Platy's mouth has turned white  10/22/09
I have had several platies whose mouth have turned white, their bodies arch downward, have difficulty breathing then die shortly after.
<Almost certainly an environmental issue given these unrelated symptoms.>
We have a 55 gal. tank with about 25 platies and 15 babies (range from 3months to a few days old), we have 2 female mollies and 1 calico veil tail goldfish, 3 guppies and a Plec.
<I see. Do bear in mind these animals are not exactly compatible. Goldfish and Platies need relatively cool conditions, 25 C tops, and ideally 23-24 C. Mollies and Guppies by contrast want much warmer water, around 26-28 C.
Mollies furthermore do best when kept in slightly brackish water -- yes, they sometimes do fine in freshwater, but not always. Guppies and Platies will tolerate slightly brackish water well, but Goldfish and Plecs only up to a certain point, so you'd need be careful how much marine salt mix you added to the water (I recommend marine salt mix as being much more useful than plain vanilla "tonic" or "aquarium" salt that do nothing about pH and hardness.>
Until recently, we haven't had too many problems, but in the past 4 days we have lost 4 platies and looks like we will be losing a couple more. I change 30-50% of the water about every week. These fish started dying after my last change about 5 days ago. I went ahead and did a 50% change today. I tested the water before and the Ph was very high 7.5 and so was the nitrate (high) , The nitrite and ammonia were perfect. I don't know how the Ph got so high.
<What do you mean "high"? The ideal pH for Platies is between 7.5 and 8. The hardness should be high, 10 degrees dH. Keeping them in soft, acidic to neutral water is very bad for them. So what precisely are the normal water chemistry parameters here?>
Two other questions: The platies have started picking ( appear to be eating the tail fins) at the goldfish - who has been with them for 2 years Why would they start this and what are they doing?
<They've discovered Fancy Goldfish are an easy meal. This is why I (and most books) say not to mix Fancy Goldfish with anything other than other Fancy Goldfish.>
The guppies are mating and getting pregnant but I never see any fries.
Are they being eaten, because we always have a lot of platy fries that survive?
<Quite possibly; Guppy fry are very small, and without things like floating plants for cover, are easily eaten by surface-swimming predators.>
I appreciate any info and help you can give me.
Thank you
Sherry
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Platy's mouth has turned white 10/23/09
You have enlighten me on grouping fish. The store we got these fish from said the mollies, platies, and guppies could go together. The Goldfish was my own stupid idea. He was the only one I had left from a pond.
<I see. Well, standard Goldfish (ones with a single tail, as opposed to double-tail fancy Goldfish) are reasonably tolerant of brackish water, and maintenance at SG 1.002-1.003 (5-6 grammes/litre) won't do them any harm.>
I have only used Aquarium salt. Should I go to the marine salt mix?
<If your water is already hard and basic, then as/when the aquarium salt box runs out, then yes, switch to marine salt mix. If your water is soft or acidic, then I'd switch to marine salt mix immediately. The thing with marine salt mix is that it hardens the water, raises the carbonate hardness, and stabilises the pH in the basic range. These are all things livebearers (and indeed Goldfish) appreciate. Of course, it also raises salinity, but so does aquarium salt.>
[My parameters are] Ammonia -0; Nitrite- 0; Freshwater pH was 7.4; Nitrate - I had a hard time telling the color seem to between 40-80. I'm not sure what the hardness level is but I think it is on the high side.
<The nitrate is a bit high, and indicative of overstocking, overfeeding, or not enough water changes. Aim for consistently less than 50 mg/l.>
I have some fake low type grass and a couple of tall plants [for baby Guppies to hide in].
<Baby Guppies stay close to the surface, so plants that grow along the bottom of the tank or just have a few leaves stretching upwards aren't of much use at all. It's floating plants that serve them best in terms of hiding places. I'd consider things like Indian Fern *essential* additions to livebearer breeding tanks.>
Thank You Neale.
Sherry
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>  
Re: Platy's mouth has turned white
Thank You so much. You have been a great help. I moved the goldfish; he seems happy already.
<Cool. Glad to have helped, and good luck! Cheers, Neale.>

One thin platy... Chatting, no reading... CAEs...  10/4/09
My 10 gallon tank has currently 3 patties and 1 Chinese algae eater.
<Oooh, do read on WWM, the Net re this fish... CAE's, Gyrinocheilus are "wolves in sheep's clothing"... Not to be trusted with easygoing tropicals>
In one group I bought a Mickey mouse, a red(?) and one that was large & gold.
Not orange-ish but yellow, shimmery gold & beautiful. We have had him(?)
<? Easy to sex...>
for 3 weeks. The Mickey died because the previous bottom feeder got injured & plummeted the ph before I noticed.
<? How?>
Everything stabilized for a while after I added a new Chinese. The gold is having problems, it is ravenous, very active, has gotten skinny, and I don't know what to do for it.
<Feed it... wafers, pelleted foods of largely greenery base... that sink>
I do ph testing & Petco tested water for ammonia & we are fine. The 2 reds and the bottom feeder are great. I try to feed him more but I worry about a dirty tank, I see accumulated food in the bottom & siphon out but I don't want to exchange water too much. any ideas or suggestions?
<Yes... Read re set up, filtration and maintenance of FW systems on WWM>
He is definitely bigger that the other 2, does he need more food?
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/algaeeaterfaqs.htm>
How do I do that without polluting the water. He seems like a fighter so I don't want to give up on the poor
guy but I can't imagine what is wrong.
<I can't imagine you not following instructions before writing us and searching our site. This is a reference system, not a chatroom. Bob Fenner>

Re: one thin platy 10/4/09
Wow, did not know that about CAE, it was recommended over a Pleco because Plecos get too big.
<This is why you need to read *before* you go shopping. Would you trust a car salesman to sell you the right car for you without doing some research first? A real estate agent? The guy in the clothes store? Of course not.
While there are plenty of informed and helpful sales clerks in many pet shops, there are also plenty of them who haven't the first clue.>
I definitely understand your warnings about listening to fish sales people.
Boy, my first foray into aquarium keeping is not so successful. So far the CAE shows no aggression, he is very reclusive.
<Often are when small. But up above around 10 cm/4 inches, they can become real menaces.>
His predecessor was injured when he panicked trying to get out of a rock/cave he liked to hang out in while I was cleaning the tank. It had doubled in size and it was a tight fit for the fish, I have since removed
the small rock. About the gold Platy, he eats at the top of the tank and you recommended sinking foods. Or was that for the CAE?
<Gyrinocheilus aymonieri will do well on mostly algae wafers (such as those sold for Plecs) plus a few catfish pellets now and again. Platies are herbivores, and a good staple is vegetarian flake food (sometimes called livebearer flake food) plus occasionally offerings of something a little more meaty, such as live brine shrimp, live daphnia, or wet frozen bloodworms (kept in the freezer). Don't waste your time with dried (freeze dried) bloodworms, shrimps, etc. Beyond simply being insanely expensive, such foods seem to be associated with digestive problems, particularly constipation, and especially so in herbivorous fish.>
Sorry, the algae eater is doing great health wise it is the gold Platy that has gotten skinny & is ravenous.
<Farmed livebearers are somewhat troubled by "Wasting Disease", likely a Mycobacterium infection and essentially incurable. It's mostly an issue with farmed livebearers because these are farmed to a price rather than a quality. So it's the "fancy" specimens you buy from chain pet stores that tend to have the problem, rather than more expensive wild-caught livebearers or livebearers sold at auctions by home breeders. In any case, the symptoms tend to be gradual emaciation, regardless of the amount of food the fish is given. Now, before assuming this to be the case, Mycobacterium infections probably account for a hundredth, if that, of the sick livebearers in the world! It's easy to blame any ailing livebearer on Wasting Disease when actually other issues are responsible. Often, less experienced hobbyists use these fairly obscure diseases as excuses. So, before assuming it's Wasting Disease, focus on the other, much more probable, explanations: Platies need hard, basic water for a start, and will never do well in soft water; you're aiming for pH 7.0 to 8.0, 10-25 degrees dH. They don't like to be too warm either, and above 25 degrees C (77 F) they get stressed and sickly. Like all livebearers, they do best given constant access to fresh green foods. Clumps of Indian Fern work great, and they'll peck at these all day, but otherwise strips of Sushi Nori or thinly sliced cucumber can work well, too. Like all herbivores, they can't do well given one high-protein meal each day: their digestive tracts are adapted to process lots of small meals across the day. Finally, physical and behavioural stress will both cause problems. Bullying within groups is the classic, Platies, like all livebearers, doing best in groups of one male to two or more females, and in small tanks, below 90 litres/20 gallons, a single male is recommended, with 2-3 females. Oh, and do check for Camallanus worms. These are not uncommon among farmed livebearers. The red thread-like worms emerging from the anus are distinctive, and like other worms, big populations of them in the gut will reduce the amount of food the host (i.e., the fish) can absorb. Anti-helminth medications should do the trick here.>
When I searched I only saw info about pregnant & fat platies.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: one thin platy 10/4/09
Thank you Neale, it is the worms, I have seen them!
<Good.>
I didn't know what they were & will try the medicine.
<Levamisole, Piperazine and Praziquantel are often recommended, but don't always work, and Fenbendazole and Flubendazole are much better, if you can get them.>
Thanks again, you are a wonderful resource of information and will regularly check this site before a problem arises.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Orange platy with white substance on her side... no reading    8/19/09 I have a 10 gallon tank with orange platys and black mollies. <Such small volumes are difficult to keep stable, and don't provide sufficient space for these fishes... behaviorally or metabolically> One female orange platy, in particular, is looking and behaving rather strangely. Several days go, I noticed a white coating on one of her sides. It doesn¹t appear to be fibrous or crystalline ­ slimy, almost ­ not like any ick I¹ve seen, but I have treated the tank with an Ick Clear tank buddy to be safe. <... a poor idea. Toxic> Her scales don¹t appear to be protruding, and she¹s no larger than normal (dropsy?), <Read re on WWM> but there are small areas of her that look like they are ³shedding² this white substance. I¹ve inspected her as closely as I can, and it definitely does not look like she¹s shedding scales. This white substance does not appear to be anywhere else on her body in such a concentration as on her side, but her scales have noticeably lost sheen, as if she¹s completely coated in this stuff. She appears to be swimming normally, though she is putting forth just a little more effort to keep herself righted sometimes, and I¹ve caught her occasionally resting on the bottom of the tank, which I¹ve seen the other females do when they are pregnant. She¹s also been keeping her top fin down and is avoiding the male at all costs when she is usually very friendly with him. She is, however, schooling normally with the other females when the male isn¹t chasing after her. I changed the water earlier today ­ the water was treated normally, and I added a new Bio Bag. Approximately 2 weeks ago, the black mollies spawned, and there are 12 fry still living in this tank. I am not actively breeding any of these fish, so I did not remove the pregnant female ­ now I have 12 baby survivors who I am looking to relocate before they get big enough to crowd the rest of my fish out. The addition of these new mollies has been the only change to the tank. Any ideas <... what re water quality tests, foods, feeding?> as to what this may be would be greatly appreciated. Brynn <Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind1.htm scroll down to the sections on Platies and Mollies... re their systems, feeding... Bob Fenner> Re: Orange platy with white substance on her side... please read...   8/20/09 Hi Bob, <Howdy Brynn> Thank you for your quick response, I appreciate it. <Welcome> Strange happenings - I arrived home not long ago to find my male molly upside down and unable to right himself. I placed him into a small, separate tank - his gills are going very quickly, and he seems to be able to move his pectoral fins, but not much else. <Water quality?> The orange platy is the same as she was yesterday, though I have noticed that one of the other orange platys is showing stringy white feces (internal parasites I'm guessing). Should I buy some medicated food and Melafix? <I wouldn't... see our input re this product on WWM> Should I remove her from the tank? Tested the water: Nitrites - 0.10 ppm <Need to be zip, zilch, nada> Ammonia - 0.0 ppm pH - 7.6 Nitrates - 0.10 ppm I feed these guys Tetra Algae: Vegetable Enhanced Crisps, crushed, twice daily. Occasionally (about once a week) I will feed them TetraColor flakes. <You/they might do well with the addition of something other than dried, prepared foods> Again, many thanks with your attention to my fish. It's greatly appreciated. Brynn <Do you add salt to this system's water? How long have you had these animals? What is your maintenance routine? Please review where you were referred previously... to give an idea of the sorts of information we're looking for. BobF> Re: Orange platy with white substance on her side  8/21/09 Hi Bob, <Brynn> Thanks again for your response. <Welcome> RE the tank and my routine: I've had the tank for 3 years now - the mollies for the entirety of those 3 years and the platys for 2. When I first got my tank, I did attempt to acclimate the mollies to SW very slowly with help from the people at my local pet store. Unfortunately, we had several die in the process. I've kept the remainder in FW ever since. <I see... I take it the water there is hard and alkaline from its source?> I do 10% water changes every week, <Good interval... I'd increase the percentage... to maybe 30> thorough gravel cleanings, and once a month, I remove a few of the plants to clean them thoroughly as well. The filter is changed regularly. A note about my platy - I did confirm today that she is shedding scales. I've attached two pictures of her (best I could get, I apologize for the quality). <I see... this fish is literally "falling apart"! Finrot... bacterial... but from what sort of in/direct cause/s?> I'm looking to upgrade to a 27 gallon tank from this 10 gallon <Too small a volume to keep stable> once everyone is happy and healthy again. I read in an FAQ about platies ( http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/platysysfaqs.htm) that the Rift Valley Cichlid Salt Mix is great for both platies and mollies - do you think I should give that a shot in the new tank? <I do> Many thanks. Brynn <Thank you for your input. Bob Fenner>

