Platys and internal parasites

Seems like I've got more reading to do... (Mind blown)

 

Thank you very much. I like idea of the pond setup that @Zuraki mentioned. Another future project perhaps...

 

Hey guys.

Just an update...

On Sunday I moved my sickly Tuxedo Platy from my "Main tank" to my grow out tank. I kept her in a breeding box, to keep a closer eye on her and make sure she eats. Since I'm treating both tanks with the same meds I'm not too concerned about cross contamination. She was getting worse. Hiding more and getting lethargic. She also started swimming in a snake like motion and showed a decrease in appetite. The previous sick Platys died shortly after these symptoms started.

On Sunday, I also started the 3 day treatment of NemaRid (a few drops in their normal food, for 3 days, with a week break, before a second 3 day treatment) I also left a steamed Pea in the breeding box for her to munch on during the day. Hopefully to help with possible indigestion and to fatten her up a bit.

I then increased the PH. I did this carefully over 2 days. I removed 10% of the tank water and replaced it with dechlorinated water to which I added a 1/4 teaspoon Bicarb, Prime and a teaspoon of aquarium Salt (I usually add half a teaspoon of aquarium salt to every second WC). I replaced the water over 2 hours and monitored them closely for signs of stress. I then repeated the process the following day. The PH reading was between 6.8 and 7. Now the reading is between 7 and 7.2. All the other water parameters stayed the same. I also increased the temperature from 24 to 26 degrees Celsius.

She is doing much better since I did these things. I "released" her from the breeding box yesterday and am happy to report that she has a more healthy appetite, lost the snake like swimming motion and doesnt hide anymore. She is still skinny but dont have clamped fins and seems like her normal curious self. Pic below. I dont know if the PH, temperature, meds or the combination of them all is to thank for this.The fry also seems to be benefiting, since they appear more energetic.

Hopefully I'm not deluded by false optimism. Will continue to keep an eye on them all and update as I go.

 

I really love the way you give a detailed post. It's such a pleasure to read

 

Thank you @Shabir. Its mostly to learn from the clever people. If I'm doing something wrong or have a wrong impression on a subject, I welcome advice and suggestions. I only started about 9 months ago and didnt know how much pleasure I would get from reading and learning about fish keeping. It has kept me sane during lockdown and also taught me a lot about patience. I've been looking for a hobby for ages and this is definitely rewarding, beyond what I imagined. Even this struggle with illnesses has led me to better understand these glass boxes and what I can do to make their inhabitants happy.

 

@Hendrik Bergh ,

I havent been online for couple days due to unforeseen circumstances... was now reading through the whole thread which has been a pleasure
Your detailed posts and how meticulously you have done everything is amazing... well done

Glad she is better and hope it stays that way

Keep the updates coming

 

That's great to hear. I'm in this hobby a little over 10years and still I learn daily. Nothing is more satisfying than our little fin buddies

 

Fantastic! I still make mistakes and learn a lot every day. To me treating fish disease is like trying to solve a murder mystery before it happens. If you pay close attention to the clues and rule out the probable causes, what is left must be the culprit. Next time your fish even hints at symptoms, you will be better prepared. Remember that clever people got that way by making many mistakes .

The magic in fish keeping for me is creating your own little bubble of harmony out of reach of the world's corruption (barring Eskom of course). It can be lockdown level 5 and loadshedding level 9, yet with the right setup (inverters and batteries included) you can create a small paradise where animals can thrive and even breed despite all that.

I hope your platy manages to turn around for good! I have a nice swordtail growing out that looks almost identical to her.

 

Hi guys.

Just an update. Over the last week my female Platy has been getting worse. She developed a white spot on her tail but that disappeared after 2 days. She then started swimming into plants and steadily lost her appetite. This morning I found her upside down on the bottom the tank... I think I delivered the death blow by not plugging the heater back in after the warmer days we've had this week. Then the sudden drop in temperature with this storm caused the tank to drop from 26 degrees to 21 degrees over night. Lesson learned.... All the fry in the tank seems happy and healthy. No more stringy poop and I dont seem to have lost anyone else. Water parameters are normal.

