Hello I am a new member, but I’m here mostly because I’m desperate for help! I found my balloon belly Molly stuck to a water pump(this is the first I’ve ever seen this happen) I thought she was dead so I wiggled her loose and to my surprise she was not dead. Shockingly she was bleeding from the mouth but as I looked closer, her mouth is partially mangled. I really didn’t think she’d make thru the night but again to my surprise she did. she is swimming around and acting pretty much normal given the situation but I have yet to see her eat. What to do? how can I help this Molly? is this a survivable injury? The one pic is of the pump and the pointer is pointing to the spot where her face was stuck. It’s the triangle area next to the tube…….. has anyone had this kind of experience with this kind of pump?
Hello, I am a new member with an injured balloon belly molly
- Thread starter Shandelln
- Start date
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
She's not eating because her mouth is not functioning at the moment. Unfortunately, this is not an injury you can really do anything about besides keeping the water clean so that the wound does not get infected. She doesn't look skinny so she can go a week at least with no food without any really bad effects. As for the filter, there are plastic screening materials you can get at places like Home Depot or Lowes or your favorite garden center and you can build a "fence" around the filter to prevent any fish from getting sucked into the filter while still having water going through to be filtered. 
Well, I was pretty sure that’s why she wasn’t eating because her mouth is not functioning. and I already use the net material. In fact, I get from the dollar store, the net sponge in the bath area cut a piece of that out and a rubber band it over the tube(out flowing water) on my other water pump. I do this because I have actually had a fish go into that before and that one did die. It also acts like a screen catching hair, and some other debris ….this comes in handy because I have a long-haired cat This was the first time using that type of pump I didn’t know that was a vulnerable area as I haven’t had any other fish do that. I appreciate your input and advice. I’m worried about the possibility of infection ….if that were to happen do you have any advice on what to use and where to get it? Also, do you think I should quarantine the molly or would that cause too much stress? Thanks again in advance.
