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i recently got some new fish and one isnt doing to well.... she is a baby sunset coral dwarf platy and she wont eat, she hangs out near the heater, some fish chase her, and she wont un-clamp her tail. How can i help her? I moved her to a breeding net in my ten gallon so she wont get picked on) Ive tried feeding her crushed flakes, betta pellets, brine shrimp(they arent even 1 day old, maybe thats why), and even green water! what should i do?
Oh, and she is only this big -> |_____| i know i can get another free, but that would mean letting her die!

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Hi there,
Have you tested the water conditions in your tank? Ammonia, nitrItes and nitrAtes? The symptoms sound like a problem with water conditions, or possible PH shock if you moved the fish quickly without acclimation from one ph of water to a drastically different ph.

Baby platies should be large enough to eat finely crushed flake. I have however found those nets get dirty fast and dont allow much water flow, so Id recommend cleaning it daily.

How often are you cleaning the tank? Do you gravel vac?
What fish are currently in the tank?


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A full peramiters will certainly help here and certainly more about your tank, size filtration, and how you look after it water changes & percentages etc.

Did you acclimatize he slowly also did you add any Melafix to the water to help to reduce any stress.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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hi, good news! She has eaten a little bit of food(crushed tropical flakes), but she has some trouble swimming as her tail is still clamped... the tank i had her in was a 20 gallon with 7 other fish already in it, and they are fine. all are eating and dont seem to have any problem. The fish were: another sunset coral dwarf platy(adult), 2 lyre tail Mollies, 1 dwarf gourami, and 1 blue, 1 zebra, and one zebra glofish danios. I already had the water tested at the pet store and it was fine. the water the baby is in now is fine to, i have had that tank for a year now, and it has about 9 guppies in it. i havent needed to clean the 20 gallon yet, because i just recently got it, but i clean the ten gallon with a siphon tube. when i added the new fish to the 20 gallon, i let them sit in their bags for half an hour, then slowly added the water in the 20 gallon to the bag then after a while of that i let them out. The water in the bags and the tank has stress stuff in it. hope thats helps!

p.s. when i got her, her tail was a little clamped

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Could you please tell us what the exact readings on the water tests were.

Sometimes what people think are ok results are not always ok. How long ago did you get the 20 gallon, did you get all new equipment? How long has the 20 gallon been setup? Have you done any water changes to the 20 gallon at all???How was the fish when she was in the bag? Was she stressed? Did she loose her color when she was in the bag?

Im sorry to ask all these questions but it sounds like you also have a cycling tank which could be causing problems. I noticed you said parameters are fine now. What were they before?

Whenever i am adding new fish to my tanks i always feed the other fish right before so it takes their attention away from the new fish. Also depending on how skiddish the new fish are I will turn off the light to allow them to adapt to their new environment. I does seem that the new fish is stressed to a point where they are not eating. Also do you have alot of plants or ornaments in the tank where the fish can go hide? That might help also. Give them a chance to relax.



Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

sheis eating now, and there are atleast 4 live plants, and 4 plastic plants in the tank, along with 2 ordaments to hide behind. i dont remember what the redings were, but the expert said to do a 10 percent water change because the ammonia levels were a little high. i got the 20 gallon around a week ago and before i got fish i let it cycle for 4 days, and it was tested the day i got fish. i had all new equipment, bacause i bought a top-fin starter kit. it came with some food, conditioner, sress coat, heater, tank, filter, and insruction booklet(with a net). i have only done the 10% water change, but its about due for another one. when she was in the bag she seemed fine, she was her normal colorful self, but she was trying to figure out why she couldnt swim out to the rest of the tank. i didnt have any fish already in the tank before i got the new ones, and i did turn off the light while they were in there because i didnt want them stressed out.

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Cycling for 4 days seems rather short exactly how did you go about the cycling. 10% water change is far too little a minium of 30% weekly is possibly the best.
Get another test done and write the results down. I would suggest you get the both tanks done as well as your water supply.
When you transfer the new fish do you add the all the water in the bag? I never do reason there is a very good possibility that you could easly add a NONO from the LFS.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

no, i did the 10% percent because the ammonia levels Were to high. i just did the 30% weekly change. I have well water, not tap, so i dont need conditioner that much, but i use it just in case. Next time i get fish(in a few days) i'll buy a kit so i can tell what the PH is. yes i did add all the water from the bag... but i dont even know what a NONO is. i guess i wont anymore.

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Ok i dont want to hurt feelings here, but i would suggest no more fish until you can get the water quality better. Im sorry to say that your fish is under going stress because the tank is not cycled. The way i know that is because you said you had high ammonia and that is not good. I suggest you get the testing kit and make sure its a liquid kit as they are more accurate than the strips. Also the kits has to be able to test for ammonia, nitrITe and nitRATe. Knowing the PH will help a little but im more worried about the other 3. I would test every other day and if you have any higher than 2ppm of ammonia then you need to do a water change of at least 10%.

