Overwhelmed with conflicting advice - help please!!!

[Kim1980]

Hi, I am new to fish keeping. I purchased a Panorama 40L from my local Petssmart at their advice with the thoughts on keeping cold temperate fish as was advised quite hardy for beginners. So I go home and set up the tank - plant a couple of live plants and let the tank settle for 7-10 days. I then take the water for testing and once that's ok'd I purchase x4 platys. I leave the tank approx 10 days and do my first water change (approx 10%). The next day my largest platy starts loitering around the filter. So the day after I take my water for testing again and they confirm traces of ammonia. I was instructed to do another water change and leave to settle for a week before testing water again. So I do another 10% water change and following some internet googling propped the lid up overnight to try and let the gases escape. I wake up this morning to find him covered in white spot. So off to the pet shop again I was advised to use a white spot treatment which involves two doses one today and then at day 4. No water changes during this time and I have removed th carbon filter bit whilst treating.

So far none of the other fish seem affected. I have decreased my feeding from twice a day to a tiny bit once a day.

I am concerned that the ammonia will build up to too high levels whilst I am treating the white spot that I'll lose all fish.

Has anyone experience this and if so can you lend me any advice please? I brought the fish as a birthday pressie for my kids so they'll be devestated if we lost any, considering we'd thought we'd followed all the advise to be successful. Obviously from further research I assume I am having a case of new tank syndrome. Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to give.

 

[Byron]

First thing, welcome to TFF.

Now to your issues. Cycling is the "new tank" issue when the nitrogen cycle becomes established. There are several articles in the Cycle Your Tank section, here:
http://www.fishforums.net/forums/cycle-your-tank.291/

Second issue is what you mean by "cold temperature fish." Platy are tropicals requiring some warmth, in the mid 70's F minimum.

The ich or white spot often occurs from severe stress. A non-cycled tank will cause severe stress. I don't know what ich medication the store sold you, but some of these are less than successful. The cycling issue does complicate matters.

Frankly, i would be inclined to return the fish to the store, proceed with cycling the aquarium, then consider suitable fish. The advice they have so far given is way off on everything. The cycling articles I linked will explain why. And a 40 liter tank is much too small for platy fish. You can be considering some suitable fish once you get the cycling started.

Byron.

 

[Demeter32]

The tank didn't have time to cycle before you added the fish, which is why the ammonia spiked after introducing the platties (ammonia source). I suggest you read up on the Nitrogen cycle, this is key in keeping a healthy tank.

As for the white spots (known as ich) a simple and effective way to treat it is with heat. I don't like using meds for ich as many of them kill off the beneficial bacteria, further setting back the cycling process. If you have an adjustable heater then I say raise the heat to about 86-88F (over a couple days to let the fish adjust) and leave it there for a couple weeks. Soon enough the ich will be killed off by the heat.

When you do water changes to lower ammonia and nitrites, do at least 50% water changes as 10% won't cut it. Larger water changes are best when trying to do fish-in cycles.


As a side note: platties need a larger tank than 40 liters, not much can go in a 40l other than shrimp, or a bettas, some snails, or a few guppies. Best to return or rehome the platties and choose a fish that can live happily in that size tank. As much as your kids might be attached to the fish, it is better to give them up and get a more suitable aquatic pet.

 

[NickAu]

Wow you have been given bad advice by the fish place, Platies are not cold water fish. I would suggest you take the fish back and demand a full refund because they gave you bad advice, if they refuse get angry make a scene especially if there are other customers in the store,