Need Your Advise for my Sunburst Platy

[why]

First of all thank you very much for an awesome forum and cant express my words for the precious members here devoting their time.

This is my first time with Fishes,and discovered this forum. I have started small with 5.5 Gallon aquarium- i did my basic research and with the help of amazing and kind heart lady at Pet Smart - I took aquairum and put gravel some artifical plants and kept the filter running for 4 days and keep on adding the liquids the lady suggested Quick Start and Tap Water Conditioner..and on 5th day i got 2 Sunburst Platys..and the lady advised the water is bit low on ALkaline side and wanted to still add the liquids for few more days..

The platys we made sure got only Female and also not carrying any babies, today was 8th day we had fishes.. out of two i have observed one was very active and the other being moderately active and sleeps more resting on the gravel.. initially the both dint get much together and maintained distance. First few days we used Omega One Super Color Flakes ( we took small pinch , crushed into smaller pieces put into water and added to the aquarium) .. they ate Food good for 3-4 days after that,, they are just eating a small flake and spitting it out eventually.. and becoming bit dull..and they are sleeping and all more from few days.. and yes i making sure i turn off the aquarium lights at nights to let them sleep..

From yesterday or so.. they are getting both very much together.. and spending most of the time together on the gravel.. and i have to go and make sure few times tapping the aquarium and they are moving around.. even i am adding food they are not coming out that much..and on continous tapping they eat a flake and spit it out..

I am very very very very concerned about the fishes and dont want nothing to he happened to them..and like to be more healthy and active..

yesterdy we even changed to Tropical Fin food and the ate a bit yesterday..and today again they are not interested to eat.. kindly please advise what should be done..

we took water for testing yesterday..and they said it bit low on PH side and given us PH up which i have added yesterday..

 

[why]

The temparature is in constant of 75-80 ..

Platys are not eating food and staying low on gravel most of the time.. both female and its been 8 days we brought them..

2 sunburst platys in 5.5 gallon aquarium..

 

[Demeter32]

Sounds to me the tank was not cycled before adding the fish. Tanks need to go through the Nitrogen cycle before you add the fish. The nitrogen cycle is how the fish waste is converted to less harmful substances by bacteria. Starting with a new tank, there are no bacteria to break down the waste product, leading to high levels of ammonia and nitrites, harming the fish. You need to allow the bacteria to colonize the filter media before adding fish. I suggest you do some more researching on the nitrogen cycle.

Platties should not be kept in tanks smaller than 10gal, even then it is preferred to keep them in larger tanks. They like to have fellow platties to keep them company and need their swimming space. A 5.5gal is not going to cut it in the long run. Also, looks to me at least one of those fish is a male. The third picture, looking at the anal fin, it is quite long and pointed. A female's anal fin should be fan shaped.

You may be adding Quick start, but it does not cycle the tank right away. The pH booster is a waste of money. It only buffers the water for a short time before the pH returns to how it was. pH swings are very bad for fish and will cause them stress, leading to illness. It is better to choose fish that can live happily in your pH range rather than having to change the water chemistry to suit the fish.

Can you test your tap water and give the results for pH? Also, try testing for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I suspect that ammonia and/or nitrites to be high, which would cause your fish to behave as they are. Another thing I would like to note is 75-80 degrees is not constant. It is better for fish to stay at the same temp all the time, fluctuating temps can cause stress.


The first thing I would do is change 75% of the water but do not add the pH booster. If ammonia and nitrites are high, removing them with a water change should immediately help the fish. After that my suggestion is to you is to return the fish, get the tank cycled, and then choose fish that are more appropriate.

 

[snork6]

This should help you learn about cycling your tank

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

 

[why]

thanks and appreciate your reply, i am planning to move them to a new 10 gallon tank.. after carefully cycling it for more time.. i went to petsmart and got the water tested today..and they said its fine..


i am really concerned about the fish gender.. i am not judging our experience.. can you kindly please confirm one is male.. i dont want to take chance of family in the start.. and one more favor can you please let me know if anyone is pregnant ..

 

[Demeter32]

Can you take some close ups of each fish with a good side view? I can say for sure that the one on top in the first pic is male but I can't tell with the other.

Try using this chart

If you wish to avoid having fry then I suggest getting all males. Most of the time males and females are kept together in store tanks and it only takes a few moments for a male to do the deed. You can assume that any females bought in mixed gender tanks are pregnant. Females can even store sperm for months, producing several batches of fry even if they are separated from all males.

 

[Essjay]

The test report may or may not be accurate. How did they test, with strips or liquid testers? Do you have your own test kit - that is essential, you can't cycle a tank without one. Liquid testers are more reliable than strip ones.

But if the hardness reading is anything like correct, this is another problem for you fish. Platies are hard water fish and the chart shows your hardness as very soft. Platies will not do well in this water - and adding pH Up does not increase hardness.


