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I just noticed a couple of my platies have tiny white specks on their tails. However there is a lot of particulate matter floating in the tank right now. I have a strong filter but just fed a couple of hours ago. Is it possible it's just food stuck to their tails. I have only observed one case of scratching and it was yesterday. One of the bigger ones briefly scratched on a rock and then a plant, but I haven't seen it repeated since.

My tank is cycling but all parameters, other than Ammonia, are just fine. There are no signs of stress that I can see. Everyone is eating, swimming and fins/tails are wide open.

Fish just need to scratch sometimes, right? Especially if they have food stuck to them?

it's normal thing i believe, because they do the same thing as with my mollies, and i throw some salt anyway.

However there is a lot of particulate matter floating in the tank right now. I have a strong filter but just fed a couple of hours ago.

Am I correct in thinking that the food is still floating around hours later. If so you are certainly over feeding.

It could be Ich so be prepared get a good quality Ich medicine.

Have a look at this thread I could help you.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/General%20Freshwater/59949.html

Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 08-Jun-2005 00:35

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I don't thing it's food stuck with their tails. It may be Ich & so prepair for it.
If you're overfeeding, just take more care & feed as much as the fish eats in 5 min.


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Okay, I'll prepare myself. The tank has salt since the Platies like it. Thanks for the article Keith!

Last edited by coyote1066 at 08-Jun-2005 16:59

coyote1066

Glad to have helped you.

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

Just an update. It's been a couple of days and the fish still are acting fine. The little specks have disappeared for the most part but there are still a few fine particles floating about. I reduced my feed quantity but I suspect that the brine shrimp I'm using may generate particles so small that the filter and fish don't pick them up. They're also so light that they never settle. Should I crush the food with my fingers during feeding or leave them in bigger chunks? I'll probably end up having to do a small water change eventually I guess.

coyote1066

As far as the food try a little of both at the same feed it should all be gone within several minutes.

With your filter you might be able to add a finer material to pick up those fines or relocate it. Post the brand name and model and some one should be able to assist you.

I added an extra layer of fine filter material to my large Eheim Canister and it does stop the fines returning to the tank.

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

yeh salts good for ich

I have a Penguin 150 w/ Biowheel. I think it's a pretty popular brand from Marineland. According to their website they only sell the "rite-size" activated carbon filters. If someone can tell me what media to use and how to modify it, I would be thankful. Should I move this discussion to another forum now?

i think u can re-use the filter media..its a pouch type filter media, i belive..so..u just have to rinse that and replace the act. carb if deemed so...

regarding the possible ich...just observe theme more...coz if its an ich...then when u said u ve noticed that one of them has less spcek...it could be that it detached itself and now mutipying...so, if u see the other fish has white specks on them..then, u may say u hav an infection...otherwise...it could be just a small bubble or so...(it happened to me too)

I think I can modify the cartridges easily. I had a spare one to experiment with. The mechanical filter media is "glued" to a plastic frame and the carbon is simply sitting inside. I think they went with this design so you'd be forced to buy new cartridges every two weeks. However, I pulled the top part of the media off the frame and emptied the carbon. I think I can stick a piece of sponge in there. I'll update.

As far as the ich goes, I noticed the same fish scratching on the plant again. He'd just take a run at it and let the leaf scratch his stomach...sometimes swimming sideways. Will the salt kill any "swimming" parasites? I'm just worried about treating for ich since there's a loach in there and I don't have a quarantine tank.

Salt is a really bad parasite medication. I really really don't like it. It is OK IME for prevention but should never be used for treatment. Flicking on the decorations isn't a good sign and IMO you probably do have some sort of invertibrate parasite in there that may be invisible to the naked eye. Ich will generally multiply fairly quickly if left unchecked and looks like the fish have been sprinkled with little grains of salt. Flukes on the other hand are not visible without a microscope. If you are concerned about treating the tank with loaches in there, pick up a medication that does NOT contain copper.

Good options are:

Rid Ich Plus
Jungle Ich Guard II (make sure you get the one that says it's safe for small and scaleless fish)

Salt will work but in order to do that it needs to be a dip of full-strength sea water, an old treatment method that is very stressful and I do not recommend it.

By the way, I have penguin filters and have modified the cartridges to suit my own needs. All you do is cut the blue floss open, empty the carbon and replace with the media of your choice. You can also fill the whole media basket with sponge or floss or bags of carbon if you want. Carbon needs to be removed any time you are treating with medication anyway.

Last edited by CareBear Overlord at 10-Jun-2005 16:57

Thanks CBO! It did turn out to be ich. I held off for awhile to make sure I wasn't just being paranoid. Finally I saw a spot on the body of one fish rather than the tail and it was definitely salt sized. The first Platy kept scratching and actually started taking on a list when it swam. I also noticed the loach was flashing too.

I'm happy to report that after one half-strength (for the loach's sake) treatment everyone is looking a lot better. I'll continue the prescribed treatments to kill off the rest of the parasites. I've probably killed my nitrogen cycle as well but I'll deal with that separately.

Thanks again!