Hi I am new to the forum and I am a beginner. I have 2 Female platies, one of them is slightly bigger than the other. She love picking on the air bubbles from the plant. The small one is quite shy and now she is sick and keep hiding at the bottom of tank. Hope she can make it.
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Welcome! Please tell us about your setup: Tank size, filter, decor, whether your tank is cycled. Maybe we can help you get your sick platy sorted out.
Thanks for your help. It is a new 20L tank, I am using Marina I25 filter. There is a lobelia cardinalis plant, sand substrate and a few gravels. The fishes arrive to this new home for about 1 month now from the shop, at the first 2 weeks they are fine, the small one is always less active but she fight back when the big one try to push her a side. I feed them with flakes. And then on the third week, i was away for a few days so i drop them a Tetra weekend stick. I make sure they do eat them before I go. Then when I back, the small one act abnormal. She struggle to swim, refuse to eat and always hiding.
I have tried Epsom salt dip for 2 days now, and i just feed them with cook spinach in case she has constipation. But she hasn't eaten any, whereas the big one enjoy any food as normal.
Her poop look transparent with occasional small white lump or green lump.
I am going to get an anti-bacterial treatment tomorrow. However, I was wondering will it do more damage if she was pregnant if i treat her with medicine?
I should really take the tank with me to travel, but i read a research that fish can get travel sick...
Reduce feeding to a couple of times a week for the next 2-3 weeks.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. Then do it 4-8 hours after feeding for a couple of weeks. After that the filter should have cycled and you can do it once a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
If the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. After the filter has cycled (in about 6 weeks), you can wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.
Don't add any new fish to the tank for at least a month.
Try to get the water tested for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
Lobelia is a garden plant that will eventually rot if kept in the aquarium.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. Then do it 4-8 hours after feeding for a couple of weeks. After that the filter should have cycled and you can do it once a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
If the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. After the filter has cycled (in about 6 weeks), you can wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.
Don't add any new fish to the tank for at least a month.
Try to get the water tested for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
Lobelia is a garden plant that will eventually rot if kept in the aquarium.
Thank you for your advice. I will give it a go now, should i remove the substrate completely so that i can easily see the waste and check the poop? I am just worry if this will remove the healthy bacteria that supporting my fish live.
I have separated them in different thank, just in case the big one get infected.
Thanks again for your help, greatly appreciated.
You don't have any bacteria in the filter, that is why this happened.
Don't remove the gravel. Just reduce feeding and do daily water changes.
And don't move the fish around because every time you chase them or catch them and lift them out of water, you stress and damage them and make it easier for disease organisms to infect them.
Don't remove the gravel. Just reduce feeding and do daily water changes.
And don't move the fish around because every time you chase them or catch them and lift them out of water, you stress and damage them and make it easier for disease organisms to infect them.
I see, i am clearly a beginner. I will follow the steps you suggested, thank you so much for your help. Just wonder, should i increase the water temperature if they are cold water platy? Or just better leave them as changing water temperature increase stress?
Platies can live in water slightly cooler than other tropical fish but they do need a temperature of between 20 and 26 deg C, with the middle of that range being best. You don't say what the tank water temperature is now, but if it's lower than that you need to increase it.
Water changes are stressful for fish but living in water which has ammonia and/or nitrite in it is a lot more stressful. As long as the new water has water conditioner added and is the same temperature as the tank water, the fish will be OK with large daily water changes.
Fish are OK for several days without food and it better to leave them without than use long term food. A lot of these can foul the water. For longer times away, if you can trust someone to go in and feed them (Covid restrictions permitting) that's even better.
As a side issue, 20 litres is a very small tank, it's really too small for platies; they really need a tank at least 60 x 30 x 30 cm. They would be a lot happier if you could get a bigger tank.
Water changes are stressful for fish but living in water which has ammonia and/or nitrite in it is a lot more stressful. As long as the new water has water conditioner added and is the same temperature as the tank water, the fish will be OK with large daily water changes.
Fish are OK for several days without food and it better to leave them without than use long term food. A lot of these can foul the water. For longer times away, if you can trust someone to go in and feed them (Covid restrictions permitting) that's even better.
As a side issue, 20 litres is a very small tank, it's really too small for platies; they really need a tank at least 60 x 30 x 30 cm. They would be a lot happier if you could get a bigger tank.
Hmm, I am not sure now. I bought them from fish shop they are called variatus platy. The staff told me to keep them in room temperature. Some people said if the temperature is high for cold water fish, it stimulate their metabolism too fast and shorten their life. But then some said if the fish ill, I should increase the temperature in the hospital tank.
I just done the water change, she clearly don't like it, but will keep going hopefully will help her. I actually suck up the waste daily to and fill up treated water when the water level get low, just those few days away that i wasn't able to clean the tank. It could be why, but i will get a test kit to keep the water monitor. Thanks again for your advice. Greatly appreciated.
About the tank size, I am worry if any bigger than 20L, I probably could not maintenance that regularly, but will see when they grown. Thanks for the recommendations.