Re: Orange platy with white substance on her side Hi Bob, <Brynn> Not surprisingly, the platy has passed on. She completely stopped eating but behaviorally was still fairly normal up until the last. I have no guesses as to what the source of this may have been, unless it was something on me that got transferred during a water change or one of my cats tried to get in there for a snack or a swim. <Mmmm> I will do as you've suggested and increase the percentage of my water changes. Would you recommend beginning to add the salt mixture with each water change or begin the drip system (as outlined in one of the FAQs) method now? <Yes I would do the former> Would that help or hurt at this point? Or should I just wait until the 27 gallon tank fully cycles to begin acclimating them? <I would begin this in the present system> Additionally, should I begin treatment with Maracyn (or Maracyn 2 or both)? <I would not do this. W/o knowing the causative mechanism, the addition of Gram positive and negative antibiotics will likely do no good, and may indeed cause harm> None of my other fish are looking/behaving oddly, but I definitely want to head it off at the pass if I can. Once again, most appreciative of your time. Brynn <Do keep perusing the disease areas of the freshwater subweb of WWM when you have time, energy/interest. B>

Re: Platies and Gourami poorly   8/5/09 Hi there again! <Hello,> A quick update.. I am not having much luck sadly.. Last week I lost another Danio, and a rosy barb, both had a dropsical appearance for a few days before they died. I still have several platies with white tufty bits, one is bottom sitting a lot, and another appears to be 'wasting' as previous platies that died did. The moonlight Gourami still is not eating (that I have observed) and still has an ulcer on the lower lip. There also appear to be slight white 'tufts' appearing on the sides of the Gourami, although the fins are unaffected on any of the fish. <Very odd. I fear that you do have one of these "primary" rather than "opportunistic" bacterial infections. These are very difficult to treat, even with antibiotics (which in the UK you can only get from your vet).> I have been testing the water every day and have not seen any detectable nitrite or ammonia, nitrate is very low at between 5 and 10. I have got the U2 filter going (no detectable U2 in my tank no, that Bono is banished..)(sorry..) without the carbon in it. <If ammonia and nitrite aren't issues, then consider other factors. Could anything poisonous have got into the tank? Insecticides? Paint fumes?> Yesterday I completed a 3 day course of esHa, but this seems to have had little beneficial effect. Now we are going on holiday late Friday, and I am very concerned - a neighbour is going to be feeding the fish for me (they have done it before for us), <Wouldn't feed the fish at all for a week, if that's how long you're gone. The risks outweigh the benefits. Fish can go two weeks without food if they must, often longer.> but I am really concerned to make sure that I leave the correct instructions, and of course I can't observe or treat the fish whilst I am away for a week. <Indeed. Hence, not feeding the fish at least means nitrogen cycle problems aren't something you'll have to worry about.> Any thoughts? I thought the fungus type stuff I am seeing would be affected by the esHa but it does not appear to be. It is on the body of the fish - in one case near the eye, another near the tail, on another it is little patches over most of the fish. I am all out of esHa now, should I get some more and keep on dosing in case this helps? Bearing in mind that I treated the tank only just over a week ago, in an attempt to get rid of this fungus or whatever it is. <Any chance of a photo?> Your help is very much appreciated. Thanks Sarah <Did you try daily saltwater dips of the infected fish? This is quite good for removing a variety of symptoms, even if it doesn't cure the underlying problem. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Platies and Gourami poorly 08/05/09 Thanks for the reply. I am so worried about leaving them all.... Think I need a webcam! <Heh!> I have sent a couple of pics of the platies. The Gourami was having none of it, and since he's not coming out for food, taking his picture was not very easy. <Often the case...> It has been some 5 or 6 weeks since I did some painting - as per the last two times, one small Gourami died a few days after painting, despite my best efforts with fresh carbon and airing the rooms / keeping relevant doors shut (I was painting the staircase). This issue started around 2 weeks ago I think. <I have painted around fish tanks, and by using carbon and switching off air pumps you can minimise the risk. Opening all the windows should help. But air-breathing fish may well be at particular risk.> I will not bother with the fish feeding, as we are only gone for a week - just make sure they have a water change before we go.. I may ask the neighbour to check for dead ones though. <Good plan.> I do hope I don't lose the Gourami, he's our favourite. I have had him two months, he arrived with the platies which appeared to have fin rot as soon as placed in QT, the fin-rot that took two treatments of eHSA to clear. I wonder if they have brought an infection with them? <It's worth understanding that Finrot is an opportunistic infection caused by bacteria latent in all aquaria. Fish don't "catch" Finrot from each other; they simply become vulnerable to these ubiquitous, opportunistic bacteria because of environmental issues or physical damage.> They were in QT for three weeks in all, which I figured should be OK. Anyhow, pictures attached - hope they are not too large. The most obliging fish has patches around her eye and on top of her head. The Gourami has a few similar bits on his side, which are harder to see. <The Moonlight Gourami simply looks as if its been fighting, and with appropriate Finrot medication plus good diet and water quality, this should heal nicely. The Platies also look to have an opportunistic infection. With Platies, hardness and pH are important, and it also helps not to keep them too warm. A greens-based diet will be of benefit. All in all, these look like fish that should heal properly, assuming external factors permit that.> Thanks Sarah <Cheers, Neale.>

Tumorous growths on a few in platy group 7/26/2009
Dear Crew: Easy question, not life or death.
<Fire away.>
I wish to know whether platies are particularly susceptible to tumors.
<Depends how inbred they are; fancy Platies are, as with any inbred fish, more likely to lack the hardiness of their ancestors. Moreover, careless breeding means that deformities are very common.>
Of the various species, only platies have had slow-growing bumpy growths, and it has been just a few over past two years or more. Fish look fine, no deterioration, except for the huge growths that develop on a very few of the mature individuals, maybe one in 20. This question is more curiousity than worry because generally fish appear to thrive.
<If these are all descendants of a single pair of Platies you bought way back when, it's entirely likely there's a genetic explanation to the deformities or tumours you're seeing here. If you've repeatedly added Platies to your tank from multiple batches of fish, and you repeatedly see otherwise healthy fish develop these abnormalities, there may be something odd going on.>
Conditions: Near the beach in Orange County, Southern California. Fish are in a deep 700 gallon pond in an atrium with partial sun. Summer temps get up to high 70s Fahrenheit. Only heating in winter is modest: I try to keep temp above 63 degrees Fahrenheit by heating a small boxy corner of pond and letting them huddle there. There always is some winter die-off, yet most survive.
<Platies were, ancestrally at least, fairly cool water fish by tropical standards, and the fish we call the Variatus Platy is certainly as much a subtropical fish as anything else. So somewhat cool conditions is not, in itself, a disaster. That said, fancy Platies will lack this hardiness and inbreeding is likely to mean the Xiphophorus hybrids sold as fancy Platies and Swordtails are best kept in fairly warm conditions 365 days a year.>
Platies began with three pairs five years ago. I estimate they number maybe 30-40, just guessing. There is heavy planting, papyrus (roots in pond) and other unknown aquatic plants, rocks, structure, and large 3' tall plastic plants. Pond is heavily filtered with skimmer filter and waterfall filter + large UV fountain. No other aeration. Water does not circulate too strongly, but flows mostly along one wall--fish aren't jostled or fighting currents. Don't know pH or anything technical about water conditions.
<This is important, and Platies are hardwater fish, and under acidic conditions will not do well.>
Water usually is clear. Twice in past few years it was slightly cloudy so I added commercial pond bacteria mixes. I added sea salt (cannot recall recommended proportion I added), but it is not brackish.
<So why add salt at all? Let me make this point crystal clear: tonic salt (as opposed to the salt used in marine aquaria) does nothing at all positive when used in freshwater ponds or aquaria. It doesn't raise pH and it doesn't raise hardness. Waste of money. By all means add a Rift Valley cichlid salt mix if you want, even a DIY mix using Epsom salt, baking soda, and marine aquarium salt mix; such a mix will raise hardness and steady pH very well.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2oquality.htm
>
Haven't added new fish in over a year. Population includes maybe 15-20 pineapple swords (growing segment!), 3-4 rosy barbs (haven't bred),
<Like Platies, both of these are low-end tropicals, and Rosy Barbs especially prefer cooler water than most tropicals, and in my opinion would be ideal inmates for an indoor pond.>
couple of gold mollies, maybe a Pleco or two (they hide, and seem not to live more than one and a half to two years),
<These are tropical fish, and the fact they die after a year or so, when they should live 10-20 years, easily, is sad, and you really shouldn't be using them in this set-up.>
1-2 white dojo loaches.
<Also subtropical fish, and ideally suited to an indoor pond.>
Also numerous Gambusia (mosquito fish, a mistake left over from original setup).
<Subtropical fish as well.>
Plus lots of little red shrimp less than one inch long (don't know where they came from).
<Neocaridina shrimps thoroughly enjoy subtropical conditions.>
Oh, and one huge old white and red fantail goldfish. I've not had diseases I can identify, such as ich or fin or tail rot or anything. Fish look good. One or two fish have died that looked bad, deteriorated fins, but not the tumorous platies that seem to carry one despite large growths. So any thoughts about platies and these growths?
<Probably a combination of bad genes and inappropriate environmental conditions; would be tempted to remove them, and concentrate on known subtropical species, like Gambusia, Xiphophorus variatus, Heterandria formosa, wild-caught Poecilia latipinna from the US coastal states, or even more fun, the Goodeid livebearers, many of which, like Ameca splendens, Xenotoca eiseni and Characodon lateralis, thoroughly enjoy subtropical conditions. Sure, some of these are tricky to get via your chain pet stores, but with a bit of work they can be obtained easily enough from fish clubs, fish forum members, regional livebearer associations, or as special orders from better pet stores. If you're a serious fishkeeper with a big pond, why not keep something a bit more interesting that Platies?>
Thanks for your kind help, Miles
<Cheers, Neale.>

stressed platies; added neon tetras  6/20/09
Dear WetWebMedia:
<Allyson>
I have a 20 gal heated freshwater aquarium which has been set up for 2 ½ years. It is well planted and has an Aquaclear 20-50 gal filter. Six days ago, after doing my weekly/biweekly tank cleaning and water change, I bought a school of 8 juvenile neon tetras (10 originally, but 2 ended up in the filter) to add to my current stock of 3 white cloud minnows (2+ years old) 1 Danio, and 6 platies, (3 adult, 3 juvenile, all born and raised from fry in the tank. The tetras seem very happy, after a day of schooling they dispersed and are now exploring the tank. The minnows and Danio are fine, but after 3 days ago the platies started to clamp their fins and sit at the top or rest on the bottom of the tank.
<Oh...>
I have tested the water daily and there has been no trace of ammonia, but the nitrates are slightly up, probably around 5 ppm. The rest of the water readings remain the same: moderate alkalinity, and the hardness is about 80 ppm (perhaps a bit soft for the platies?).
<Mmm, should be fine>
Because I live in San Diego with very hard, treated water,
<Ah yes... as do I... in Mira Mesa>
I buy reverse osmosis water for the tank and mix it with a couple of gallons of tap for minerals, and use a dechlorinator. Yesterday I took apart the filter in case that was the problem, and noticed that the sponge was dirty and had plant matter trapped in it, and so I rinsed it in a separate container of tank water and replaced the carbon insert and topped up the tank (roughly 10%), adding a little Seachem stability along with the dechlorinator .
<Okay>
After the filter cleanout and small water change the platies unclamped their fins, but still stuck to the tank perimeters. This morning one of the platies was dead. The rest seem very stressed; they have good color but their gills seem to be moving very quickly.
I didn’t think that I was overloading the tank by adding the juvenile Neons, and the resident fish didn’t chase them, but do you think that I upset the platies’ social environment so much that they are all going to die?
<An interesting speculation... and my first guess in terms of the change in their behavior... but death? Not likely a/the cause itself. I fear a pathogen may have been introduced with the Neons>
They have been happy and hardy fish so far; breeding, eating well etc.
<Good signs of health>
I will do my weekly 25% water change tomorrow and keep an eye on the nitrates, but apart from that can’t think of what else to do. Is it the presence of the new fish, or the bioload which is causing the problems?
<Can't say from the data presented>
If the former, will the platies eventually adjust to their pretty new friends?
<I do hope so>
Thanks for any advice,
Allyson
<At this juncture, given what you state, have, I would continue sans medicating, changing anything... just stay observant. Bob Fenner>

