Hi everyone! I'm really hoping someone can help me because I'm really worried about my poor fish.
About 2 months ago, I acquired a 10-gallon aquarium with 2 platies, 4 tetras, and 1 algae eater. The female platy was very, very pregnant (she looked like she was about to pop), so I did some research and found out the gestation period should be about 28 days (I really hope that was correct). So, since she looked so far into the pregnancy and the gestation period is so short, I put her into a breeding net about a week after I got them. Well, she's been in there for about 3 weeks, and I just took her out today because she's been very despondent - I haven't seen her eat, and she would just rest with her belly on the bottom of the net. Also, she looked like she was struggling to rise to the surface during the few times that she did.
Right now she's just resting on the gravel at the bottom of the tank, and now and then I'll look over and it seeems like she's struggling and swimming vertically whenever she rises to the surface. She'll reach the surface, but then she'll just kind of sink back down again and plop down on the gravel and stay there. It's sad because the algae eater keeps harassing her - I even saw it sucking on her a couple times, so I had to separate him from the rest of the fish.
Right now the water is at 75 degrees F, nitrate - 25, nitrite - 0, GH - 180, KH - 180-270, pH - 8-8.4. I just did a water change 3 days ago, and although I've only had this tank for about 2 months, the previous owner used the same city water source as I do and kept it for over a year.
Please help! And thank you so much in advance.
About 2 months ago, I acquired a 10-gallon aquarium with 2 platies, 4 tetras, and 1 algae eater. The female platy was very, very pregnant (she looked like she was about to pop), so I did some research and found out the gestation period should be about 28 days (I really hope that was correct). So, since she looked so far into the pregnancy and the gestation period is so short, I put her into a breeding net about a week after I got them. Well, she's been in there for about 3 weeks, and I just took her out today because she's been very despondent - I haven't seen her eat, and she would just rest with her belly on the bottom of the net. Also, she looked like she was struggling to rise to the surface during the few times that she did.
Right now she's just resting on the gravel at the bottom of the tank, and now and then I'll look over and it seeems like she's struggling and swimming vertically whenever she rises to the surface. She'll reach the surface, but then she'll just kind of sink back down again and plop down on the gravel and stay there. It's sad because the algae eater keeps harassing her - I even saw it sucking on her a couple times, so I had to separate him from the rest of the fish.
Right now the water is at 75 degrees F, nitrate - 25, nitrite - 0, GH - 180, KH - 180-270, pH - 8-8.4. I just did a water change 3 days ago, and although I've only had this tank for about 2 months, the previous owner used the same city water source as I do and kept it for over a year.
Please help! And thank you so much in advance.