It definetly sounds like your tank is cycling. Go to the link below to understand the cycle process.

http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp

Also what Kieth means by a NONO is possible disease brought in from the LFS water you were given the fish in.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

the only reason the ammonia level was high was because my sister "surprized" me by putting her goldfish in my tank thinking it would speed up the process, but it made the ammonia level a bit to high. sorry i forgot to mention that does it change anything?

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Not really, its still in a cycle process. So no i would still follow what has been said.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

ok, i will read through it

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

when i go to the store next time i will buy a PH and ammonia kit, but i dont think it has anything to do with her clamped tailfin. Can u just tell me how to treat it? it happened to one of my sisters fish a few years ago and it died, so i would like to know whats wrong, and how i can fix it

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

From what im reading the clamped tail fin is due to the stress the fish is in with the cycling water IMHO. I think once you get the water conditions undercontrol then the fishie will be fine. However if there were other issues going on then the other fish would possibly be suffering also. Check for any damage or growths or marks on the fish. Also some pictures would help aswell.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

ill try to take a picture

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

It is either going to be an infection, or more likely a problem with the way the fish is reacting to the cycling.

Having a fish in a cycling tank can be something like having nappy rash all over your body. The ammonia burns the skin and can cause pretty major damage. It seems amazing, but it really can cause big problems, and clamped up fins are one of the main signs.

A picture would help, because there are infections that will take advantage of fish who are a bit weakened from cycling, and they would need treatment HOWEVER any treatment now will most likely affect the cycle, so you'd have to be 100% sure that it was necessary, and be prepared for the cycle process to be badly interrupted.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I tested my 20 gallon and the PH was really high(around 8.2) I bought stuff to lower the Ph, i will test the ammonia level after i change out the water and use my gravel vac. i will also test the 10 gallon too. any other ways to treat my tank for ammonia and PH level?

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

Hi there,
Ok, let me explain, since you dont seem to understand what "Cycling" Means. Cycling is the breakdown of fish waste (ammonia) by beneficial bacterias (nitrobacters), first into NitrItes, then NitrAtes.
When you start a new tank, and add fish, the tank goes through a cycle. The tank cycle does NOT start until fish are added. As fish produce waste, ammonia levels rise. You need a test kit (liquid drip, n ot strips), to test daily.
Anytime ammonia rises to 1.0ppm or higher, you need to change 30% of the water minimum (do not vaccuum the gravel).
This could be as often as 2-3x a week, depending o n the fish, stocking, and ph. Ammonia is very harmful to fish, it causes burns to gills and skin, often resulting in fish with clamped fins, heavy breathing, and overall unhealthiness. This sounds like EXACTLY what is happening with your platy.
Over time, as Ammonia is being broken down, NitrItes are being created. These are also harmful to fish. NitrItes cause a lack of oxygen in the blood, so tanks with high NitrItes may contain fish that "gasp" at the surface for air. After about 1 week, you need to start testing for NitrItes. If these rise to 4-5ppm or higher, you need to change 30% of the water.
A couple weeks later, you will notice your tests for ammonia are coming up 0. At this time you need to start testing for NitrAtes. This is what the nitrItes have been broken down into, the less harmful end product of the nitrogen cycle. Once your tests read 0 for ammonia, 0 for nitrItes, and +5 ppm for NitrAtes, your tank is cycled. This can take up to 60 days or even more to finish.
During this time you do not want to add any more fish at all. You will be lucky if your fish survive this.

If your sisters goldfish is still in the tank - get it out!
Not only do goldfish produce huge ammounts of waste, they dont belong in a heated tank! These are large, cool water fish, need 30 gallons of space each. It doesnt belong in your tank.

Now, I would recommend you get liquid drip tests for Ammonia, NitrItes, NitrAtes, and PH.

Do NOT Use chemicals to lower ph. There is really no need for you to do this, as the fish you have chosen are appropriate for the hard water tank. Mollies and platys are suitable up to ph 8.5, theres no need to adjust it. Also, if you do want to adjust it, dont use chemicals. Regular Peat moss, added to the filter in a small pouch made of cheesecloth or pantyhose, works well to naturally soften and acidify hard water. And it wont hurt fish like harsh chemicals will.

Also, another peice of advice, dont vaccuum 100% of the gravel, do one side, 50% really well. Next week when you do your next water change, do the other side.
Dont change filter media at the same time, or on the same day at all.

Here is an article for you on the Nitrogen cycle, it may help you better understand what I have said here.
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

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ok. that helps alot! i did buy a liquid test kit for PH, ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites. Some are a little over average, so im going to try and lower/increase whatever i need to to get a healthy tank.

What came first? the chicken or the egg? No really.....

I would lower Nitrates, NitrITes and Ammonia with water changes rather than using chemicals. Its the best way to get your readings in a better place.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html