectively absorb oxygen. The mollies will get sleepy if there isn’t an active filter to stir up the water since they won’t have the energy to swim. They will either hover at the top or sit at the bottom in this scenario, panting for breath.

3. Molly is ill

If a fish that normally moves around like a molly is sitting or hovering in one spot, and you’ve established that it’s not pregnant, then it’s probably ill. The severity of certain illnesses varies. However, most of them have the potential to result in a listless, sluggish molly fish if left untreated.

Ich is a prime example. The fish’s body develops white patches as a result. That doesn’t seem too horrible, in general. A fish that doesn’t eat will gradually lose its strength, but the sickness also steals the molly’s appetite.

Because it might result in sores on the molly’s skin, velvet is especially riskier. Aquarists are familiar with fin and tail rot and the disastrous outcomes it may bring about. Any illness that is allowed to worsen may cause a molly fish so much discomfort that it will become completely immobile. It would be ideal if you remembered that before you brushed off your molly’s symptoms as being minor.

4. The personality of the fish

How long has the fish been stationary or circling? Does it appear worn out? Is it time to eat? Is hiding where the molly fish spends most of its time? You must take into account the potential that your molly is simply lazy if you haven’t seen any alarming signs.

Some fish choose to remain motionless for extended periods of time. Your molly fish is usually healthy if it always reacts when you put food in the aquarium. If this lack of activity isn’t followed by further clamped fins and gasping signs, you don’t necessarily need to take anything.

5. Your Molly has Aged

Molly fish only live an average of five years, thus they are not eternal. They eat less as they become older, which causes them to lose weight. Some of them even start to change color, and their eyes start to enlarge. Older mollies may float on their sides.

Some fish, nevertheless, do not visibly show signs of aging. Instead, they will pass away unexpectedly and violently. However, they frequently start out sluggish and gain a listless, lazy attitude. If you’ve had your molly for a while, you should keep this scenario in mind.

6. Deplorable Water Quality

Molly fish are susceptible to high and low temperatures, as well as an unsuitable pH and hardness. They could swim sporadically or act violently as a reaction to the unpleasant conditions in their tank.

They will finally tire out and stop moving. This is common in overcrowded, inadequate, and neglected tanks. Because of your molly’s sluggishness, you shouldn’t be shocked if the water in your aquarium is filthy and foggy.

7. Swim Bladder Illness

The swim bladder is used by fish to regulate their buoyancy in the water. The fish’s ability to swim will diminish if an accident or illness affects its swim bladder. Some fish sink to the bottom as a result of swim bladder illness. Some people will swim at odd angles. But occasionally the condition makes swimming such a strain that the fish becomes immobile due to weariness.

8. Overeating and Constipation

Does the fish appear swollen? If so, you probably gave him too much, and he needs some time to digest it. Overfeeding can occasionally result in constipation, which can impede molly fish and lead it to sink to the bottom. Swim bladder illness is frequently brought on by constipation. Swim bladder illness, as previously explained, can cause tiredness, which finally makes your molly linger in position. The fish will also seem sluggish and listless.

9. Anxious Situation

Mollies don’t do well under stress. It is frequently linked to fish hiding and appetite reduction. But it may also make your mollies listless, especially if it continues to the point where the fish’s immune system is compromised and it becomes susceptible to illnesses.

Your molly may not be moving due to aggressive tank mates like angelfish and Oscars in your aquarium. The fish may decide to remain still and in a secure location. It won’t have to deal with its bullies this way.

10. Molly is Dozing

Fish sleep, in case you didn’t know. They cannot close their eyes because they lack eyelids. Regardless of the time of day or night, fish can sleep. They do, however, like sleeping at nighttime when the lights are off.

Fish that are asleep will stop moving even if their eyes are still open. Some people abruptly cease moving. Others will continue to move, but they will do it slowly and sluggishly. The fish’s discomfort indicates that it is sleeping. Check to check whether the fish awakens by tapping on the tank’s glass.

How Should I Handle Mollies that have Stopped Moving?

