Sick platies

[EmileeG]

Well, crap.

I had a platy die on me a couple days ago. I did a 40% water change right before I got a few new fish. He wasn't looking well at the time (holding fins in), but I assumed he was just stressed out from the water change and me poking my hands around in the tank.

I added the new fish in (2 harlequin rasboras, 1 angel, 1 yoyo loach) that day, and 2 new plants (anubias) and a piece of driftwood. Then the platy died the next day. I assumed it was from stress and new additions and everything, but...

Another one of my platies is looking sick. She's half swimming, half floating. The other platy is picking on her. I'm pretty sure I'll lose her by tomorrow too

I can replace the platies easy, and tbh they were just something to fill the tank when I had first started it up (and provide yummy snacks for future angelfish, possibly), but I'm worried that it might spread to the other new fish.

They aren't showing any other symptoms - they were eating fine, no spots, no bloody lines... they just start looking listless and kind of floating/swimming, fins tight, then they die.

And before anyone asks - no, I did not pour the fish store water into the tank, I netted them out of the bags. Yes I dechlorinated after the water change. No, I do not add salt to the tank. No other fish are looking sick at all or seem to be affected. Water test readings are normal - 0 amm, 0 nitrite, readable nitrates.

 

[IThinkTherefore]

unfortunately, it's hard to know the age of a fish from a pet store, or what health problems they've had in the past.

Do you think the angelfish may be related to the problem? A big angel wouldn't take much to seriously injure or kill a platy.

 

[aakaakaak]

Standard "I don't know what it is" sick fish remedies:

1. Test your water parameters. Verify 0/0/less than 40 (20 and below is happy fun time)
2. Turn up the temp to 85.
3. Add Aquarium Salt (if you have scaleless fish skip this step)
4. Remove the carbon from your filter.
5. Do a 50% water change.
6. Treat Melafix/Pimafix. (If you have scaleless fish or bettas/gouramis/labyrinth fish follow the directions and don't overtreat.
7. Check the internet for similar symptoms. Take pics. Etc.

 

[1077]

If platy's were used to cycle the tank, then the effects of the process are quick, to not so quick, depending on amount of ammonia or nitrites they were exposed to.
Platy's do best in hard alkaline water with ph between 7.4 and 8.0 and temps not much warmer than 76 degrees.

 

[EmileeG]

They weren't used to cycle the tank - I did pure ammonia + SafeStart (or whatever it's called) until I had 0/0/readable, then put the fish in so I wouldn't have to keep feeding the tank.

IThink, not sure but I doubt that the angelfish has anything to do with it. It's a small angelfish, about the size of a silver dollar. He's been hanging out by himself and hasn't been bugging any of the other fish at all.

 

[lauraf]

If there is no noticeable disease, it can just be that the fish were nearing the end of their lifespan, or were a weaker stock and had been through a lot with transport to the store and then to your tank. If there are no spots, lesions, growths, rot, redness, bloating, wormy stuff, etc., I wouldn't be too worried about your tank being infected with anything nasty.

 

[EmileeG]

Update:

Well, apparently the platy that died was a female. The other "sick" platy is also female... which means the one picking on her is the male. The "sick" one is looking better... I was fully prepared to have a second dead fish yesterday morning, but there she was, looking all bright and happy. Monitored all day, and it's fine. I think my only worry now is that the male platy keeps chasing her around, so I guess it's time to get another female platy, heh. Maybe she was just stressed out from the male bugging her?