Re: stressed platies; added neon tetras   6/21/09
Dear Bob:
<Allyson>
You must be right about the pathogen; after writing yesterday, all the other platies died one by one.
<Ahhh>
The last was alive and looking very happy in the late evening, but had white spots on his tail. I have never encountered it before, but from reading the site, it sounds like ich.
<Perhaps this or another Protozoan... could even be a multi-species infestation... No fun>
He was dead by this morning. Does ich kill so quickly?
<Can, yes>
I also did my weekly 30% water change and discovered one dead neon in the gravel. None of the remaining fish so far have white spots (as far as I can tell with small fish) and are behaving normally.
This is completely my fault for not following the cardinal rule of fishkeeping and quarantining the neon tetras. I have a quarantine tank, but I "quarantined" a dwarf honey Gourami and some zebra Danios in it a few months ago, and my youngest daughter so loves this tank in her bedroom that I didn't have the heart to transfer the fish into the 20 gal tank. I suppose that even the most conscientious fish stores unwittingly sell diseased fish,
<Yes, this is so>
and I must get (yet another) tank. Can fish be successfully quarantined in a plastic bucket with a filter attached?
<Mmm, can... but need a heater... and some sort of cover mainly to prevent "jumping" out>
How long should I wait before replaced the platies; a month or so?
<Yes>
I obviously need to solve the pathogen problem first.
Thanks for being so helpful to those of us with "basic" aquariums, and so patient with stupid fish-keeper mistakes. As a university professor, I also appreciate your insistence on good grammar.
Allyson
<Ahh!>
P.S You were very helpful last year when my angelfish died of Camallanus worms, and recommended a great local fish store. I am practically your neighbour here on Lynx Road, and walk my dog past your house quite often. At the risk of sounding like crazy internet fans, we would like to thank you personally sometime.
<Welcome my/our friend. BobF>

Platy with clamped fins and tail 5/5/09
Hi,
I have 2 platys in a 10 gallon tank
<Too small for this species... maintaining good health will be difficult.
Haven't we discussed this before?>
and one of them seems to be clamping its fins and tails.
<Sounds like "the Shimmies", usually an issue with water quality and/or chemistry.>
It can still swim around though, by swooshing its tail side to side. It does not have other disease symptoms like weird poo or abnormal appetite. I tested the tank water last week and everything was fine except that the pH was high (7.8).
<Bit worried you don't actually understand what "fine" is. The optimal pH for Platies is between 7.5 and 8, so 7.8 is perfect. But that assumes the water is also hard (10-25 degrees dH) and there are zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. In a tank as small as 10 gallons, ensuring pH and water chemistry remain stable will be difficult.>
Is there anything I can do to help the fish?
<Buy a bigger tank...?>
Thanks,
Wei
<Much written about maintaining livebearers here at WWM; do please read.
Cheers, Neale.>

Platy problem   5/7/09
Hi, I have a platy that always has rips in its tail.
<Finrot, either from fighting or, more likely, poor water quality.>
I tried treating with antibiotics for several weeks and it only got better to a certain point and I decided to stop because I was stressing my other fish and killing the good bacteria on my BioWheel.
<Used correctly, antibiotics such as Maracyn should have little/no impact on filtration; if you have water quality problems, I'd be looking at other possible problems.>
A few days ago one black molly died of what seemed like ammonia poisoning so for 4 days I did 1/4 water changes and all of the fish have looked ok since. This morning I woke up and the platy that had the fin rips had a swelling between it's anal fins that grew all day and then began shrinking towards the end of the day and now has white stringy poo. I did some research and it says that it may be a parasitic infection.
<Platies do tend to produce a lot of faeces when fed on an algae-rich diet, but if the faeces are white and stringy rather than short and brown, then you may be looking at a problem of some sort. Constipation is always a risk with herbivorous fish, because some people insist on feeding them a carnivorous fish's diet, i.e., regular flake foods. Platies need algae-based flake as well as things like cooked spinach, Sushi Nori, cooked peas and sliced cucumber. Daphnia and brine shrimp have a laxative effect and are useful treats. Chronically poor water quality can cause a variety of problems, including copious production of faeces, via the latent bacteria and Protozoans in the gut that multiply excessively when the fish are stressed.>
However, nothing new has been introduced to my tank in 3 months so I don't think that a parasite could have gotten in. I have a 3 gallon tank,
<Dismal; 3 gallons is a bucket, not an aquarium; why did you think you could keep fish in this death trap? Please read first, spend money second; every aquarium book ever written would tell you this is too small.>
carbon filter, BioWheel. 1 molly, 2 platies, 1 albino Cory.
<Not nearly big enough for these fish. Platies need to be kept in 15-20 gallons, Mollies around 30 gallons, and Corydoras need to be kept in SCHOOLS of 5 or more specimens, in tanks upwards of 15-20 gallons.
Was treating with Melafix antibiotic.
<Not an antibiotic; largely useless, at best an antiseptic, and certainly won't cure Finrot.>
Platy laying at bottom of tank right now, first time he did that all day though.
Thanks.
<Need a bigger tank, proper use of medications. No data here about water quality and water chemistry; just to review, Platies need 0 ammonia and nitrite, pH 7.5-8, and a hardness 10 degrees dH or higher. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Platy Has Swollen Anus Region/Lethargic - Detail Correction  4/8/09
I had stated my Platies faeces turned white two days ago. Actually, I noticed the white faeces several days ago, which is what lead me to discover I was not feeding them properly.
<Mmm, not necessarily so... the faeces of fishes, like our own, are principally formed of bacteria... these do change with foods, states of health et al. of the animals. Bob Fenner> 

Platy Swollen Anus Region/Lethargic (Resending with Smaller Pic) I'm so sorry about the previous message with huge photos. I'm trying again. <Err... from one extreme to the other... This photo is tiny! Can't speak for Windows, but on a Mac running OS X 10.5, simply open your image in Preview, start by outlining the important part of the image using the Select tool from the menu bar. Command-K will crop the image down. Then choose Adjust Size under the Tools menu, and then select something sensible in terms of image size, e.g., 72 dpi, around 400-600 pixels up and across. I presume Windows and other operating systems have similar tools and programs.> Hi. I have a Platy that has a red swollen anus with what appears to be something stuck in the opening that seems to be keeping the region open. <Could be a variety of things, but Camallanus worms are most likely. These look like red threads that poke out of the anus. Unlike most other worm infections that cannot become established under aquarium conditions, Camallanus can, by using the ubiquitous near-microscopic crustacean hosts present in the gravel.> She is not swimming (staying at top or bottom of tank) for the past couple of days. I'm trying to figure out if this is constipation or some type of bacterial infection and how to treat. <If Camallanus, that's a nematode worm infection, and you'll need a specific medication, Levamisole hydrochloride. Ask your retailer specifically for this, and use as indicated on the packaging. The common worm medication Praziquantel, e.g., PraziPro, DOES NOT work on Camallanus worms, so don't buy this; you specifically need Levamisole.> I've made some changes to my feeding the tank recently. I realized I had been feeding the Platies improperly (no greens, regular flake food). I had noticed they had whitish color faeces, some normal brown and some that are brown and white. So five days ago, I switched them to Spirulina flake as a staple. About four days ago I gave the tank 1/2 cube of frozen brine shrimp and three days ago I made the mistake of dropping in two algae wafers for the catfish and did not remove till I got home from work. <Nothing here sounds dangerous.> By that time, all my Platies had gorged themselves on the wafers. So I stopped feeding the tank, except for a few peas a couple of days ago. Yesterday I did try feeding the lethargic Platy a mushed pea from tweezers. She took a bite, spit it out and swam off. One of my other Platies gobbled what I dropped and that Platy seems to have bloated right back up. <If the worms are the problem here, the food is not really a factor, though as ever, a sensible diet and good water quality improve the chances of recovery.> 40 Gallon 12 Corydoras (added 6 of these in past week with no quarantine) 6 Platies (1 is two months old) (added 2 of these in past week with no quarantine) pH 7.4 Ammonia 0 Nitrites 0 Nitrates 20 Temp 78 degrees (recently adjusted this from 75, but I may have just been confused that this can help if they are constipated) <Slightly on the warm side for Platies and indeed Corydoras; both species prefer slightly cool conditions, around 24 C/75 F being ideal.> The particular Platy that is swollen in her anus region is the one Platy that my one male Platy obsesses over. I put him in a breeder net yesterday for a few hours to give her a break as she obviously is not feeling well and he has since backed off. My concern is my Platies have some type of infection or parasite and she, being weakened by the constant male attention, is getting sicker at a faster rate and my others will soon follow. She is not passing any faeces that I can discern. This morning she started to shake back and forth from time to time. The other Platies are active but their faeces is still off and on whitish. <Wouldn't worry overmuch about this, but mucous-rich faeces are whitish in colour and can indicate parasitic infections causing irritation to the intestines.> Can you advise from the information I've given and the pictures of her what you think is going on and how I should proceed? Thank you, Gina <Hope this helps, Neale.> Platy Swollen Anus Region (for Neale, bigger pics) 4/8/09 I'm so sorry Neale, I know this is annoying. I'm annoyed with myself. I recently uploaded Picasa and don't know what I'm doing with it, I can't look at any photos except through it. Anywho, here is a bigger pics at 480 pixels. <Pictures are a fine size... but the Platy itself is a bit small within those photos to see much. I'd recommend you Google "Camallanus" and have a look at what you find. Compare with the Platy swimming about. Camallanus worms are quite common among livebearers for one reason or another. Presumably the way they're raised on farms?> If they don't give you a different idea than the worms, I'm off to find the specific meds. <If Camallanus seems likely, do medicate as mentioned last time around.> Thank you so much. Gina <Cheers, Neale.> Re: Platy Has Swollen Anus Region/Lethargic 4/8/09 Hi Neale. Third time is a charm. I learned how to crop. I included one picture with several Platies so you have the pleasure of seeing their poo. <I see...> Looking on the internet, I don't think she looks like the pictures of "Camallanus" I found. I don't see any red stringy worms at all. It almost seems to me to be an injury? I feed the tank some flakes and she tried to eat some. <Now, this is helpful. This looks like a prolapsed anus. Does occasionally occur in fish. Essentially a reaction caused by some type of bacterial or protozoan infection of the gut. Metronidazole (for Protozoans) and Nitrofurazone (for bacteria) seem to be the drugs of choice here, used together. This direct treatment of the pathogens in the gut should clear up the problem, allowing the anus to recover. Epsom salts at 1 to 3 teaspoons per 5 gallons is a useful supplement, acting as am muscle relaxant.> The LFS I went to did not have Levamisole and I was given some Paracide D (from their reserves, they didn't charge me). I looked it up though and it says it is toxic to fry (I have several 2 day old fry right now) and more of a last resort. I did find a Jungle medicated food that has Metronidazole and Levamisole but it was empty when I opened at home. Maybe a good thing since I really don't know what is going on. Trying to remain calm, Gina <Hope this helps. For what it's worth, this syndrome tends to heal quite well, at least among large fish such as cichlids. Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Platy Has Swollen Anus Region/Lethargic 4/9/09 Hi Neale, Thank you so much. <Most welcome.> Should I treat all the fish for the bacteria and Protozoans or just her? <Treat the whole tank. Won't cost any more, and will save you having to set up a hospital tank.> If one fish has these things, do all the fish? <Certainly possible, though the degree of "catchiness" I'm sure varies between different bacteria and protozoan parasites.> All the other fish are still having funky poo, in my not expert opinion. <Ah, may well be the beginnings of what's happened to this particular Platy fish.> And if I treat the main tank, will the Epsom salts be okay for the Corydoras temporarily? <Won't cause any problems at all. Epsom salt is widely used as a therapy, and in the short term at least, seems to be tolerated very well by most fish. Corydoras are hardy fish anyway, and provided they're not too warm, they seem to put up with almost anything.> Gina <Cheers, Neale.>

