Platy Acting Very Weird! Is He Dying?

[truetotexas]

hey guys im only two weeks into my tank and i have one platy that is very to himself. he likes to hide behind plants and under driftwood. but lately ive noticed him just sitting vertically in the corner of my tank.... very weird! he is still alive and very active!! but hes making me worrried...

 

[Corleone]

Judging from your other recent posts, you haven't had the tank long enough to do a cycle, fish-in or fishless, so I'm going to hazard a guess this is stress from ammonia in the water. . I'd suggest reviewing this thread:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/

Do you have a test kit and which one? Do you know what ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels currently are? How often do you do water changes, and how much water?

If you don't have a test kit, I suggest getting a liquid-based kit ASAP, as it's the most important tool for keeping fish healthy. Skip the strip based tests, as they're generally less accurate and reliable, and you get far more uses out of the bottles, making them much cheaper in the long run. You can also get water tests done at most fish stores, but it's important to have them write down the numbers and show you the results, as what they say is "fine" or even "perfect" can in fact be very toxic.

 

[truetotexas]

Judging from your other recent posts, you haven't had the tank long enough to do a cycle, fish-in or fishless, so I'm going to hazard a guess this is stress from ammonia in the water. . I'd suggest reviewing this thread:
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/[/URL]

Do you have a test kit? Do you know what ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels currently are? How often do you do water changes, and how much water?

i have a ph test kit. but ive only had the fish in there for about a week. i havent done a water change yet, i was going to do it about every two weeks. my water treatment that i used removes ammonia. im going to probably do a 25% water change tomorrow though

 

[Corleone]

i have a ph test kit. but ive only had the fish in there for about a week. i havent done a water change yet, i was going to do it about every two weeks. my water treatment that i used removes ammonia. im going to probably do a 25% water change tomorrow though
[/quote]

The water treatment removes the ammonia that's present in the tap water, if there's any (excess may remove a bit more left over, but it would take huge amounts to counteract fish waste). However, the ammonia the fish procue has to be converted to nitrIte, and then to relatively harmless nitrAte by a bacterial colony that grows in your filter. This colony can take 4-6 weeks to establish. Again, review the article I linked, as the cycle and water quality monitoring/control are really the only "thing" to keeping fish. The rest of it at some level boils down to dumping stuff into water.

pH is one of the least important stats to monitor for most fish, though it is good to watch as it should be kept stable (adjustment usually isn't necessary or advisable).

Ammonia and nitrIte are critical to monitor, especially in a new tank. Any amount over 0 is bad, and calls for a 20% water change. Any value over 0.25 is very bad, and calls for an immediate large water change. Anything over 0.5 is panic levels, and may require several large water changes spaced out over a few hours to bring down. The same rule applies to nitrIte, but nitrAte is relatively harmless. There will usually be some present in a mature tank, and it's only toxic in large amounts. Weekly water changes (again, in a mature tank where ammonia and nitrite are always 0) will usually keep it in the 10-40 range, which is perfectly fine except for some sensitive fish that don't like levels above 20.

 

[truetotexas]

he just died.... right after i replied to you... i was watching him swim and i had a feeling it was coming... i watched him swim under my driftwood and he passed... =(

 

[Corleone]

Sorry Always a kick in the nuts to have fish die.

Anyway, back to business... Do you have other fish? If so, I'll drum on my above link some more. If not, here's another one to review:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

A fishless cycle takes a while, and it's a somewhat involved process, but there's not much work involved really. The result will be a reasonably well established tank that will be able to safely support a good chunk of its recommended maximum stocking out of the box.

 

[K-Holed]

Number one ... DON'T PANIC! ... what has happened to you isn't the end of your fish keeping career, it's happened to many people before you. The most importent thing to do wit a new tank is get it cycled. You can do this with fish or without. Most people here will recomend you do it as a fishless cycle. This ultimately means that no fish is put under stress and also you can fully stock your tanks once it's done properly.

