Do you have Dalmation mollies in your tank? Are you curious about their awkward behaviors? Is hiding one of them? If yes, do you know why? Read on as this article will provide you with answers on why your Dalmation molly is hiding.
Dalmation molly will hide when they share their tank with aggressive tankmates. They will also hide when the water condition becomes poor and unhealthy. Your Dalmation molly will also hide when the tank becomes overcrowded or when it suffers from bacterial infections.
Why Are My Dalmation Mollies Hiding All of a Sudden?
There are several reasons your Dalmation molly starts hiding all of a sudden. The causes for this behavior range from behavioral to physical and environmental factors. Here are few reasons why your Dalmation molly is hiding;
- Aggression: One of the most common reasons your Dalmation molly is hiding in the presence of aggressive tankmates. Dalmation mollies are peaceful fish that might not go well with aggressive or territorial fish. They tend to shy out and keep their cool when they are in the same tank with aggressive fish.
If you want to stop them from hiding, you will have to remove the aggressive fish from their tank. It occurs mostly when they get paired with other fish species and not their fellow mollies. Your Dalmation molly hiding is just a simple way of showing submission to the aggressive ones.
- Water condition: Everyone wants a conducive environment, which is also applicable to Dalmation mollies. Dalmation mollies are hardy fish and can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. But when these conditions start to go above the limit, they start reacting to it.
When the water quality becomes so poor, they cannot tolerate it; they get stressed. You will see the mollies resting at a secured, covered place, trying to conserve their energy. You have to maintain top-notch water quality if you want them to resurface and resume their previous activities,
- Disease: Disease is another common cause of Dalmation mollies hiding all of a sudden. When your Dalmation molly gets infected, whether bacterial infections, parasitic infections, viral infections, etc., they get tired and weak, they will take cover to regain their strength and hide from other fish.
You will need to treat them with the disease to help them resurface.
Why Are My Mollies Sitting at the Bottom of the Tank?
There are various reasons why your mollies are sitting at the bottom of the tank. One of the numerous reasons your molly is sitting at the bottom of the tank is resting. Your molly can have a hard day and take a quick nap at the bottom of the tank trying to stay undisturbed.
It is a common behavior mollies exhibit. There are other reasons your molly is sitting at the bottom of the tank. Below are some of the reasons.
- Water condition: Like when mollies hide, they also sit at the tank’s bottom when they experience adverse water conditions. When the temperature, ammonia level, nitrite level, pH, etc., becomes unbearable, you will notice your molly sitting at the bottom of the tank. They sit at the bottom because they are trying to conserve their energies as they get stressed from the adverse water condition.
- Disease: If your molly is sick, one of the ways you will tell is its reduced activities. Since its immunity gets weakened due to the disease, its metabolism and body functions also follow suit. You will notice that the molly will sit at the bottom of the tank almost all the time.
- New environment: When you newly introduced your molly to a new tank, most of the time, the molly will sit at the bottom of the tank. It sits there trying to observe and adapt to the environment while it conserves its energy. It is not a big deal as it will resume its activities when its body becomes fully adapted to the new environment.
You have to pay attention to the cause of your molly sitting at the bottom of the tank so you will be able to take action.
Why Are My Mollies Hiding Behind Filter
Your molly can hide behind a filter due to various reasons. One of the most common reasons your molly is hiding behind a filter is to stay away from aggressive tank mates. When you have aggressive or territorial fish in the same tank as your molly, your molly tends to be submissive.
Mollies are peaceful, easygoing fish that will do anything to stay out of trouble. They will hide behind the filter to stay away from the aggressive ones. You will need to remove the aggressive fish from the tank before your molly can enjoy its stay in the tank.
Mollies will also hide behind the filter when the water condition is poor. They understand that the filter helps bring quality water, and the best part of the water will be close to it. So, they move close to the filter to better water quality than the rest of the tank.
Your molly will also hide behind the filter when the tank becomes overcrowded. You will see them staying away from most fish in the tank, trying to have their own space. They will also hide behind filters when they become sick.
When they are sick, all they need is adequate conditions, so they try their best to get it. You will have to treat them for their disease before moving with their schools once again.
Why is My Molly Shaking
Mollies will shake when they experience adverse water conditions, especially when there is a massive drop in temperature. They will also shake when there is an abrupt change in other environmental conditions like pH, hardness, ammonia level, nitrate concentration, etc. Your molly will also vibrate when suffering from parasitic or bacterial infections.
Do Mollies Hide When Giving Birth
Mollies may not hide when giving birth. But you should seclude them from their main tank for the safety of the baby mollies. After the mother births them, you might also need to remove the mother from the babies’ tank.
Conclusion
Your Dalmation molly can hide due to several reasons. You have to know why it is hiding and how to help it out of its troubles. Once you can provide your fish with adequate and appropriate care and conditions, it might have no reason to hide anymore.
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