Urgent - pls help...I have a male platy, who has been listless, no data of use, reading  – 04/07/09
lying at the bottom of the tank, and has clamped fins. when he moves, it's in strange little movements, not swimming. I moved him into a smaller container (tiny 1 gallon) as an emergency solution,
<Mmm>
with aeration and a heater, and medicated his water
<With what?>
for parasites, and he improved slightly, but after about 24 hours, he went back to being listless. he is eating, but is getting very weak. I decided to put him back into the larger tank (25 gallons)
<Good>
and see if he improves. I have dosed a second time with parasitic medication. I have no other fish that are listless, but have lost a few fish over the last month. is this parasites, or could it be ich.
<... Ich is a parasite>
i do change the water regularly, and have several live plants, and a good quality heater and filter system. the tank is well established.
any help would be greatly appreciated.
<As would useful data... Need info. re the make-up of this system, tankmates, history of operation, water quality tests, foods, feeding...
Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Identify illness... FW   4/1/09
Hi, I'm afraid i don't have time to go thru all the research to find what I'm looking for, sorry.
<Oh? Let me cut to the chase here: On the page where you got our e-mail, there's a link to an article on common problems, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/b4youwriteneale.htm
Item Number 4 on that list of problems is likely relevant here. There's also a quick guide to diagnosing disease, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdistrbshtart.htm
The reason I'm explaining this is that everyone thinks their time is valuable and their needs are important (I really should press on and make my breakfast) so if you're anxious for a quick solution rather than a fun
chat with a fish expert, 5 or 10 minutes spent on the site could well have led to the answers you needed. We have a Search tool, and simply looking up Platy and Finrot would have come up with lots of useful information as well.>
A platy that I've had for 1 1/2 years, has become sick. A couple of white spots, some grey spots, top fin is frayed (rot).
<Treat for Finrot/Fungus, using something like eSHa 2000 or Seachem ParaGuard but not Melafix, Pimafix, or salt.>
eating, spending time on bottom, breathing hard.
No sudden changes in water values, stress caused in Dec/Jan when new tank set up, transferred from 10 gal to 29 gal. Gradually added pearl Gourami and silver tipped tetras (5 of them, 4 gouramis). 2 other adult platys, a few juveniles. Ammonia at 0. other values within normal limits, except pH and hardness on low sides. Live plants.
<Not sure what "normal limits" are. Ammonia is zero, which is good, but also nitrite should be zero as well. Just as critical is the pH/hardness; livebearers invariably need hard, alkaline water. The addition of "tonic
salt" or "aquarium salt" won't do anything to raise either pH or hardness, so while some people recommend this, it's actually pointless. You should have a pH around 7.5-8, and the hardness should be above 10 degrees dH, and ideally 15+ degrees dH. Often it's easiest to add a certain amount of Malawi cichlid salt mix. Luckily for you, I did have the time to go through all the research and dig up a recipe. Since you have other fish in the tank, I'd probably use one-quarter to one-third the dosages recommended for Malawi cichlids, though the Platies themselves would positively thrive at the full dosage. So per 5 gallons/20 litres add:
1/4th to 1/3rd teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1/4th to 1/3rd tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
1/4th to 1/3rd teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
Alternatively, you could go buy some Malawi salt mix, and add it at 1/4th to 1/3rd the recommended dose quoted on the packaging. Test the water with your water chemistry test kits to see how things look. Note the use of marine salt mix isn't the same thing as cooking salt or tonic salt; marine salt mix contains other things besides sodium chloride.>
thanks
Merrill
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: identify illness (Platypoecilia; health)  4/1/2009
Thank you for getting back to me- FYI, I had spent about 45 minutes trying to research info on fish diseases the night before, including your site, but after awhile, it got confusing, especially since it is so hard to
identify what is actually wrong with my the platy.
<Ah, good to see you did some research. Wasn't clear from your message, and before my first cup of tea, I'm a little cranky and sometimes go off on tangents...>
(My days have been exceptionally long this week so not much extra time).
<Sorry to hear that.>
I thought he might have fin rot, and some spots, but none of the descriptions I've read really seem to match.
<The thing with Finrot is that it's a catch-all description, a bit like what we'd call a "fever" or a "virus". Essentially Finrot happens when otherwise harmless, even beneficial, bacterial in the environment are able
to overwhelm the fish's immune system. Just like us, fish have an immune system that constantly kills off bacteria that come into contact with their body. In the case of fish, the first symptoms are usually bloody patches on the fins where veins have become blocked by dead blood cells and dead bacteria; signs of the "war" of sorts that's going on.>
Maybe I need a magnifying glass. I printed your email and took it to the fish store, which is Petsmart. They didn't have any of the meds you suggested.
<Too bad; do try shopping online, or reviewing a phone directory for other aquarium stores in the neighbourhood. Actually, the brands don't matter, provided the medication is appropriate.>
I had originally bought Lifeguard all in one, but read it's not that effective.
<Indeed not; one of those "jack of all trades, master of none" medications.>
So today bought API brand Fungus cure (Victoria Green and Acriflavine) and Mardel brand Maracyn(erythromycin)
<Both should work here, and indeed should be safe to use together. Excellent choices.>
I also bought Oceanic brand Natural Sea Salt Mix. Not sure if that's going to work.
<This is a salt mix for use in marine aquaria. It is also superb for use with livebearers, which will thrive in the raised pH and hardness levels, and for whatever reason also seem to benefit from a slight salinity. But do
note that other types of fish may be less tolerant. Guppies, Mollies and Swordtails will all be fine with a little salt, but soft water fish, such as Neons and South American catfish, may be (will be) less happy. Do get
back to be if you have questions about the other fish in the system, if there are other species.>
My guess is I won't save this platy, but do want to get the pH and hardness right.
<Precisely. But I hope your Platy will recover.>
All the other values were WNL.
<Be careful here; some test kits suggest 0.5 mg/l nitrite or ammonia are "safe"; they're not.>
thanks again
<My pleasure, and good luck. Neale.>

Re: identify illness (Platypoecilia; health) 04/03/09
Neale, now that I have a little more time, thank you very much for your help.
<Most welcome.>
Having been on many other fish websites, I have found this one to have the most useful information.
<Nice of you to say this.>
And really appreciate the time everyone takes to respond to individual emails...how do you all do it?
<It's a team effort, and Bob's created something here that we all believe in.><<Siaynoq! We share! RMF>>
But since you are offering, 2 more questions. How does one gently euthanize a fish?
<Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm>
Also, I do have 3 pearl Gourami, 5 tetra and 1 Siamese algae eater. Will they be affected by the increased pH etc? (I know you mentioned the tetra's wont' but I don't like them either (too darty around the tank... silver tipped tetra). The Gourami I would like to keep.
<Provided the pH stays at or below 8.0, you should be fine with most any community fish. There are one or two exceptions, such as Cardinal tetras and Ram cichlids, but for the most part, fish are more fussed about a stable pH than its precise value. On the other hand, if you raise pH and salinity at the same time, e.g., by using marine salt mix, that will stress freshwater fish in the long term, and isn't advised. Do contrast Malawi
"cichlid" salt mixes (which raise pH and carbonate hardness) with marine salt mixes (which raise pH, carbonate hardness, and salinity). With Platies, you want to raise pH and carbonate hardness; it's carbonate
hardness that steadies the pH and makes livebearers across the board feel happy. Raising the salinity won't harm livebearers, but it will stress other types of freshwater fish (with a few exceptions) so I'd always
recommend using a Malawi salt mix rather than marine salt mix for general community tanks. Usually a 1/4th to 1/3rd dosage of Malawi salt mix is ample: you're not trying to create full Lake Malawi conditions, just
something a little harder and more alkaline than normal.>
Thanks, have a great weekend.
Merrill
<Likewise, enjoy yours. Neale.>

White spots on Platy, 3/24/09
Hello,
<Hi>
I have 6 platies and I have noticed little white spots on 3 of them. the spots are really small but are on the fishes tail, and on one of the fish it is nearly all over. What is this? And what can I do?
<Sounds like freshwater ich, Ichthyophthirius multifilius.>
Is this white spot problem and do I need to treat it with medication?
<Most likely some treatment is needed, see here for options
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm .>
The fish do not seem to be acting any different?
<Yet>
Thanks
Mark
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Re: White spots on Platy, 3/24/09
Chris thank you for your reply. The article was useful.
<Good>
I have anti white spot plus treatment and have added this to the aquarium. Is this potentially damaging to the fish that might not be infected?
<Not familiar with this product and can not determine what is in it from their website, does the packaging list its active ingredients? All fish in the tank are infected, some are just not symptomatic. If this is potentially dangerous treatment or not I could not tell you, however treating the main tank is generally a bad idea, especially if invertebrates are involved.>
In terms of the disease spreading, is this likely and can it be prevented?
<No, an aquarium is about the perfect environment for Ichthyophthirius multifilius, once it is introduced it quickly infects all fish in the tank.>
I mean by isolating the fish, by say putting them in a breeder net would this prevent the others from getting it?
<Would not stop this microscopic parasite.>
Or do you need to isolate in a different tank?
<Ideally all fish would be removed from the main tank to a hospital tank for treatment while the main runs fallow, denying the parasite its host and breaking its lifecycle.>
Also how quickly should it take before I notice the white spots to disappear?
<Usually cycles off in a few days, but will reappear again without proper treatment, often more virulent than before.>
<Chris>

Sick Platy   3/20/09
Hello,
<Hello,>
One of my orange platy fish is sick and I was wondering if you could help me diagnose the problem. He is about one and a half years old and he was one of my older platy's babies. I began to notice that he was not acting as he usually does early last week; he was hiding a lot.
<Do, as always, review environmental conditions. The vast majority of fish problems come down to environment rather than disease. Specifically, check the tank isn't too warm (Platies prefer 23-25 degrees C), that the water is hard and alkaline (10+ degrees dH, 5+ degrees KH), and that the water has a
basic pH (7.5-8). Also check water quality; ammonia and nitrite should both be zero. Consider whether there are any possible toxins that could be poisoning the fish; paint fumes for example. Diet is another factor;
Platies are herbivores and need a diet rich in greens. Herbivore flake is a good start. Don't use standard fish food more than a couple of times per week, or constipation is a likely result. Finally, consider social
behaviour; male Platies are aggressive towards one another, and in tanks 20 gallons or smaller in size, they won't tolerate one another. Bullying will occur, and eventually the weaker male will become stressed, and from there, it's a short step to disease and death.>
After a couple of days of he seemed to get better; he began swimming around more and hiding less. Yesterday, however he became much worse. He began lying on the bottom of the tank on his side and gasping for breath.
But when I fed them that night he got off the floor and began to eat. He seemed to struggle while he was swimming, sort of like he couldn't keep his balance or was tired, but it was at the normal speed.
<All very nebulous. Could be anything. Review what I have stated above, and then get back to me.>
Today I fed them and again he got off of the bottom of the floor and tried to eat but he didn't seem to get any food. It was like he was trying to find food but couldn't or when he did find food he would try to eat it and not be able to get it into his mouth. After a couple minutes he gave up and went back to lying on the floor of the tank.
Today, just recently, I put him into a breeding net so I could get a closer look and to make sure the other fish didn't bother him...
<Breeding traps tend to increase stress, and I've rarely seen a sick adult fish come out of one better than it went in!>
I tried to find as many observations that could help I could and I'll try to describe him as much as I can.
-He seems very thin, but he has always been pretty thin to begin with.
-When he lies on his side his head is elevated and the rest of him is lying flat on the ground, crooked looking.
-He seems to have trouble breathing.
-His dorsal fin is no longer up but instead it is flopped over when he lying down/ down when he is swimming. All other fins are normal.
-He has a pine-coned appearance where his scales are lifted on the top of his body but not on the sides/bottom. I know this is a sign of Dropsy but he is not bloated which I read caused the lifting of the scales...
-All of the other fish seem to be acting normally.
Thank you so much for your time.
-Megan
<Nothing much I can suggest without you first giving me data on the environmental issues discussed above: tank size, water quality/chemistry, social behaviour, temperature. Tell me these things, and I can try and help
some more. Cheers, Neale.>