Silver lining... Now that everyone seems healthy, I can move the last 2 Platys from my "Main Tank" in with the fry. It's a Male and female and they also seem healthy and happy . I don't want anymore fry in this tank and in a month or 2 the current fry should be big enough and then I want to move away from Platys for a while. (Anyone interested in mom and dad with around 50 fry?)

I've always wanted Ember Tetras in my Main tank. Just 6 for a bit of orange colour and use the smaller tank for something else, like an only shrimp tank or maybe just a Betta... Something that doesnt require me to do water changes every second day.

Thank you for all the advice and remember your heaters in this Cape of Storms.

 

Ah I am very sorry to hear that. At least you did everything you could to try and save her. I have also made the mistake with my heaters before, especially after tank maintenance. It's never nice.

I have too many platy fry myself at the moment so wont be able to take on more unfortunately. I am also overstocked and looking thin my herd at the moment.

 

Update...


Over the weekend I donated my Platys and their fry to my LFS. They all still seemed healthy and happy but the maintenance was getting too much. That 30l is way too small for 40 plus fry and the adults. I was also doing water tests (Strips and Drop tests) every second day, making it an expensive exercise regarding test kits. Further more, I had to do waterchanges every second day. To keep the Platys happy at a PH of 7 I also added Bicarb (1/4 teaspoon for 10 liters) to bring my tap waters PH up from 6. I prefer not adding chemicals to change water parameters as I dont want drastic changes that might shock the tank.

To catch the small ones I had to remove all the plants and hardscape. This allowed me to clean the tanks hard to reach places. It is a dirted tank so I didnt remove the substrate, but vacuumed it to remove most of the waste. I then replanted and placed the Driftwood back. I also added Dwarf Hair Grass and red plants for more colour (ID needed please. The shop couldnt tell me what plants they were). Now just waiting for them to grow in. Pictures below.

My next question. Should I treat this tank for any linger parasites in the substrate. I also have snails and concerned they might be carriers of parasites that can affect any new fish. In the past I have used Seachem Polyguard to treat ick and it didnt really affect the snails. I also have Metroplex but has only used that with Focus as food meds. I did read you can used it in the water column too for parasites. Or should I just leave it in peace, in the hope that anything lingering will die off in the absence of a fish host?

Thanks as always for the great advice

 

@Hendrik Bergh , I think that was a good move
Personally I think I would not add any meds now as I think one of the bigger issues was your ph / water parameters
I would just let the tank settle now and do a couple tests to ensure that you didnt lose any good bacteria in your clean up and you dont hit a mini cycle

Once you satisfied that all is good you can add whatever fish you plan on getting keeping in mind not to add too many in one go

Must say the tank looks beautiful

 

Thank you!

My initial idea was to focus on the plants with a few accent fish but I didnt realise the Platys were such prolific breeders. That's how I got stuck with all the fry. Next time I will think twice about getting live bearers.

My plan is to move the Rosy Tetras into the smaller tank once its settled. Theres only 6 of them and that should be enough. I think they will look great darting around the tank. The tank they are in is also a bit overstocked but water parameters remain stable and maintenance is not a problem with only weekly water changes needed. Maybe I can then get Ember Tetras or a small centre piece fish with a low bio- load to add more colour to the bigger tank... I will have to do more reading up though while waiting patiently for everything to settle down.

Thank you for the advice.

 

Thank you. Will take better pictures when I get home this afternoon.

 

@Hendrik Bergh
I agree moving the rosy tetras to the smaller tank
The bigger tank, remember it's only 40 liters so doesnt make chosing a "Centre fish" easy as you already have all the cardinals as well as the shrimp etc..
Judging bioload in a small tank is tricky for me.. let's see what other suggestions you get from members with small tanks

 

Your new scape looks great! You can always consider adding some small bottom dwellers that would not bother the shrimp - maybe ottos? White clouds are also a good option. They will mostly swim in the top 10cm of the water column, hardy and forgiving. I particularly like the contrast of golden white clouds against a planted background. A small group of 6 would be interesting and active.

Sitting with the same problem with my platys Luckily my landlord needs her display aquarium re-stocked with "colorful fish"