# Help! Ballon Molly sick/growth?



## Heatheratl (Aug 20, 2010)

Could anyone help me identify what is wrong with my sick Molly? There is something growing all over her mouth. It is not cottony.. more tumor like and hard. If you look at the other molly is the background, she also has a black growth coming out of her gill. I didn't notice this when I bought them, but they both had it when I brought them home. Is this curable? I have tried salt, water changes and tea tree oil. Any advice is most appreciated.


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## Heatheratl (Aug 20, 2010)

Anyone.. Anyone????


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

I have never seen anything like it before. Sorry

have a blessed day


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## pepe (Nov 11, 2013)

Wow,never saw anything like that. I'm thinking genetics but that's just a guess


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Can't say about the one with the mouth issue,but the black one looks like melanoma.I can't say for sure if mollies can get melanoma,but through many breedings with black swords I brought it out.It is uncurable.It is cancer very similiar to that people get.It is the black pigment in excess that cause it in the swords.Since mollies can be all black and this is not a common ailment for them I may be wrong,but it looks just like my swords that developed it.
For the record "ballon" anything(your mollies) are a man made defect that for some reason people find attractive.They are known to have shorter life spans and lowered immunity to disease.The body is stunted(somehow?) but the organs in the fish keep growing which is how they develope their appearence.There is also info from individual keepers who say they live just as long as regular mollies,but I suspect these keepers are "hard headed" or just very lucky.


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

I hate to pile on but Coralbandit is right. I have had the same issues with black swords and I'd bet the farm that is the issue here. As for the mouth, it appears to be a fiberious tumor of some sort and likely, unless mannually trimmed off, will be eventually kill the fish.

Soap Box: As Coralbandit said, these mollies are genetic culls that should have never been introduced into the hobby. When I have livebearer fry with S spines I feed them to the cichlids and the parents get pulled from the breeding program. I raise a lot of livebearers and have very, very well fed cichlids. That brings me to the Parret Cichlids, they are injected with color. Here again this is just wrong. Think of it this way, all the people who spent years working with little gray fish we now call guppys, sounds like a lot of work. Same thing goes for swordtails, platies, mollies. Others worked on tetras, barbs and cat fish. How many albino bristle nose pleco live in the wild?? ZIP, ZERO NADA. These are natural non-deforming genetic qualities. Ballon Mollys, not in the same league.


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## Heatheratl (Aug 20, 2010)

I actually considered trying to cut it off and thought "I must be nuts" to think this. I think it will eventually cause get to starve to death. As it is now, she is able to eat.


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## pepe (Nov 11, 2013)

I totally agree with everything that has been said about the unethical practices of perpetuating genetically flawed strains,I can 't add add anything new to that topic.I would like to add how refreshing it is to see such care and concern shown by Heatheratl over one little fish. The fish is not to blame for it's genetic shortcomings and Heateratl's compassion should be applauded


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I am/was in no way trying to condem Heatheratl.I feel there are a lot of "good keepers" who just don't know the origin of some fish.To care for and be concerned for any living creature is admirable.
It is a sad and unfortunate truth that the industry does not share the same devotion.They are driven by money.They are not looking for best in show or words of respect from one individual whose opinion should count.
This does not only hold true to certain fish but also equipment,and chemicals/buffers that really have no proper place in "good fishkeeping ".


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