2 of my male platies died   3/14/09
hello my name is mark. I wanted to ask for your opinions as I woke this morning to find 2 of my platies had died. I am worried as another 2 seem to be acting strange also, they seemed to float at the top of the tank and seemed to hardly swim around. the tank now (after the deaths) consists of 4 platies, 5 zebra Danios and 3 fancy goldfish and a black moor. there is no aggression in the tank and everyone seems to get on. I did recently move the fish to a new larger tank and wondered whether the new gravel or something could be a problem? please could you help as I want to save any more deaths. regards mark
<Hello Mark. Platies are livebearers, and that means they need hard, alkaline water. In soft/acidic water they are delicate and disease-prone.
So that's the first thing to check. Water quality needs to be good, zero ammonia and nitrite in particular, and water temperature should be moderate; about 24 degrees C (75 F) is about right. Danios and Goldfish will enjoy similar conditions, so you're lucky here that your mix of animals should all get along. You don't mention the size of the tank though. Unless this tank is above 30 gallons in size, you're unlikely to have adequate conditions to maintain these fish properly. Let me have some details on the size of the aquarium, temperature, water quality and water chemistry and we can discuss in depth. In the meantime, review livebearer care generally, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/poeciliids.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: 2 of my male platies died   3/14/09
Neale, thank you for your fast reply. my tank is roughly 100litres - its 32" long I think and 16" high and 12" deep.
<On the small side for Goldfish plural, and certainly in combination with other fish. Once Goldfish get above about 10 cm/4 inches, they become seriously messy fish that play havoc with water quality.>
I have not checked the water as I'm not sure entirely how I should do this.
<Test kits. At minimum, have a pH test kit and a nitrite test kit. A carbonate hardness ("KH") test kit is useful but not essential.>
although do have tap water conditioner and flora boost aquarium treatment which I have used to try and settle the water.
<OK. The flora boost is a waste of time though, given Goldfish eat plants.>
and likewise I have added aqua tonic salt.
<Pointless.>
I have only had the platies in this tank for 4 days but before they all were fine in a smaller tank of 63 litres.
<Borderline useful for Platies.>
of the remaining 4 platies 3 are female and 1 left is male, and I fear that this male (again male) is acting strange and seems to float at the top of the tank, it doesn't seem to go down often though is quite keen to fight for food, though it floats and allows the filter to just force it backwards.
<Hmm... could be constipation I suppose, since these are herbivores that should receive lots of greens. Cooked peas and spinach are the old favourites, but algae-based flake food is good too. But I'd suspect water quality issues because of the Goldfish.>
any more suggestions? kind regards mark
<Do read the WWM page sent last time, and in particular have a look over the pages about Platy health, diet and maintenance. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: 2 of my male platies died   3/14/09
Thanks again Neale. I will try and get these nitrate and ph test kits tomorrow.
<Nitrite. With an "I". Nitrate is something else.>
With regards to the fish acting strange now, would you advise removing it from the tank, I do actually have a small tank which has 12 platy fry in it, though my worry would be if this fish would eat the babies?
<Hmm... if he's sick, chances of him eating a baby fish are minimal.>
Are males prone to eating fry? and do females also eat them?
<Varies. If well fed and in a tank with plenty of floating plants, most babies are ignored. But no, they have no "parental instinct" at all since in the wild the baby fish move away from where the adults are. So there's no need for them to evolve an instinct that tells them not to eat a baby fish.>
Its just the fish is floating around at the top of the tank and I really worry tomorrow morning it will be next. thank you for your help.
<Not much to be done now. Perhaps move the sick male if he's been harassed by the other fish, or pushed around by the water current. Otherwise leave him as he is, observe, pray to the fish gods. Cheers, Neale.>

Platy fish excreting white stuff 2/14/09
Hi Crew;
My platy fish is excreting a lot of white stuff from his/her lower region.
They are like strings about and inch and a half long that do not fall off right away. It looks like it could be waste but it is white and there is a lot of it. The fish looks bigger so she could be pregnant. This has been going on for about two weeks and I have no idea what is wrong with the fish. He/she seems active and healthy.
Thanks for your help!
Joni
<I'm assuming that the white stuff you are talking about are faeces. Under certain situations, such as gut irritation, the intestine produces excessive amounts of mucous, and these bulk out the faecal material, producing long, pale stringy faeces that often hang from the anus. My guess is that's what you're seeing here. The commonest problem with Platies is a failure to understand their needs. These are herbivores that should be fed ample green materials. Algae-based flake (Spirulina flake) is a good staple, augmented with things like Sushi Nori, cooked or tinned peas, cooked spinach, and thinly sliced cucumber. Avoid feeding them standard flake foods and do not feed them freeze-dried anything, except maybe once a week, tops. Wet frozen bloodworms and live daphnia are both good supplements to their diet, live daphnia being an especially good laxative.
Cheers, Neale.>

Platy help, dis.  1/14/09
Hi-
<Hello.>
I have a platy that I have had since I started my tanks over two years ago.
He was doing well until about two and a half months ago. He developed a white growth over one eye and part of his mouth.
<Do check water quality and water chemistry. What you are describing is very common among livebearers, in part because they are acutely sensitive to nitrite/ammonia but also because drops in pH stress them intensely.>
I originally moved him to a quarantine tank and treated with two rounds of antibiotics as well as two rounds of Lifeguard made by Jungle labs.
<While the infection is likely bacterial, it isn't always easy to know if it is standard Finrot or what we call "Mouth Fungus", a bacterial infection also known as Columnaris. "Lifeguard" is one of those jack-of-all-trade medications that actually isn't all that reliable or effective in many cases. I'd instead focus on (in the US at least) running first with Maracyn and if that doesn't work with Maracyn 2, as between them these will deal with all the likely bacteria. In the UK and Europe I'd go with eSHa 2000, an antibacterial that works well against Finrot and Mouth Fungus. Regardless, it is critical to figure out the likely cause of the infection, because these sorts of things are almost always environmental at root.
Platies need cool (around 23-24 C) water that is spotlessly clean, has a high pH (7.5-8.2), and above all else is nice and hard (15+ degrees dH).
They tend to get sick in tanks where the pH varies and the hardness is low.
High temperatures also stress them; at least once ancestor of the domesticated Platy is a species called Xiphophorus variatus, a subtropical rather than tropical fish. Warm water contains less oxygen, and this stresses fish, reducing their immune system effectiveness.>
He did not improve much and was unhappy by himself. I put him back in my twenty gallon tank that he shares with a molly, platy. ghost shrimp and guppies.
<Ah, these will all appreciate hard, basic water, so managing that aspect shouldn't be difficult. But I will make the point that Mollies tend to prefer a little more heat than Platies, though this isn't critical. To be honest, I'd be adding a certain amount (3-6 g) of marine salt mix per litre of water in this system. Marine salt mix will raise the carbonate hardness, ensuring stable pH and the right level of hardness. While Platies aren't brackish water fish by any means, they will tolerate small amounts just fine, and the benefits of elevated hardness and pH will be useful. Do note that "tonic salt" or "aquarium salt" has no effect on pH or hardness, so adding these to this aquarium would be a waste of money.>
Whatever this is has progressed to the point that I can't even see his eye any longer. It doesn't seem to affect any of the other fish
Please help
Angie
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Female Platy Problem  1/2/08
Hello; First off, my lovely wag platy gave birth to 9 babies about a week ago (three were stillborn, so six are happily swimming in my fry tank with three other fry from my mm platy).
<Stillbirths are typically caused by stress, for example by males chasing pregnant females. Or worse yet, Breeding Traps!>
She is in a 20 gallon long with three other platies: 1 mm female, 1 sunburst male, 1 sunburst dwarf male; and 1 swordtail male. Three small fancy goldfish share the space, as does one small clown Pleco.
<No such thing as a "small" Goldfish; only a juvenile. Do understand that by the time these fish grow even by themselves they will massively overstock as 20 gallon system. By that I mean the water will be cloudy, water quality will be poor, and the fish much more prone to disease than otherwise. For Goldfish, there's really no logical argument for keeping them in anything under 30 gallons. Do always remember even fancy Goldfish top 20 cm / 8 inches in length.>
Other than the goldfish bullying the Pleco a bit for his algae wafers (I generally put two in; one for them, one for him), all seem fine with each other. We're setting up a 20 gallon tall soon, and will move the swordtail to that one with additional stock.
<"Tall" 20 gallon tanks are a waste of money. Remember, stocking depends on the surface area at the top in contact with the air. A tall tank has a smaller surface area than a long tank of identical volume. Moreover, Swordtails are high-speed fish from rivers, and do best in tanks with lots of swimming space. The only advantage to a tall tank is it is easier to decorate with tall plants. Beyond that, they are a total waste of money.>
I do 25% water changes every Saturday, have an undergravel filter with two box filters, a small variety of live plants and driftwood. This tank has been set up (minus the swordtail) for about 4 months. I check the water after each change. Our well water has pH of 7.8, moderately alkaline.
<Sounds fine for livebearers.>
The problem with my wag: she's still plump, and her belly looks 'squared off' by her anal cavity. She is hiding, which is not normal behavior for this particular girl. This was her second birth in my tank (the goldfish ate the fry the first time, I'm guessing). She keeps one anal fin clamped to her body and is swimming quite slowly, and generally keeps low.
<May well be stress; remove male livebearers (whether Platies or Swordtails) to another tank. Do also look out for signs of excessive mucous production, for example cloudiness on the face or flanks. Treat with a combination Finrot/Fungus medication such as eSHa 2000. The addition of marine salt mix at ~5-6 grammes per litre will benefit most livebearers by raising carbonate hardness and salinity slightly. Common aquarium or tonic salt is a far inferior treatment and not worth bothering with, frankly. The Clown Plec cannot be kept in the tank while salt is being used, but the Goldfish won't mind.>
Otherwise, she appears healthy; her fins/scales appear normal, her eyes are clear. This morning she did not come up to eat. She has proved, in the past, to be an active, personable fish, and I'm trying to figure out what will help. Most I've seen about plump platy females on-line suggest pregnancy; could it be she's still pregnant, despite giving birth a week ago?
<Yes; sometimes livebearers release fry over an extended period of days, even weeks.>
Or is it a case of dropsy?
<Scales will be erect if so, with distinctive "pine cone" appearance to fish when viewed from above.>
Also, if this is the problem, would it hurt the fry to move her to that tank. (Fry tank is 3 gallons, with plenty of free-floating Anacharis, Amazon swords, driftwood, filter, 3 ghost shrimp) Thank you for your help and your incredibly informative site; it's usually the first site I go to for answers. This is the first time I was unable to find one in your FAQs!
-hly
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Female Platy Problem 1/2/09
Thanks for the quick response Neale;
<Most welcome.>
I was quite concerned this morning, and did move her to the fry tank. I'm keeping the lights low to reduce her stress; she actually appears slightly relieved (if that expression is possible on a fish).
<Yes, shade, even darkness, is what most fish prefer.>
I'm keeping an eye on her for the rest of the day, and if there appears to be continued trouble, I'll be trying the method you suggested. Would the salt be hazardous to the fry?
<Not harmful in the least. Platies tolerate salinity up to SG 1.005 rather well (that's about 9 grammes per litre) but 3-6 grammes per litre is a good therapeutic dose for fixing all kinds of problems, including Ick and even some fungal infections.>
I *think* it could be she's not done giving birth, but was uncertain if platies could hold for that long! Now that she's in the smaller tank, I see she's still a bit distended when viewed from behind; possibly explains the "squared off" appearance of her belly.
<Indeed. Watch, and provide shelter so she's safe from nippy or aggressive tankmates.>
Thanks for the goldfish advice as well; I'm already considering future set-ups to happily house them in the near future. As for the 20 gallon tall, I'm in near agreement, but the entire set-up is inherited.
<Ah, I see. Well, you work with what you have! But do understand a "tall" tank may contain fewer fish, and preferably smaller species, than a "long" tank. So long as you understand the constraints, you won't go far wrong
with either type of tank.>
We'll be more mindful when housing it; I've been surfing the WWM site quite frequently for our options!
-hly
<Cheers, Neale.>

Platy with white mass on head 12/30/08
Hi,
One of my orange Platys has a white mass above one of its eyes. It does not seem to be affecting its movement and it is eating normally, but the mass is getting larger. None of the other fish have acquired this, so I am assuming that it is not contagious. Any help on what this may be and possible treatment would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Megan
<Most likely an opportunistic bacterial infection of the type often called "slime disease" for want of a better name, or perhaps Mouth Fungus (actually caused by a bacterium, Flexibacter columnaris). In any case, relatively easily fixed using a reliable antibiotic or antibacterial; in the US I'd recommend Maracyn (or Maracyn 2 if that doesn't work) while in Europe and elsewhere antibacterials such as eSHa 2000 will work. Salt and tea-tree oil potions will have minimal/zero impact, though dipping the fish for 2-20 minutes in full strength seawater can be a useful supplement (not
an alternative) to the treatments recommended above. As ever, the basic cause is water chemistry or water quality issues. Obviously zero ammonia and nitrite levels are essential, but as with livebearers generally it is also critical for the water to maintain a steady, basic pH (7.5-8.0) thanks to a high level of carbonate hardness. Cheers, Neale.>