You must consider the potential that your baby may be dead if it is not moving. Keep a tight eye on it. It is still alive if the gills are moving, in which case you may still provide the following treatments:

1. Examine the Water Parameters

I strongly advise making sure the tank’s conditions are perfect for molly fish. This contains the hardness, pH, and temperature (72-78 degrees Fahrenheit) (between 20 and 30KH). Additionally, confirm that heaters and filters are still functional.

As was previously stated, mollies like a temperature range of 72 to 78 degrees F. The temperature should, however, be steady all day long. Your mollies and the other fish will become stressed by abrupt changes.

2. Change the Water in the Tank

Many issues that arise in an aquarium may be resolved with a water change. Pollutants and harmful substances like ammonia will be removed by a water change. Small water adjustments should be made over the following several days if the fish are already drowsy.

Significant water fluctuations should be avoided since they will increase stress. To keep the water’s quality from declining once the fish has recovered, you should plan frequent water changes.

3. Add Air to Your Aquarium

You may make up for a lack of oxygen by agitating the water. A decent filter can achieve this, but you also need to add some air stones. They’ll make sure the entire tank is filled with oxygen. Maintaining the ideal temperature is equally important. This calls for keeping the aquarium away from windows. Direct sunlight may cause temperature rises. The same is true for too-bright lighting.

4. Remove the causes of stress

Giving their fish a salt bath, which may have a relaxing impact on fish, is one way some aquarists deal with stress. With mollies, though, it frequently suffices to get rid of the stressors. That covers harmful substances, crowded settings, and bullies. It would be beneficial if you provided them with cover as well. By including a few plants and decorations, you may do it quickly. In the event that the tank has hostile tank mates, these will allow your molly to remain hidden.

5. How to handle Swim Bladder Disease

Usually, this illness is treated by making the molly fish fast for a few days (three or four). That is a successful remedy for constipated fish. After this time has passed, you should feed the fish cooked, peeled peas. They will clear the fish’s digestive tract of the obstruction. Your reaction if the fish is ill will depend on the sickness in question. However, you are frequently advised to isolate the fish while you try to identify its symptoms. Afterward, be careful to speak with an aquatic veterinarian.

How to Recognize a Dying Molly?

When your molly fish exhibits classic signs like fast gill movement, lethargy, and weight loss, you may determine that it is dying. Additionally, lesions may appear all over the body in dying mollies. Putting the fish in quarantine and changing the water’s parameters are necessary for treatment.

Some fish keepers reject the symptoms of disease in their fish much too quickly. They are unaware that certain illnesses have the potential to fatally affect their fish. Aquarists are usually concerned about the following symptoms:

• Lesions, swellings, and sores on a fish’s body are concerning because they indicate that the fish is struggling with a bacterial illness that might harm the other fish in the tank. Bumpy growths are comparable in this regard.
• Gill Movement: If the gills on your mollies are racing, the fish is having difficulty breathing. Mollies must breathe to survive, thus difficulty breathing indicates that they require assistance right once.
• Loss of Weight – Loss of weight is another indication of impending peril. It demonstrates that the fish isn’t consuming as much food as it ought to. In addition to illnesses like stress, weight loss may indicate the presence of a parasite. In any case, if the fish keeps becoming smaller, it will end up dead. 
• Lethargy – A fish that isn’t moving around is either emotionally traumatized or too physically worn out to do anything. Typically, weight reduction is accompanied by lethargy. Fish that are sluggish gradually lose their hunger, which inevitably makes them weaker over time. Fish health may be monitored by looking at a fish’s color. Even when its health declines, a fish’s colors will deteriorate. In other words, a fish’s condition is more severe the paler it is.

The Bottom Line on Why is my Molly not Moving?

For a variety of causes, Mollies cease migrating. Start by attentively inspecting the fish if they occur in your aquarium. Try to establish if it is pregnant or constipated by looking at its belly. Additionally, you should examine the water’s characteristics, such as pH, temperature, ammonia, and nitrate levels. It’s possible that the fish ceased moving due to its personality if all other options have been checked out. Even fish from the same species might differ in their level of activity. You may let the fish alone if it appears to be in good health and the water is suitable.