Need Advice On Platy Tank

[platymommie]

My question is - are my platy deaths 'normal'. I have a 10 gal tank. Fake plants and shipwreck. Right Now 4 platys - 3 female, one male. Started tank in February. Have lost about 5 platys over the last 5 months - but some were probably old when I got them. I have had some success - three pregnancies - no survivors. One birth right in front of my eyes! There are 2 bottom feeders - a lazy catfish and one of those skinny active algae eaters. Okay what about the water? I test it. Levels are good - in range. Temp is between 78 and 80. I change the water every week - 2 gallon change and vacuum the gravel and clean the sides. I use Poland Springs because our tap water is really bad and impossible to bring into range. I use Aqua Safe and Cycle with every water change. I use algae clear when needed. I buy the fish from a chain pet store. I keep reading that platy's are easy and a great fish for beginners. Mine tend to be short-lived. Any comments advice appreciated. thanks. platymommie.

 

[jarmado]

no deaths here for over 6 months since i got my platies.

 

[Kame-San]

What exactly is your algae eater? I've heard some can be quite aggresive. With the births, did you just leave the fry in the main tank with the parents? If you did, and don't have lots of plants, that might be why you lost them. I keep my guppy fry in a breeder box (or net) in the main tank. I don't have platys, but I guess they're about the same as guppies. You could probably safely lower the temp a bit. 76-81 is a good range, I think.

 

[Spader]

Ive had my 4 platys for 3 months, no deaths. were any diseased? what kind of filter do u have/is it cycled? when u change the media do u throw it all out so the cycle starts over again? and the product cycle is ammonia so idk if thats good for a cycled tank.

 

[Majjie]

.... the product cycle is ammonia so idk if thats good for a cycled tank.

Cycle is actually supposed to be a mixture of good bacteria for the filter - but you shouldn't need to add it to an established tank. Otherwise I'd ask the same question as Spader - how do you treat your filter? I'm also not sure about Poland Springs water, won't that be very high in minerals - what on earth are the stats for your tap water that make it so bad?

Platy fry, IME, are much better at surviving than guppy fry - as long as they have some plants to hide in. Feathery ones that reach up to the surface are best.

Did the platys that died have any symptoms you could see before they died?

My platys bred so much that they were quite overcrowded in the tank - not from a stocking point of view - but the males would fight a lot and chase the females endlessly. This resulted in a few deaths - due to stress, I think. Since I have separated males from females I haven't had any problem (but they still produce a lot of fry - clever madams have stored the sperm )

 

[mypapercuthurts]

Try to get platies from other places. If there are any dead platies in the tank at the pet store dont buy those ones. I bought guppies from this one place and they all kept dying so i didnt buy guppies from there again.

 

[platymommie]

Thank you for all of your replies --- I think I still have a lot to learn.
What do you mean by 'cycle the filter'? I thought the tank gets 'cycled'?
I have been doing what I have read in the book and following instructions on the labels of the products. Filter - I do this once a month - I have a whisper filter for a 20 gal tank - mine is 10 gal. The 20 gal filter is supposed to be better for the 10 gal tank. When I change the filter I throw the white medium and the charcoal out. Insert a new white filter + charcoal after rinsing the filter in water to get the surface charcoal out.
I don't think Poland Springs has minerals - it is spring water not mineral water. I tested the water using my kit and it is 'perfect'.
I am more concerned about why the adult fish die than the fry. (not that I don't care about the fry - I bought a nursery basket.)
When they get sick there is no visible sign of disease. They just hang out on the bottom a lot and eventually give up.

 

[Majjie]

Yes, that's what mine did before they died - when they were stressed - I think it can also be a symptom of bacterial infection (which they're more prone to when stressed).

When people talk about cycling the filter, that's because in many tanks that's where most of the nitrifying bacteria live - in ceramic rings or foam blocks. There are also bacteria in the gravel and in films on the glass and ornaments - so you're right it is the whole tank really that cycles.

The two filters that you mention are for mechanical filtration (white one) and chemical filtration (charcoal). Years ago, when I kept fish those were the only two that were used but most filters these days have another type of filter - those are the ceramic rings or foam blocks mentioned above. All they do is provide lots of surface area for the bacteria to attach to and multiply. And it's these filters that are only ever rinsed in tank water (tap water would kill some or all of the bacteria - because of the chlorine in it).

I'm not familiar with Whisper filters - do they provide any semi-permanent surfaces for bacteria to grow on?
If they don't then I'd guess that when you change your filters you are also throwing out a lot of the bacteria needed for removing ammonia and nitrite. Have you tested your tank water immediately after doing a filter change - say the next day?

You're sort of right about Poland Spring water - I Googled it and the analysis shows it is quite low in minerals but I'm not sure whether that is a good thing or not . You didn't mention what was wrong with your tap water.

I'm a bit out of my depth here. I'll ask about the things I'm not sure about on Tropical Chit Chat - so it might be an idea to look at the replies there aswell .

 

[TammyLiz]

Hi, I was drawn over here byMajjie's post in Tropical Chit Chat.

It sounds like you some basic questions that would be answered in the beginner FAQs, platymommie. You might want to read through them, particularly the ones on cycling, since thats a lot to type out an answer here:
ttp/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=88643

The babies not surviving is not much of a surprise. They get eaten by the adult fish in the tank. If you aren't seperating them you may eventually get a few that make it by hiding until they are big enough.

It is unlikely that the fish were already old when you got them. Platies should live for at least three to five years, I believe. Here is some information on them:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46309

Hard to say why they died without more information. It very well could be because you're changing all of your filter media at once (the white and black stuff, is that everything? Or is there a sponge, too?), which would cause continual ammonia spikes that do cause fish deaths. That is explained in the FAQ about cycling.

BTW, Majjie had a good point asking what your tap water is like. Is is really that bad? In most cases, I advise to go ahead and use it. Notice the wide ph range the platies can tolerate in the profile above.

Hope I've helped direct you to enough information to get you rolling on being an educated fishkeeper.

EDIT: I found this information on cycling as well: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141944