Dead platy 12/2/08
Hello again Neale.
Hope you and your fishy friends are well. Here I am again..!
Last time I contacted you I had treated my new tank for whitespot, and had moved a harassed male platy to my new tank.
A week ago I moved the remaining platies in to the new tank. Immediately the other male started harassing the male that I had moved into the tank earlier. He once again took to hiding away, and would come out a bit but very wary of the other one - once I actually saw them fighting - fins up, swimming in circles around each other taking nips at each other.
I haven't been able to get out and get some more females, but really 5 should be enough for the two of them? That said two are quite small still.
Anyhow - today I found one of the males dead. He was kind of trapped between some bits of (plastic) plant. I tested the water and nitrite is at less than 0.3ppm, zero ammonia, and less than 20ppm nitrate. Yesterday he seemed OK, when he came out he was swimming about and eating, fins up (until he saw the other male, when he'd swim as fast as he could and hide)
Could he have been harassed to death? There were no signs on the body of anything at all, a bit of a nip out of one fin (which could have happened post death I think) I am very reluctant to put my new additions in the tank (5 zebra Danios) in from the QT until I know there are no problems.
Most other fish are fine. Only exception being one female platy who is also subject to harassment and frequently has her fins clamped and hides. She comes out for food and has her fins up then, but clamps them when the male is around. Frankly I think he's a bully!
On the plus side we have a lot of fry!
Can they be harassed to death?
Wondering in a fishy manner...
Sarah
<Hello Sarah. Male Platies certainly can be aggressive towards one another.
Mixed sex livebearer groups are honestly easiest kept either as one male with multiple females, or else in big groups (10+ specimens) of both sexes, albeit more females than males. Only a few species are truly gentle and gregarious, and none of the common species are! If you have 5 adults, with 2 of them boys, you're really not going to have peace and quiet unless the tank is big (30+ gallons) enough for them all to spread out. Can they fight to the death? Not directly, but certainly long term stress through one bullying the other can weaken another fish such that it doesn't get enough to eat, or becomes more sensitive to disease. I do regularly state this, but once again we'll make the point: livebearers are not "easy" fish despite their reputation. They're among the fish aquarists most regularly have problems with! The elevated level of nitrite is worrying, so I would go back and check what the cause might be -- too many fish, too much food, or inadequate filtration are all on the list of possibilities. If you have a lot of fry, do rear them as best you can, and then sell them on but keep at least some of the females. The more females in the group, the better they get along. Wild Platies essentially operate with females forming schools and males fighting over access. When we try to keep them as pairs or families, that's when the wheels come off the wagon! It's just not how they're wired. Wild Platies are smaller and brightly coloured, and consequently die younger than the females -- so everything about their psychology is about fighting rival males and mating with anything female in range! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dead platy 12/2/08
Hello!
Just a quick one now as I have a small person in the bath..! I thought the nitrite was low - less than <0.3mg/l is the actual reading (getting muddled with my ppm / mg/l). This is the lowest on the scale on my Tetratest chart...
I think I will get two more good sized more female platies to pacify my male. We have maybe 10+ fry and they seem to get bigger and bolder by the day. Tank size is 180 litres (no idea in gallons)
Thanks again for your super fast response. I do like the platies, they have personalities... :)
Thank you...
Sarah
<Hello again Sarah. I don't really understand your test kit: ordinarily there's either zero (safe) and everything else (not zero, not safe).180 litres (about 44 US gal.) is a good size for Platies, and you could easily keep a dozen or more alongside whatever fish you have in there. Cheers, Neale.>

Xiphophorus maculatus (health, diet)  10/12/08
Hello!
I am just wondering if stringy feces are always sings of internal parasites. I have a Platy that has string like feces, but the she is acting as normal as she ever has! Thank you very much! You are always so helpful and the first I come to for my fish advice!
Davenpom
<While it possible that your Platy has a parasitic infection (such as Hexamita) that is irritating the gut wall and causing extra mucous to be produced, and so resulting in stringy faeces, that wouldn't be the first thing I'd worry about. No, instead review diet: Platies are herbivores, meaning they eat mostly plant material. In the aquarium this can be either algae (e.g., Sushi Nori) or else algae-based prepared foods (e.g., Spirulina flake). Most tropical fish foods (flakes, pellets, etc.) are formulated for carnivores, and lack the correct balance of fibre and vitamins herbivores need. How herbivorous fish react ranges from constipation (the probable issue here) through to extreme bad health (things like Head and Lateral Line Erosion). So, make sure you are using herbivore flake and not standard tropical fish food. And yes, herbivore foods are perfectly safe for use in mixed community tanks, and things like tetras and Corydoras will come to no harm at all eating them. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Xiphophorus maculatus (health, diet) 10/12/08
Thank you Neal. One last question, does this mean theoretically I could feed my Platy vegetables?
<Yes, though some vegetables are better than others! Cooked spinach, blanched lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, tinned peas and cooked rice often work well with herbivores. Any "sea vegetable" sold in an Asian food market should be good, too, for example Sushi Nori. Herbivorous fish used to standard foods may turn their noses up at vegetables at first -- leave the veggies to soften up for a couple of days and don't feed the fish for the interim. All this said, standard issue herbivore flake or wet frozen foods may well be more balanced and easier to use.>
I have seen this in forums and such! Thanks! Marion
<Cheers, Neale.>

Platy with ?internal parasite  9/23/08
Hello, I am new to the fish hobby this year, but I have loved all the learning that being an aquarist has and continues to include! I recently bought three female platys to go with my male platy (a white tiger named Michael Phelps). The three "golden girls" went into a 10 gal QT since they are new with a heater, cycled sponge filter that is extra from another (healthy) tank, and bare-bottom with some decor for hiding in. PH is neutral, Amm, Nitrite, are 0, Nitrate 5, temp 78.5'F. They are the only three fish in the QT. Behaviourally, they are normal - active, feeding, one is definitely bossy, but the other two don't seem too stressed by it, no ragged fins, no apparent issues (to my novice eyes).
<All sounds fine, but I'd recommend turning the temperature down a little. Platies come from quite cool environments and thrive best between 22-25 C (72-77F). It's very common among fishkeepers to assume all tropical fish need the same temperature -- they don't.>
My husband and I watched the tank at the LFS for a while before selecting them. Unfortunately, when I got them home, I noticed white feces in the tank the next morning.
<Not necessarily a problem. If fish have been eating a lot of plant material, the faeces are often very pale. Mucous in the faeces caused by irritation can also make them look pale.>
I started researching right away, and it seems that usually this is caused by internal parasites. I had some Jungle parasite clear, which I dropped in the tank after watching to confirm that they were pooping white after being feed color-rich foods (algae wafers, bloodworms). After 5 days of Jungle Clear every other day, they were still behaving normally, but I had seen each of the three poop white, the bossy one the most. Also with her, her anus appears bright white on her sunset body (no other white spots/ich). I don't know if this is nature or a symptom. My next step was to find a LFS with Prazi Pro after doing further research on the web. I have dosed with Prazi and even soaked some blood worms in 1-2 drops, which they ate, as many sources say that foods are the best way to clear internal parasites.
<You do need to be a bit more specific. "Internal Parasites" covers a lot of ground: you and I doubtless carry a few! Prazi Pro is specifically a treatment for "worms" (or more accurately, helminths). If the parasites involved are not helminths, then Prazi Pro will have no effect. Camallanus is the parasitic helminth that most commonly causes problems with domesticated livebearers. If you don't observe the tell-tale red worms emerging from the anus, and aren't witnessing dramatic weight loss despite a huge appetite, I'd tend to assume the problem isn't caused by worms.>
I am only in day 2 of the Prazi bath, but I noticed that the bossy lady continues to have bright white poop this morning. Also, I would like to mention that the poop is not always white, it is normal coloring (green, brown, tan) at times, but they excrete white feces at least 1x/day. What I haven't been able to find online is the life expectancy of the platy if they are infected, if they continue to eat and behave normally (active, no weight loss or other symptoms), is the white poop definitely a symptom of illness or just natural?
<Depends on the diet. Platies are herbivores, so their diet should be primarily algae-based flake, algae wafers, and sliced soft green vegetables such as cucumbers. Regular flake food and things like bloodworms should be used sparingly. Under such a regimen, their diet should be, frankly, mostly green-brown.>
When would I be able to determine that it is just natural and that it is safe to move them from QT to their permanent home (a spacious 29 gal that, with them, will have 5 platy and 1 LARGE beloved apple snail named Mr. Bubbles)? What about the issue of the white anus?
<I'd actually be wondering about Hexamita, a protozoan that is quite common among ornamental fish. It is best treated with a specific medication called Metronidazole:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/metranidazole.htm
Outside of the US you will need to get this with a prescription, though some over the counter medications exist, such as eSHa Hexamita in Europe. Hexamita parasites irritate the gut lining, causing excessive mucous production, producing characteristic white, stringy faeces. It's a common problem with cichlids, and may in fact be ubiquitous among ornamental fish, only becoming a problem when conditions get bad. Among cichlids it commonly appears when they are exposed to high levels of nitrate.>
It is a prominent white dot on the bossy one and mild on the other two. According to what I have read it would be red if it were inflamed, is that true? Finally, what about salt?
<Platies do not need, or want, salt.>
Can I use Prazi and salt at the same time?
<Both are irrelevant here in my opinion. Salt is certainly not required, and Prazi Pro only if you have some reason to confirm a helminth infection, which I do not believe is the case.>
All the info on Prazi says not to use with other meds, is salt considered at medicine?
<Salt is not considered a medicine in this context.>
Would a salt dip help an internal problem?
<No.>
I can still return the golden girls to the LFS, as they have a prolonged return policy, but I am already attached. I appreciate your time and attention and any tips you can give me to help make sure the platy are healthy and that nothing bad is introduced to my 29g tank. Thanks in advance, Sara
<Do review Hexamita, Metronidazole, and act accordingly.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm
Do also review the needs of Xiphophorus maculatus and ensure you are providing the correct conditions and diet. Besides water conditions, Hexamita problems are triggered or exacerbated by poor diet, particularly when herbivores aren't given their greens.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/poeciliids.htm
Hope this helps.>
Further details about the feces: they at times hang on for 1-3 inches, at times break off very short (I think I have been overfeeding them a little bit in my exuberance to make sure they are healthy and my obsession with seeing what color they are excreting). I have not noticed any movement in the feces, occasionally there is almost a single fine thread to be seen at the end of the feces. I have looked at them when they are sleeping (not moving) and do not see any worms hanging from the anus (I read that Camallanus worms hang out at rest, so I don' t think they have that). The diameter of the feces changes each time they excrete, sometimes it is thin/stringy, other times thicker, there don't seem to be a lot of air bubbles or other issues (feces fairly uniform in color/texture). Hope this helps!
<Cheers, Neale.>

