This is my first post, so first off hello to everyone. Unfortunately it's not a happy one.
I'm new to the hobby so apologies if I've made a few errors, but here is the story so far.
Nearly four months ago I bought a small unheated 35L tank, after setting up I added a 3 Platys (2 yellow and 1 blue) and a small black moor. ( I now know platys are tropical but at the time i was even more naive and just saw them in the cold water section at Pets at Home.
Anyway, 2 months later, after some research I decided that the small 35L was way to small for the Black moor, and invested in a 100L tank (biggest I could fit in my small flat). I set the tank up, moved some of the filter media from the now cycled smaller tank, left it a few days to settle and transferred the fish over to their new home. Since then (month ago) everything seemed to be going fine, I had the smallest of mini cycles, and the bi-daily tests have shown no ammonia or nitrate, and only a little (about 10ppm) of nitrate for about 3 weeks now. The fish seemed happy and even the two shy yellow platys have perked up and are now very active.
That was until this evening! I arrived home late from work, to find the blue platy dead, and my Black moor looking ill at the bottom of the tank. I immediately removed the dead platy and moved the Black moor to a separate tank. Since then he's got a lot worse, and now he's lying on his side at the bottom only just breathing. In the last few hours his skin has gone from jet black to a light brown/red colour, and now his fins are beginning to turn that colour as well.
I don't understand how this has happen so quickly. When I fed them last night they all seemed fine, the only inclination that something was wrong was that he ate slightly less, and was swimming ever so slightly slower. I'm wondering if it could be ich, but the symptoms I know of is a load of white dots on their scales, almost as if they were covered in salt. The only thing like that I saw was a very very light dusting, almost like a very fine flour on his skin, and that was so hard to spot, i could only see it when he was directly under the light, I even thought it could be jut some sediment he kicked up when he was rummaging in the gravel.
If anyone can suggest to me what the problem could be, or better, a way of saving him, I would be very appreciative. He really is in a sorry state, and I'm wondering if it would be best to stop his suffering.
Thanks in advance.
Adam
P.S. The 2 yellow Platys seem fine at moment.
I'm new to the hobby so apologies if I've made a few errors, but here is the story so far.
Nearly four months ago I bought a small unheated 35L tank, after setting up I added a 3 Platys (2 yellow and 1 blue) and a small black moor. ( I now know platys are tropical but at the time i was even more naive and just saw them in the cold water section at Pets at Home.
Anyway, 2 months later, after some research I decided that the small 35L was way to small for the Black moor, and invested in a 100L tank (biggest I could fit in my small flat). I set the tank up, moved some of the filter media from the now cycled smaller tank, left it a few days to settle and transferred the fish over to their new home. Since then (month ago) everything seemed to be going fine, I had the smallest of mini cycles, and the bi-daily tests have shown no ammonia or nitrate, and only a little (about 10ppm) of nitrate for about 3 weeks now. The fish seemed happy and even the two shy yellow platys have perked up and are now very active.
That was until this evening! I arrived home late from work, to find the blue platy dead, and my Black moor looking ill at the bottom of the tank. I immediately removed the dead platy and moved the Black moor to a separate tank. Since then he's got a lot worse, and now he's lying on his side at the bottom only just breathing. In the last few hours his skin has gone from jet black to a light brown/red colour, and now his fins are beginning to turn that colour as well.
I don't understand how this has happen so quickly. When I fed them last night they all seemed fine, the only inclination that something was wrong was that he ate slightly less, and was swimming ever so slightly slower. I'm wondering if it could be ich, but the symptoms I know of is a load of white dots on their scales, almost as if they were covered in salt. The only thing like that I saw was a very very light dusting, almost like a very fine flour on his skin, and that was so hard to spot, i could only see it when he was directly under the light, I even thought it could be jut some sediment he kicked up when he was rummaging in the gravel.
If anyone can suggest to me what the problem could be, or better, a way of saving him, I would be very appreciative. He really is in a sorry state, and I'm wondering if it would be best to stop his suffering.
Thanks in advance.
Adam
P.S. The 2 yellow Platys seem fine at moment.