Thank you so much for everyone in the forum for all your help, hopefully the little one can make it
Never, ever believe anything a shop worker tells you. Most of them don't have a clue and will make up anything to get a sale.
On the other hand, Seriously Fish is written by experts. here is their profile on variatus platies
www.seriouslyfish.com
The first part of this link explains what cycling is and why it's important. The second half deals with cycling before fish are added to a tank so you can ignore that part.
www.fishforums.net
When cycling with fish, the important thing is to measure the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank every day and do a water change whenever either of them are above zero.
On the other hand, Seriously Fish is written by experts. here is their profile on variatus platies
Xiphophorus variatus – Variable Platy — Seriously Fish
www.seriouslyfish.com
The first part of this link explains what cycling is and why it's important. The second half deals with cycling before fish are added to a tank so you can ignore that part.
Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!
Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...
www.fishforums.net
When cycling with fish, the important thing is to measure the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank every day and do a water change whenever either of them are above zero.
yes, (most) pet store people are full of bogus fish care, as their companies just want money.Never, ever believe anything a shop worker tells you. Most of them don't have a clue and will make up anything to get a sale.
On the other hand, Seriously Fish is written by experts. here is their profile on variatus platies
Xiphophorus variatus – Variable Platy — Seriously Fish
The first part of this link explains what cycling is and why it's important. The second half deals with cycling before fish are added to a tank so you can ignore that part.
Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!
Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...
When cycling with fish, the important thing is to measure the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank every day and do a water change whenever either of them are above zero.
welcome
carligraceee
Fishaholic
I do agree that a larger tank would do them well, platys do not get very big but they do produce a large amount of bioload. I, personally, have a controversial opinion on stocking- if your fish cannot outgrow your tank and they have plenty of turning around space, and as long as you can take care of the water needs (whether the water changes is just once a week or more) then you should be okay. I use AQAdvisor Stocking Calculator to make the majority of my stocking decisions.Hmm, I am not sure now. I bought them from fish shop they are called variatus platy. The staff told me to keep them in room temperature. Some people said if the temperature is high for cold water fish, it stimulate their metabolism too fast and shorten their life. But then some said if the fish ill, I should increase the temperature in the hospital tank.
I just done the water change, she clearly don't like it, but will keep going hopefully will help her. I actually suck up the waste daily to and fill up treated water when the water level get low, just those few days away that i wasn't able to clean the tank. It could be why, but i will get a test kit to keep the water monitor. Thanks again for your advice. Greatly appreciated.
About the tank size, I am worry if any bigger than 20L, I probably could not maintenance that regularly, but will see when they grown. Thanks for the recommendations.
Thank you so much for everyone in the forum for all your help, hopefully the little one can make it
Here is what I have on platys:
Feeding:
You can easily overfeed platys and other livebearers as they tend to over eat. They do not have an efficient way to say they are full and being bloated can cause a lot of harm to their internal organs.
Only feed them once/twice a day depending on your water parameters.
Water Parameters for Livebearers:
Livebearers are hard water fish, needing upwards of 160-220ppm gH.
pH should be around 7.2-7.6.
Temp should stay around 74-82 degrees fahrenheit (23-28 celsius, as I see you are from England).
No ammonia or nitrites should be present, if they are, please do a large (75%) water change.
Nitrates should stay below 20ppm.
To test these things, purchase an API Liquid Testing Kit from your local pet store or online.
Tank Size:
Bigger is always better for livebearers, they don't necessarily require a load of space but they do produce a lot of bioload and if you cannot keep up with the water changes in a smaller tank, then you need to buy a bigger tank.
I recommend a minimum of 10g tank for the livebearers but most people will say 20g works best.
Hope this helps, I see everyone has given some input as well. If you have any questions, feel free to reply to any of us.
After reading through the links, I think I shouldn't change from gravel to sand when the tank not fully cycled. The tank was setup 2 weeks before the fishes arrived. They were fine at start and their poop colour is greenish colour that mean they ate some algae to keep them balance diet. Then when I clean the tank, they got some wasted food hidding underneath the gravel so I change to sand (but keep a few gravel to help build the bacteria) and remove the waste daily. They clearly dont have enough vegetable to keep a health diet.Never, ever believe anything a shop worker tells you. Most of them don't have a clue and will make up anything to get a sale.
On the other hand, Seriously Fish is written by experts. here is their profile on variatus platies
Xiphophorus variatus – Variable Platy — Seriously Fish
The first part of this link explains what cycling is and why it's important. The second half deals with cycling before fish are added to a tank so you can ignore that part.
Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!
Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...
When cycling with fish, the important thing is to measure the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank every day and do a water change whenever either of them are above zero.
I thought I have done the research, but clearly not enough.
The staff in the shop i go to seems quite knowledgeable. They once refuse to sell any fish because they noticed one of the fish got fugus on the tail, so that whole tank need quarantine. But i guess when it comes down to different type of fish, they probably not an expert.
if its a local store, most have good info...
if its a chain store, they are known for false info just to sell fish
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