Platies (health; environment?)  9/21/08
Hello,
<Hello,>
I had two Platy's, one male, one female. The female just dies yesterday, and I believe it dies in labor by its behaviors the previous day, but am not sure.
<Very unlikely; fish don't go into "labour" in anything like the same way as humans. The baby fish just come flying out the hole there, with little stress on the mother. On the other hand, the females are easily stressed when pregnant by bullying males and poor water quality. So those are the things to check.>
My male Platy has been acting strangely. It has been darting around the bowl and when I put any food in the bowl at all, the fish darts for the food and practically inhales it. He has been acting this way for about a week, so both before and after the death of the female.
<I'm a bit concerned by the word "bowl" which is anathema to sensible fishkeeping. Platies CANNOT be kept in bowls. They need filtered, heated (around 22-25 C) tropical aquaria at least 20 gallons in size. The water must be hard (10+ degrees dH) and basic (pH 7.5-8.0). Platies cannot be kept in "nano" tanks 10 gallons or smaller, and they cannot be kept in unheated tanks. So, review the environment: that is by far the most likely reason this fish died. Almost always, mystery fish deaths come down to environment. Darting about looking nervous is a classic symptom of a fish that feels stressed by its environment. If you're confused about the habitat you've created for your fish, get back in touch, describing the system, and we'll comment on whether or not it's suitable.>
I am just wondering if this seems typical of any diseases or illness. I appreciate your help so much. Your team is very knowledgeable, rapid in response, and overly helpful!
<We're glad to help!>
Have a wonderful day! Marion
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sunburst Platy no longer has a bulging belly 9/8/08
Hi, I have a 30 gallon tank with 2 sunburst platys. I used to have 3, but one recently died. I noticed that over time, the one that died developed a "flat" belly. It used to be plump and happy. The other two during the time were plump and happy as well. But now, a second platy has developed the "flat" belly and is starting to wrinkle up. Any idea what this is and how to resolve it? Thanks!
<Hello. Nine times out of ten, when a succession of fish sicken and die, especially where the symptoms are as generic as this, the issue is water chemistry and/or water quality. Your 30 gallon tank should be perfect for Platies, so overcrowding isn't an issue (assuming that's all that's in there). But Platies are sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, so we have to make sure that this tank has a fully cycled filter. Cycling _isn't_ leaving the tank empty for a week before adding fish, but providing the filter bacteria with a source of ammonia. If this is a brand new tank and you've added Platies as your first fish, then you have to be extremely careful what you do. Don't feed more than one very small meal per day. Change 25-50% of the water every day or two. Use a nitrite test kit to ensure the nitrite level stays as close to zero as possible, and certainly no more than 0.5 mg/l (sometimes written 0.5 ppt). Cycling a brand new tank takes about 4-6 weeks, after which you will see the nitrite stays at zero, and you can switch to changing 25-50% of the water weekly. Next up, water chemistry. Platies need hard, basic water; aim for pH 7.5, 10-20 degrees dH. In soft water areas, adding a small amount of marine salt mix (not "tonic salt" or "aquarium salt") will make your Platies much healthier and less disease-prone. Finally, temperature is an issue. Platies need warm but not hot water; around 22-2F degrees C is fine. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/poeciliids.htm
If you're still unable to figure out what's wrong, get back to us with data about your system (in particular nitrite and pH) and we'll talk further.
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sunburst Platy no longer has a bulging belly  9/10/08
Thanks for the reply. I did a test with a 5-1 test strip by Tetra and the following are the results:
Nitrate - 50ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Hardness - 180 to 280ppm
Alkalinity - 50 to 100ppm
pH - 6.4
Temp - 80F
<Ah, here's at least part of the problem: the water is acidic. Platies need basic water. You need to find a way to raise the carbonate hardness or stabilise the pH ay around 7.5. Various commercial water additives will "buffer" the pH at 7.5 for you, and if you prefer not to get involved with water chemistry manipulation, that might be the way forward. If the only fish in the system are livebearers, you could also add a small amount of MARINE salt mix (not tonic salt or aquarium salt). Marine salt mix contains lots of carbonate, and this raises the carbonate hardness and the pH. At a dose of up to 6 grammes per litre you should fine the pH shifting upwards and staying there.>
I also did nitrite and ammonia level tests with the API freshwater test
kits.
Nitrite - 0ppm
Ammonia - 0ppm
<All fine.>
The tank is not new. I've had it running successfully for over a year with these platies. These platies have been with the tank since I got it last Aug 2007.
<The problem with water chemistry is that it is a problem that can get worse over time. All aquaria have background acidification, and this is causes by a variety of biological processes including the production of nitrate and phosphate in the filter, decaying plant material, and the CO2 given off by the plants and animals in the tank. It's very unpredictable in some ways, which is why regular pH testing is important. Moreover, the impact the "wrong" pH has on fish doesn't always manifest itself instantly, although it can. If exposed to slightly acidic water over months, Livebearers may not show immediately signs of sickness, but their overall healthiness declines, until something else forces itself past their immune system, causing problems. In any event, acidic water isn't appropriate for these fish, and without fixing that, it's impossible to guarantee their health.>
I perform a 40% (12gallons) water change every month. I use API Stress Zyme and Stress Coat with each water change. It uses a Filstar XP1 filtration system with the BioChem Zorb every 3 months and BioStars which I do not disturb during the filter cleanings (done once a month). Of the items that you mention, my pH is on the low side.
<Indeed.>
My water temp is on the high side (how do I cool the tank?),
<Difficult without a chiller, but opening the hood and placing a fan nearby increases evaporation, reducing temperature. Making sure there is no direct sunlight on the tank, and increasing ventilation in the hood are also important. If all else fails, you can freeze a plastic container filled with water, and then place the (closed) container in the tank like an iceberg. Works quite well.>
and I've been using "aquarium" salt (1tablespoon each 12 gallon change).
<Aquarium salt is plain sodium chloride. This has zero effect on hardness and pH for reasons you doubtless recall from inorganic chemistry at school. The functions of NaCl by itself on freshwater fish is obscure and much debated in the hobby. It certainly has no function at all as a regular additive, but it can be used to treat certain diseases and to detoxify certain poisons (specifically, nitrite and nitrate).>
But do I need marine salt given that the water hardness is on the high side?
<Remember, hardness and alkalinity are different things. General hardness (GH) has very little to do with pH. It's all about osmoregulation; the balance of water and minerals inside and outside the fish. Alkalinity (almost identical to carbonate hardness, KH, for practical purposes) is the ability of *certain* mineral ions in the water to mop up acidification. It is perfectly possible to have lots of minerals in the water (high hardness) but not much of the specific minerals like carbonate and bicarbonate (alkalinity/carbonate hardness) that neutralise acid.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/fwsoftness.htm
Adding marine salt mix is a cheap-and-cheerful way to up the alkalinity. It isn't very efficient (most of the mineral content is sodium chloride, not carbonate hardness salts like calcium carbonate) but because livebearers have a high tolerance for salt, this isn't really a problem. If you want to raise the carbonate hardness efficiently, you need to use something like Malawi cichlid salt, albeit at a low dosage. A standard Malawi salt mix per 5 gallons is something like this:
* 1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
* 1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
* 1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
Because you're not keeping Malawi cichlids, you'd need to use only a fraction this dose, perhaps 1/4th the amount. Basically play around until you get the pH/alkalinity you're after. You won't do any harm because these minerals are non-toxic at these dosages and much loved by livebearers anyway. It goes without saying these three ingredients are very cheap, and using them thus will cost literally pennies per water change.>
Are the platies just getting old?
<Quite possibly.>
I want to replenish the tank with a few more platies, but if there is something wrong with my setup, I want to fix it before I do that.
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Sick platy 9/1/08
I just bought some fish yesterday, and came home to find out one was sick. I should've noticed it before, but it's too late now. The fish has no appetite, it swims around aimlessly, sometimes staying at the bottom and other times at the top. Scales on one side of the fish look like they are about to come off; they are angled in a funny way. It seems to be breathing rather heavily, and bumps into things. Could you please help me out on what this is and what to do about it? Thank you so much!
Savannah
<Hello Savannah. The fish is clearly very ill, and the symptom you describe where the scales pop up from the body is known as Dropsy (or more technically, oedema). It isn't a disease but a symptom, and implies organ failure. When small fish get to this point, a cure is very difficult to recommend. Use of an antibiotic such as Maracyn may help if there's a secondary infection, and Epsom Salt (dissolved in a jug warm water, and then added to the tank, at a concentration of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water in the aquarium) reduces the osmotic gradient between the fish and the water around it, and this can reduce the swelling.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dropsyfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/epsomfaqs.htm
But fundamentally you need to figure out why the fish got sick. Organ failure is obviously serious, and tends to be caused by chronic environmental issues rather than a sudden outbreak of disease. So review water chemistry and water quality. Platies need a biggish tank (certainly not less than 20 gallons) and there must be zero ammonia and zero nitrite at all times. They must have hard, basic water: pH 7.5-8.2, hardness 10-20 degrees dH. In soft water areas the addition of a certain amount of marine salt mix (as opposed to that silly "aquarium salt" and "tonic salt" people sell) will both raise the hardness and the salinity, usually sufficiently to keep livebearers happy; in this case, about 3-6 grammes per litre will do the trick (5-8 oz per gal). Dropsy isn't catchy as such, but the causes can obviously affect more than one fish, so you need to find out what's going on quickly. A photo, plus information re: tank size, water chemistry, water quality would help us confirm/explore the underlying problem(s). Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick platy 9/1/08
Thank you, Neale. I just bought the fish yesterday from the store, and I won't be back.
<Ah, I see. Visiting all the pet stores in your area is always worth doing before spending any money. While standard "bread and butter" tropicals likely all come from the same wholesalers, there are differences in how these fish are maintained.>
After returning yesterday to talk to the sellers, I saw several dead fish in the tanks. I will not be buying there again.
<Do see here for my thoughts on how to spot good retailers:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/hobratestrs.htm
>
Unfortunately, the fish died. I still have some other fish, but they seem to be doing fine. Thank you again for the help!
<Good luck with them!>
Savannah
<Happy to help, Neale.>

Life or death situation, Platy hlth. mostly, reading   08/23/08
Hi Neale,
<Is marked "out till Tuesday", so I'm responding in his stead>
I'm sorry I keep emailing you, and in my defence I've cruised your site and also Googled and Googled for hours. I know my fish are sick- there's no question about that. But I can't figure out what they're sick with. They seem to have only one symptom and that symptom has various diseases it could go with and also different sites have different symptoms, different cures, meds. To make matters worse, only three of my fish are really sick- which made me consider water quality a factor/ stress, yet the pet store tested my water and nothing was abnormal or wrong-
<Note... for what there are tests for... Not much>
the water was soft though. I know I should keep the water slightly harder for live bearers- could this have cause my problem?
<Could be a factor, yes>
I Googled this as well and have become confused. What would you recommend I use to bring up dissolved mineral content?
<Likely a commercial product... see your LFS re>
The three fish that are desperately sick display different symptoms, or possibly stages, of the same disease- or so I believe. My one largest fish is a girl platy that is high-finned and gray; her weight and body cavity appear to be normal; she is extremely stressed after being moved to my hospital tank and I cannot decide if she is really displaying a loss of appetite or just stressed. I removed her from my main tank because, although her gills are not red, she breaths rapidly and circles the surface/ hides for long periods of time. The last one that did this died- so this is a serious disease of some sort.
The other girl that is sick is gold platy and she has red gills and looks extremely emaciated. This emaciated girl looks to be on the brink of death and I've had one platy display very similar symptoms and die. Previously I chalked up this death to unusually high ammonia levels from poor maintenance on my part. But this past problem has been long since rectified and my ammonia is all but non existent.
<Mmmm... have you read...?>
The third sick platy is a gold twin side bar boy who was recovering from a loss of body cavity fluid. Almost all my fish began to display some loss of body cavity fluid after the high ammonia levels. This problem, as I've said, has been rectified and my fish are all somewhat normal again- except three. I considered that they may be just taking a while to recover, but they seem to be deteriorating further- which makes no sense. The third sickly platy is oddly shaped because he's lost the front half of his body fluid, but not the back. He also appears to have red gills, but he is slightly translucent and I asked you before about him and you said that he was biologically engineered to be as such.
<Something very amiss here>
On top of my platy troubles are my beta troubles, for they have an extreme case of velvet/ ich (I can't decide which). I had a recent outbreak of fleas
<?!>
with my betas and then the ick sprang up. The reason I mention my betas is because I had a sorority of four and after two died, I had to split the last two up due to one being well and the other extremely sick and because it's a common rule not to keep only two girls together. So I put the well one into my platy tank, but the well one also is displaying similar signs to my three sick platies. To be honest, at certain times all my fish appear to be breathing- not rapidly, not when surfacing for air, but just randomly using their gills for minutes, hours on end, when I know they shouldn't have to. My beta especially shouldn't be breathing as hard as she is. This makes me think it's the water making my fish sick, but besides the harness level, everything is fine! I had the full test done: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, chlorine, harness, alkalinity...!
<Very doubtful>
My only other conclusion is that one of the new platies I added had some kind of spreadable disease.
<Quite likely>
My sickly beta is in the hospital tank, due to no other viable room at the moment. She appears still sick and floating at the top of the water. I hope my other fish I put in there don't get velvet, but at this point anything is better than having contagious fish mixed in with my healthy ones; plus I don't want the ammonia levels to skyrocket if all three of them decided to die.
I know that prevention is the key. Had I known that you are supposed to quarantine fish before you put them in your tank, I would have. I also would have kept my heater in the beta tank- someone told me it was unnecessary so I took it out.
<Put this back in... and stop stressing... Re-direct your energies into reading... on WWM re these issues>
I'm losing my mind and I don't know what to do anymore. I've considered gill flukes, gill bacteria infection, certain types of dropsy, and even stomach worms. I can't treat for them all...is there a sure fire way to dismiss one or more of the disease mentioned?
<Mmm, strictly speaking, not w/o sacrificing some of the animals, using a microscope, culture...>
Do you happen to know what my fish have?
<No>
Is there something in the water I didn't test for?
<Likely so>
Is it truly the hardness making my fish sick?
<Not of, by itself, no>
there are no visible parasites so far as i can see, but not all gill flukes are visible are they?
<Not to the naked eye, no>
I had been treating my betas for about a week and then two died and the one got well and the other became extremely sick...what am i doing wrong?
<Can't discern from the data presented>
Please, please help me! I fear all 10 of my platies may die and the last two betas I have left may follow them. I need help. And I'm sorry to have bothered you. I really am.
Thank you for your time.
<Start reading here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platydisf5.htm
and the linked files above... We need the types/categories of data presented in this correspondence to help you... Do read the same re Betta splendens... Bob Fenner>