Your best course of action would be to return the platies to the shop, do a fishless cycle on this tank and the 10 gall, and once the tanks are cycled buy soft water fish. For the 5 gallon, a betta would the best option, or possibly one of the so-called nano fish.

 

[why]

thank you very much.. can you please let me know how to increase the hardness of the water for platys .. they done with test strips.. can you please recommend a good liquid tester so that i will buy and keep track of it for the 10 gallon one.. returning the platy's honestly a bit hard decision i have to take ..since these are our first fishes and all that feelings.. but for the greater good of fishes i will give a serious note..

the fish are doing fine from today morning and moving around very good and eating too..dont know what is the change.. i read some where that i can try freeze dried blood warms for these.. can you please guide if i can go ahed with that.. if so.. can i just put one worm each for the platys..

i have taken some close shots.. please hlep me if there is any male in these fishes.. and if any these are pregnant.. as the first timer i am too scared and concerned about the frys. .. thank you.. also please suggest a good heater for 5 gallon and another for 10 gallon.. the temperature is stable between 75-78 but as suggested wanted to maintain constant.. for the new fishes just in case and all..

 

[Essjay]

Looking at the last photo, the lower one is definitely male. The upper one is harder to tell. The anal fin doesn't look quite like a gonopodium, but it isn't the usual fan shaped female fin either. It could be a female that is holding the fin clamped or it could be a juvenile male. All platies are born looking like females. As males mature the anal fin changes shape, and the upper fish could be an immature male with the anal fin in the process of changing.
The lower fish in the second photo is very obviously male!

I prefer to use frozen food rather than dried. They can be bought from an LFS as blister packs. For just 2 fish you would not need a whole cube, just cut a small portion off one cube. They keep along time in the freezer. There are several types of frozen food - besides bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp are commonly sold.
Frozen food should be thawed in a small tub of tank water before putting it in the tank. Cleaned yoghurt pots are ideal for this. With dried food, you need to rehydrate it before putting it in the tank - in a bit if tank water in a small tub.



Most of us use the API Master Kit http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?sectionid=1&catid=18&subcatid=0&id=580 - but make sure it is the freshwater version. It tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Follow the instructions exactly for the nitrate tester -failure to shake the bottle and the tube gives false readings.
The kit doesn't test for hardness but that doesn't change in a tank unless you do something to change it. The hardness level should be somewhere on your water supplier's website.



You can 'harden' water but it is not something I would undertake lightly. It involves adding minerals to the water, the same minerals that are found naturally in hard water. Using coral, something often recommended, won't get your hardness from soft to hard enough for platies. If you did go down this route you would need to buy a GH tester so you could get all the new water at a water change to exactly the same hardness.

And even 10 gallons is a bit too small for platies. They need a tank that is at least 24 x 12 x 12 inches, and that's 15 gallons minimum.

 

[snork6]

If your fish do have fry, which they probably won't because they both look male in the photo, you will need to let nature take its course and NOT try and save the fry. You may not know this, but livebearers are cannibals and will eat their fry if they can catch them. So your best bet is to leave them in the tank and the strongest ones with the best hiding abilities will survive.
This is necessary because you do not have room for fry which will give you a population outburst if allowed

 

[why]

thank you very much.. i dont see any fry in the tank.. just that one fish always take rest and hides in some parts of the tank..makes me think.. other than that both look good now and i am going to concentrate on returning these and get two bettas or so.. but it may be hard to talk with other members of the family.. but for good of the fishes.. may be..

i will try freeze dried bloodworms i found in walmart last week.. and i will buy the liquid for testing.. just in case for future fishes.. so none of the fishes look pregnant then.. so relieved to hear that..

The only thing that scares me to go for higher tank is the .. good quality stand.. the stands that sold in stores and online look like junk iron stands.. and the tank is basically resting on the corners (which are not protected also) of the irond rod and no flat base.. and its so scary..what happens to the fish even with little push or so.. i live in a rented property and cant afford bigger tanks and the cost including the standard tanks.. i have to think and make the decision..dont wanted to hurt the little guys.. thanks for your advises and guidance.. it means a lot to beginners like me.. thank you.

 

[Essjay]

and get two bettas or so..

But not in the same tank. You can have one in the 5 gallon and one in the 10 gallon.

Male bettas cannot be kept with other bettas, male or female. And while female bettas can be kept together, you need at least 4 and a tank bigger than 10 gallons.

 

[why]

thank you very much for your replies.. i have returned the fishes to the store this weekend. now i will follow the guide lines here cleaning the tank and then to do proper cycling and to measure regularly the levels with the liquids and going to get fish atleast after 2 weeks or so.. but i want to start with 5.5 gallon and once got confidence will go for bigger ones.. one strange thing i observed after feeding freeze dried blood worms from the walmart.. two of them ate so quickly and scrapped out the rest of the worms after 2 minutes.. i saw a platty getting more active and keep pushing the other one.. for long time..

Again thank you for all your advises.

 

[why]

Can you please advise small live plants that will help with proper cycle of 5.5 gallon tank..