Red Wag Platy— Sick or Fine?

[Retired Viking]

Look at the filter, does it hang on the back of the tank or is it in the tank and has a sponge?

 

[angrysnort]

marimo balls are a form of algae and absorb nitrate and nitrite but not ammonia.

Ah okay, I see. Thanks.

 

[angrysnort]

I'll try to get my hands on a testing kit for the water, and do a water change soon. I'll do some more research online about fish that look similarly to her. Just doing a quick google search now popped up with a female Red Wag Swordtail as well as a Red Wag Platy. I could've been wrong all along. I'll try to balance something out about common water changes, not sure how that will go though. Thank you everyone.

 

[angrysnort]

Look at the filter, does it hang on the back of the tank or is it in the tank and has a sponge?

Oh, that's what you meant, haha. Sorry 'bout that. Hangs on the back with a drop-down into the water.

 

[JuiceBox52]

She could be a female sword regardless she is very sick...

 

[Retired Viking]

You will need to clean out the filter also, if there is a sponge in there squeeze it out in the old tank water and put it back in do not use unconditioned water (tap water) Do you have water conditioner? The sponge also contains good bacteria.

 

[angrysnort]

You will need to clean out the filter also, if there is a sponge in there squeeze it out in the old tank water and put it back in do not use unconditioned water (tap water) Do you have water conditioner? The sponge also contains good bacteria.

I don't have a sponge, no. But I do have that moss ball. I do have water conditioner and treat the water with it once in a while. I'll check the filters and clean them out.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I don't have a sponge, no. But I do have that moss ball. I do have water conditioner and treat the water with it once in a while. I'll check the filters and clean them out.

What is inside the filter? Is it a sponge or something else?

 

[angrysnort]

What is inside the filter? Is it a sponge or something else?

It's a sponge.

Edit: It's these.

 

[JuiceBox52]

It's a sponge.

Okay so retired viking was saying to clean the sponge in the filter

 

[angrysnort]

Okay so retired viking was saying to clean the sponge in the filter

Ah, I see. Makes sense. I should buy more of these things just in case I think.

 

[angrysnort]

Ok everyone, I think I have a good idea of what to do and a good plan in place. Thank you very much for helping me out!

 

[JuiceBox52]

Ah, I see. Makes sense. I should buy more of these things just in case I think.

More of what? The sponges dont need replacing for a number of years even if the manufacturers want to tell you they do. They only need rinsed each water change. They hold beneficial bacteria that will be lost with replacing them

 

[Retired Viking]

Wash it out in the old tank water and you need to use water conditioner for the new water every water change. There is chlorine in the water that also will hurt and even kill your fish. Like ammonia, chlorine chemically burns the fish's gills.

 

[Colin_T]

The fish is a wagtail swordtail, not a platy. Platies are shorter, swordtails are longer.

The fins don't appear to have anything major and do not have fungus.

The fish is skinny and has a curved back. The skinny body can be intestinal problems like worms, lack of food, gill flukes or poor water quality (high nitrates, etc).

The curved back can be old age, Tuberculosis, or a tumour growing inside the fish. Old age is the most likely cause.

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Normally we recommend doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate once a week. If water is expensive or hard to come by, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a fortnight.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

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How often are you feeding the fish?

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You can add some rock salt, sea salt, or swimming pool salt to the aquarium to help with damaged fins and gill flukes. Use 2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons ) of tank water. Keep the salt in there for 2 weeks.

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You should clean the filter at least once a month. Wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Don't replace filter pads/ cartridges unless they start to fall apart.

You can buy sponges for different brands of filters and use a pair of scissors to cut the sponge to fit in your filter. Sponges will last for years and don't need replacing unless they are falling apart.

If you add a sponge to the filter, leave the old filter pad/ cartridge in the filter with the new sponge for about 2 months. Then get rid of the old cartridge and leave the sponge in the filter.