Platy Seriously Sick! :(

[slimeneo]

I found my red platy sucked against the filter today, but she was still breathing and her fins were still moving. I slowly "peeled" her off the filter and she is able to swim, but a bit slow and she keeps hiding and lying down on the gravel or on the leaf. There's clearly something wrong because she looks really skinny and breathing hard and lying sideways.

Water quality: 0amm and nitrite, nitrate 0-5ppm. She is accompanied by 1 female platy and 3 male (two undeveloped males who don't really breed either). PH is 8.2 last tested but I will do one now. Here are a couple of pics, please help I haven't done anything different except feed them lettuce.

should I move her or would that be too stressful? She seems to be having trouble swimming straight and sort of wobbles/flips over.. Then just lays on the gravel.

Edit: ph is 8.0-8.2, I've moved her into a 2.5 gal tub with an air pump. She seems to be swimming a little more. She'll swim around the tub once then lay back down. There looks like some discoloration near her gills area, seems a little whiter/pinker than usual.

 

[WILDER]

Has she lost weight due to not eating.

What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet.
Look at all your fish bottoms for a red inflamed anus, enlarged anus.
Also check if there any mucas coming out of there bottom.
Long white stringy poo, clear mucas poo, or red poo.
Any worms sticking out of the anal area.
Is her belly sunken in.
Do any of your fish show signs of a bent spine.

 

[slimeneo]

No, I fed them bloodworms yesterday and I know everyone got one. She is usually pretty skinny (flat belly, not pregnant or anything), she usually is the first to go to sleep and at first she didnt really hang out with the other fish. She used to hide from the 1 male that is developed. Now she seems to be getting pinker instead of her normal red color. Doesn't look like an enlarged anus or any abnormal poop. I fed them lettuce a couple of days ago so their poop was greenish but nothing unusual. Might I add this was the first time I fed them lettuce, but all the other fish are fine. No bent spine. Thank you!

 

[slimeneo]

She's moving less and lying on her side

edit:

 

[WILDER]

I find it best to use on internal wormer with livebearers.
Get you some info on this.

Can you isolate her.
To be honest I would prepare for losing her.
It's sounds like she dying.

Once they lay on the substrate to oneside, heavy breathing, they rarely make it.

So Sorry.

Get you that info.

Bless her.
R.I.P.

Some info for you on camallanus worms.

http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases/camallanus.php

 

[slimeneo]

I had already isolated her, and yeah, she just passed
it's weird how sudden it was, this morning she was fine then I got home 7 hours later and she was nearly gone Thanks anyway. Do you think my other fish may have contracted the illness? and what should I do to prevent this thank you!

edit: i didn't see any worms in the anus, she was just having trouble swimming and flipping around a bit. could it be swim bladder disease, although she hung out on the bottom of the tank and wasn't floating??

 

[WILDER]

With the fish being skinny is abit of a concern.
If she lost weight due to being ill, and not eating than fine.

But being skinny can points towards a number of things like -
internal parasites.
Poor diet.
Lack of vitamins in there diet.
Fish tb.


Just do a few water changes on main tank for a few days.
If anymore problems get back to the board.

 

[slimeneo]

sorry if I wasn't clear, she actually is pretty skinny all the time, not just today. my two undeveloped males have a little belly (see avatar, there's a bit of a curve) but hers was always flat (which I characterize as skinny).

I feed them once a day, once or twice a week will be freeze dried bloodworms (soaked in water first), the rest of the days flakes and a few days ago romaine lettuce, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong could it be maybe she ate too much lettuce? or should I start feeding them peas instead of lettuce

will do the water change... after homework @_@, perhaps I should fast the rest of the fish tomorrow? I hear it's good practice to fast the fish once a week, but I never have the heart to do it because everytime I get near the tank they're all expectant...

 

[slimeneo]

I may be just paranoid but the developed male seems to be unable to swim downwards and remains on the top of the tank. He tries to go down but then just goes back up.. I think I will definitely not feed them tomorrow and do a water change.

 

[slimeneo]

Ok so I did a water change yesterday.... And one of my gold barbs is now showing the same symptoms- trouble breathing, lying on gravel and trouble swimming straight. She keeps flipping over in spirals and it's clear she's not going to make it could someone give me any ideas as to why this is happening? I fasted the fish a day after the first fish died and fed a little bit yesterday. She seemed to be breathing really hard and opening her mouth a lot this morning but wasn't having difficulty swimming until now. temp is 82, is that the problem maybe?

 

[WILDER]

Throw the freeze dried bloodworms in the bin.
Freeze dried products can cause bloating, constipation, Swim bladder problems.

I used to feed frozen bloodworms. Far better.

I would also recommend you feed your fish twice aday. Flakes.
Evening meal,veg, or a frozen food of brime shrimp, daphnia.

Reason for skinny fish -
Fish TB,
Internal parasites.
Not feeding enough.
Fish is not eating.

Check your fish for when they go to the toilet.

I think I would worm your fish for camallanas worms.

Levaimsole a good med for camallanus worms.
http/inkmkr.com/Fish/CamallanusTreatment/

 

[slimeneo]

yea, I've heard the bloodworms can cause those problems but I DO soak them in water before feeding I'll hold off feeding them bloodworms though, thanks

twice a day, so should I feed half of what I feed now (just 2 times a day), because I know platies are prone to poop a lot, but I always fear that I'm overfeeding since they poop SO MUCH @_@

& for vegetables, I fed lettuce once (a small-ish amount) but it is definitely a lot for them to consume... should I feed them like a small piece instead of just putting in 1/2 a leaf? sorry for so many questions! I just don't want to overfeed them.

well their poop isn't abnormal, it's the same, darkish brown. Anyway I just got back and the sick fish is no where to be found... probably eaten

edit: I just watched the video describing the worm, but nothing like that ever happened to my platy (or gold barb).. there was definitely no white string and no red anus. they only swam erratically during their last moments. I googled swim bladder, and it seems similar... but it doesn't seem to be contagious then why did two of my fish have the same problem D: causes state that it could be from overfeeding... and a number of other things

 

[WILDER]

I fed my fish at least 3 times aday.
As long as you don't over do it.
If food still hanging around after 10 minutes. You are over feeding.

For now add some peas to boiling water for a few minutes.
Pop out of shell.
Crush into small pieces. Add to the tank.


If there poo is brown it not internal parasites.
Make sure your fish have no bending of the spine, curved spine.
Sunken in bellies.
Bulging eyes.
Or bulging tummies.

 

[WILDER]

If you can isolate your sick fish I think I would try an internal bacteria med.

 

[slimeneo]

Well none of my fish now have bent spines or anything. I will try to get some peas, as I don't think I have any right now.
the gold barb that was sick had a bent spine, but at the tail part. she came like that though, so I'm not sure if she was already sick or if it was just a mutation, I've had her for at least 3 months so I'm betting it's probably just a mutation... but the red platy didn't have any of the symptoms you listed.

I'll try to feed more, thanks!

& I can't find the sick fish.... I think she got eaten or something. It's happened before with other gold barbs .. they just disappear.