Swim bladder didn't inflate; Xiphophorus, repro., hlth.    8/14//08
Hi,
I bought some sunset fire wag platies (a male and a couple of females). They mated and now I have some fry. Most of the fry have developed normally although they seem to grow at different rates, but one baby's swim bladder never inflated. His growth rate has been very slow, but he's such a little trouper. I don't see him "fading" at all; his condition seems quite stable, but I'm wondering what the future holds for him. He's become my sentimental favorite, so it would kill me to lose him; still, I want to do what's best for him. Any suggestions?
Betty
<Hello Betty. It is quite common for fancy livebearer fry to be deformed in various ways. They are extremely inbred, and demonstrably less robust than their wild ancestors; for example wild and "feeder" guppies (mongrel guppies, essentially) can be adapted to seawater without problems, but fancy guppies will die if you try this. The situation your Platy is exhibiting is known as "belly sliding" and is incurable. Whether or not you destroy him is up to you, but he isn't going to get better and he isn't going to be able to do Platy-like things. Mixing him with other Platies would probably be a bit unfair, but I suppose he'd be happy enough in a quiet tank with a soft (e.g., smooth silica sand) substrate that didn't scratch his belly. (Remember, he's not evolved to live a life on the bottom, so he could be damaged by sharp sand or gravel.) Cheers, Neale.>

Another sick platy question 6/16/08
Hello all,
<Hi>
I'm very nervous that this question has been asked and answered, but I've been reading and reading and can't seem to find this combination of circumstances. Please accept my apologies in advance if I've just missed something.
<No problem, promise this won't hurt much.>
I'm new to aquariums and realize that I've already made some mistakes. That being said, I have a 29 gallon aquarium that had been set up for about 3 weeks. I now realize that it is not cycled and I maybe shouldn't have added the fish yet. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrite all test at zero. I can't seem to get my PH below 7.6, although it isn't fluctuating. it's 7.6 consistently.
<Is fine for platies.>
In residence are 3 fancy guppies, 5 ghost shrimp, 1 Cory cat, 2 Mickey mouse platies, 3 banana plants and 4 small sword plants. The substrate is glass beads and store bought river rock, like the kind used in table-top fountains. I also have a rock structure that has hidey places and is aerated. All were washed thoroughly before they were added.
<Ok>
My problem...one of my platies is definitely sick. I think it's a female. She isn't eating, even when I dropped food (flakes) right on her, she stays at the bottom of the tank, her mouth moves constantly like she's gasping, her vent is very red (she's a gold MM), her fins aren't clamped. Today, I noticed what appeared to be thin, white lines (about 3 of them) running through the MM pattern on her body and it looks like someone took a bite or two out of her tail.
<May be stress marks, and weak fish are often picked on by tankmates, I would try to move her to a hospital tank.>
So I have two questions... I think I need a hospital tank.
<Yes>
What is the minimum size I can have (not much space) and does this tank need a heater and filter (I'm thinking yes)?
<I would go with a 10g, and yes to heat and filtration.>
And can I treat her for something now, in the tank with the others, or should I euthanize her?
<I would get the hospital tank going and go from there, and would not treat the main tank in any way.>
I'm afraid the gasping means that she's suffering.
<It is definitely a sign something is wrong, perhaps just environmental, try some water changes.>
Thank you in advance for any help.
Cindy
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Sick platy for 4 months - 06/08/2007
This fish is driving me crazy! She is a Mickey platy and I have had her in my hospital tank for at least 4 months now because she has yet to get "better" and I still haven't got any idea exactly what the problem is. I was thinking "whirling disease" because the one symptom that has remained constant the whole time is "spinning". she doesn't spin all the time but every few minutes at least....and usually when it begins she starts spasmodically darting all over the tank hitting off all the walls like a pinball machine. It all started at least 4 months ago when I noticed she was acting ill and one of her gills appeared to be "hemorrhaging" internally. That since has recovered and she has had different symptoms throughout the months ranging from not eating, to hiding, to wading at an angle, to swimming on side, light body colors, erratic swimming, hanging at the top, gasping at the top, weakness (the filter throws her across the tank even still and the gravel siphon sucks her up and she can't even fight it)...BUT, for the last few weeks she has been eating again and her spinning doesn't last as long and she is swimming around more normally. However, she does have fits of darting and pinging like a pinball on speed and she almost seems blind because when I fed her this morning she swam quickly along the top rippling across the surface missing the food the majority of the time.
Since she has been in my QT tank and I have had to treat not only my sick fish but also my dads (he doesn't have a qt tank) she has been "treated" with every med under the sun at least twice (because I was treating whatever fish was in there with her for what I knew they had) I know that she has to have an extremely weak immune system by now and I wouldn't be surprised if some of her current symptoms are not stemming from the "overdose" of medications but I still haven't figured out what this "spinning" and erratic swimming is from. I thought for sure she would've been dead by now but she's hanging on strong and I am currently trying to determine is I should just go a head and put her back in one of my main tanks?? Does anyone have any clue what is wrong with this fish and/or how I can treat it?
Thanks again for this invaluable resource to us novice fish-keepers- you guys are the BEST :)
Respectfully,
Grace
<Hi Grace. I'm not really very sure what's going on here. Whirling Disease is a name applied to the disease caused by Myxosporea parasites. These parasites are not common among indoor ornamental fish because to complete its life cycle the parasite needs to pass through both a fish and an aquatic worm. You're most likely to infect fish by feeding them live Tubifex worms, a common host for the Myxosporea parasite in question. If you haven't used Tubifex worms, then the chances of Whirling Disease being the cause of the symptoms you're observing is practically nil. Another problem that can cause unstable, erratic swimming is the disease we call the Shimmies, essentially a neurological complaint and most widely reported from Mollies. The Shimmies is triggered by improper maintenance, though aquarists argue whether water quality (including nitrate) is the key thing or water chemistry (specifically carbonate hardness and salinity). In any case, this isn't something typically associated with Platies, though I dare say that if they were maintained in soft, acidic water or exposed to high concentrations of nitrogenous wastes, you might well get analogous symptoms. Given the difficulty in establishing either the disease or the responsible triggering factor, the best I can suggest is you start by reviewing environmental conditions and then expand outwards to check things like diet and tankmates are appropriate. Platies need water with a high carbonate hardness and a basic pH. Salt isn't required, though some people consider it to be helpful; certainly they don't need more than 1-2 grammes per litre. Water temperature should be moderate, between 24-28 C, though Variatus Platies are subtropical fish and prefer slightly cooler conditions, 18-25 C. Platies need a primarily greens-based diet, and meaty foods (including standard flake food) should be used sparingly. Instead concentrate on "livebearer" flake (algae-based food) and simply augment with small meaty items like bloodworms and daphnia from time to time. As with other herbivores, they're prone to constipation when given too much meat and not enough vegetables, and this can cause problems with the swim bladder. Sorry I can't offer much more specific advice. Cheers, Neale.>

Question about Sunburst MM Platy 5/16/08
I have searched and searched the FAQ and I have not found what my platy is going through. I have no idea if he has dropsy or ick or anything of that matter. I noticed he has not been eating and he sits at the bottom of the tank.
<Usually a bad sign. Check the water quality (i.e., nitrite) and water chemistry (hardness/pH) is appropriate before doing anything else. Almost all fish sickness ultimately stems from water issues. Platies are also very prone to constipation, so make sure you are providing them with enough "greens". Plain vanilla flake/pellet food isn't acceptable in the long term.>
His body is not pinecone shape, but the gills where he breaths from are protruding out something nasty.
<Heavy breathing can mean a variety of things, from acidosis and nitrite poisoning through to velvet and bacterial infections. So in itself, whilst very alarming and serious, not an immediate clue to the specific problem.>
On one side he has a very very dark colored spot where I am assuming his stomach is.
<Not sure, but possibly a wound or cyst; in any case, treat with a reliable antibacterial or antibiotic suitable for use with Finrot, for example eSHa 2000 or Maracyn.>
I contacted 2 pet stores and they both say he must have swallowed a rock.
<Daft.>
No other fish in the tank are sick or showing signs of the same thing he is doing.
<Quite possibly "yet"... so treat the situation as a wake-up call and review environmental and diet issues before doing anything else.>
Plus I have about 50-60 Platy fry in a breeder Tank I am worried about.
<Indeed.>
What do you think is wrong with him????
<Without a photo, difficult to say.>
Adrienne
<Cheers, Neale.>

Platy's that seem swollen... hlth.   4/29/08
I have 4 platy's in my fish tank and have noticed that two of them are very swollen in the front part that is darker normally. It is still dark but just very swollen. At first I thought maybe they were pregnant but I do not see any dot's inside like I have been reading is the tell tale sign that they are pregnant.
<May just not be "that" pregnant as yet>
Is there any disease that this could be or is it most likely that they are pregnant? They are very larger and almost look goofy
swimming around. Please give me any advice that you can.
Thanks,
Dan
<Could be a few other possibilities. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... to see the sorts of data we're looking for, learn through others experiences. Bob Fenner>
 

Mystery Platy Deaths... chemical filtrant involvement?   3/15/08
I have a platy problem.
I’ve lost 3 platies in three days. First, here’s my tank setup:
55 Gal Freshwater Community Tank – Been up and running for about 18 months now.
Population (Before Deaths):
5 Bleeding Heart Tetras
3 Orange Platies
4 Yellow Platies
2 Zebra Danios
2 Glowlight Tetras
2 Peppered Cory Cats
2 Otocinclus
No live plants, a few rocks, some driftwood, and some aeration.
Water Parameters (as of a few days ago):
Temp – 74F
pH – 7.4
Ammonia/Nitrites – 0 ppm
Nitrates – 7 ppm
KH – 5 deg
Phosphates – 0.5 ppm
<Water quality and compatibility should be fine...>
A few weeks ago, I started controlling Phosphate levels, in an attempt to rid brown and black algae.
<Mmmm, how?>
My water supply has high PO4 levels (about 2 ppm), so I started putting Phos-Zorb in the filter. It brought PO4 levels down to about 0.25 ppm, but since then has started to rise due to regular water changes (~20% water/week).
<Mmm, you might want to just filter the incoming/change-out water>
A couple days ago, I noticed an orange platy couldn’t swim…he would just sink to the bottom, but remain vertical. He died later that day.
Last night, I noticed a yellow platy with similar symptoms, but he would swim up for food. He would also stay at the bottom, and/or hide. His fins were severely nipped, so I figured he probably got beat up and was just injured.
This morning, I found that yellow play dead.
I also noticed another yellow platy hiding, but did not appear injured…just hiding. I found him dead later this afternoon.
I’m afraid there might be some sort of parasite or something killing off my fish. All other fish appear OK.
<Mmmm, what fish/es if any, are new/er to this system... How recent?>
I feed the fish tetra flakes every day, with the occasional day of freeze-dried bloodworms. All 7 platies listed above were purchased about 8 months ago.
<Oh! They themselves are not likely a/the source then>
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Aaron
<I would remove the Phos-Zorb product, seek other means for algal control... Perhaps just some floating plant... Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwalgcontrol.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Puzzling Platy... hlth? No useful data  03/11/2008
Hello,
<Mich>
Today, I bought several Platy's from the store for my brother. He called me shortly after he was able to release them from the transport bag. He released them into a 45 gallon prepared tank with other Platy's residing without difficulty. I have Molly's, but he thought maybe I could explain what had happened to his fish. One of the Platy's, less than half an hour after release, suddenly excreted white material from it's vent; and appeared to be dying very quickly. Hours later it has died, but I have never seen this before. Do you have any idea what may have caused this? If so, are the other fish in danger? Should we contact the store to let them know it has happened?
<... could be "something" or not... I do encourage you to consider, read (on WWM) re quarantine of all new livestock...>
There are several varieties of fish in the tank, plus the Platy's. I don't know if you can help, but any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Michelle
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/platydisf5.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>