If you still have any fish, you're going to hav to go through a "With Fish" cycle. This will require you going through regular water changes (several times a week) until your ammonia reaces zero and your nitrites start to come up. Once you're nitrites coe up ad your ammonia goes down you'll eventually see a drop in nitrites. Once your tank is converting ammonia to nitrates within 12 hours or so, you can start increasing your fish load SLOWLY! (A couple of suitable fish each week)

If you're fishless cycling, the process is much the same as regards to looking at your water parimiters, other than when you get the ammonia/nitrite balance you can fully stock.

There are many stickys regarding cycling a tank, which you will no doubt find useful.

//James

 

[truetotexas]

yeah i have 5 platys now. 3 sunset wags and 2 blue platys. i just did a 25% water change this morning and already treated the tank. everything seems to be okay now. but about my first casualty i had a feeling that he would be the fist to go as soon as i put them in my tank....

i mean i think my tank put together pretty well. before i put any fish in it i had it running with treated water, the filter, a bunch of plants, river rocks, some drift wood, and and airstone that throws a bunch of bubbles! (which the platys love to play in). i think its just a matter of time before the bio-wheel gets cultured

 

[minxfishy]

Oh please read the link that Corleone has already given you. The tank will not be ok, the filter needs maturing and it doesnt happen by itself. Your fish will produce ammonia from their waste, the ammonia levels will rise and rise until enough bacteria has been produced to covert the ammonia to nitrIte, this again will rise and rise until the next stage bacteria have grown enough to convert it to NitrAtes. Your fish will be going thru this process and will either die or be severally affected by this, any ammonia or nitrite is harmful to them.

Please read the links and be prepared to do daily 50% water changes to keep all levels below 0.25ppm until the cycle is complete. Alternatively take those fish back and do a fishless cycle. Also purchase a liquid based test kit to test your water 2/3x daily whilst cycling.

 

[truetotexas]

Oh please read the link that Corleone has already given you. The tank will not be ok, the filter needs maturing and it doesnt happen by itself. Your fish will produce ammonia from their waste, the ammonia levels will rise and rise until enough bacteria has been produced to covert the ammonia to nitrIte, this again will rise and rise until the next stage bacteria have grown enough to convert it to NitrAtes. Your fish will be going thru this process and will either die or be severally affected by this, any ammonia or nitrite is harmful to them.

Please read the links and be prepared to do daily 50% water changes to keep all levels below 0.25ppm until the cycle is complete. Alternatively take those fish back and do a fishless cycle. Also purchase a liquid based test kit to test your water 2/3x daily whilst cycling.

daily 50% water changes? testing 2-3 times a day? dang i work 12 hour shifts 5-6 times a week... that is very very hard to do

 

[Corleone]

Yeah, it is. Which is why fishless cycling is highly recommended. It requires testing twice a day (you can usually do it before and after work), and some simple work with an eyedropper at most once a day, and less often for most of the process. It sometimes requires one or two large water changes, but less than a matured tank offers.

At the end of the fishless cycle, you can have more fish than you would at the end of a fish-in cycle with less work for you and less deaths in your fish. Fish-in cycles can work, but even ideally require a good deal of work.

 

[minxfishy]

Oh please read the link that Corleone has already given you. The tank will not be ok, the filter needs maturing and it doesnt happen by itself. Your fish will produce ammonia from their waste, the ammonia levels will rise and rise until enough bacteria has been produced to covert the ammonia to nitrIte, this again will rise and rise until the next stage bacteria have grown enough to convert it to NitrAtes. Your fish will be going thru this process and will either die or be severally affected by this, any ammonia or nitrite is harmful to them.

Please read the links and be prepared to do daily 50% water changes to keep all levels below 0.25ppm until the cycle is complete. Alternatively take those fish back and do a fishless cycle. Also purchase a liquid based test kit to test your water 2/3x daily whilst cycling.

daily 50% water changes? testing 2-3 times a day? dang i work 12 hour shifts 5-6 times a week... that is very very hard to do

Well its hardly a large tank, so 50% water changs should only take 30 mins tops, im sorry but this going to be the minimum amount of effort required on your part to get your fish through this cycle. Please heed our advice and do the best for the fish.