Platy On Floor Of The Tank

Does she move at all, when food is put in? If so, does she attempt to eat it and keep it down? Is she breathing normally or fast/furiously or more slowly than usual / the others?

Do a water quality test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. This is always the first "port of call" if unsure what's up. How have these been lately? When you do the tests now, if any of these levels are higher than they ought to be (or if they've been a bit high lately), then this might account for the problem, potentially affecting the weakest fish first with the others to follow. It might be that the water quality is fine, which can give you peace of mind in that respect, but, if not, then a simple water change ought to be enough to resolve the problem.

Hoping we can help you get to the root of the problem and get it solved.

Does the fish hold its fins clamped up and close to the body? That is a sign of distress with all fish. Then all you have to do is work out the cause, something that can be almost impossible.


You haven't had these fish very long. They have been through a very stressful time from the moment they left the breeder to the moment they arrived in your tank. Some individuals find it harder to cope with this stress than others, and the stress shows up as health issues. The best thing you can do is to make sure you do water changes, and monitor the water conditions as you have been doing.

It seemed to be trying to wiggle its back end into the gravel all the time, which is why I wondered if it was giving birth.

I have a feeling I know what might be causing this but if I'm correct, Sue has had experience of / is the expert on that particular condition, so I'll leave this to her to respond to.

ps.  I had some bream which my son caught, had its head on of course (Removed before cooking) and I couldn't eat it in the same room as my fish!!  How daft am I 

I couldn't possibly eat fish, don't allow to-be-consumed fish with the head or tail intact in my sight (it's always given me the heebie-jeebies), and I put up a barricade when Mr FCMF is eating fish so that the gang in the tank don't get to see what he's consuming. Therefore, I don't think you're at all daft.

Nothing that looks like red bristles, pale, more like poo

It comes in with fish. But if you see nothing like red bristles protruding from the anus when any fish is motionless, it shouldn't be that. The females worms lay eggs by hanging out of the fish's anus, but when the fish moves its muscles make the worms go back in which is why you only see them in a motionless fish. And if one fish has these worms, they all do.

Don't panic yet; unless you see the red bristles your tank is not infected. And even if you do see worms there is an excellent medication available.

Quote from: pollydoodle on August 15, 2018, 05:07:02 PM

ps.  I had some bream which my son caught, had its head on of course (Removed before cooking) and I couldn't eat it in the same room as my fish!!  How daft am I 

I couldn't possibly eat fish, don't allow to-be-consumed fish with the head or tail intact in my sight (it's always given me the heebie-jeebies), and I put up a barricade when Mr FCMF is eating fish so that the gang in the tank don't get to see what he's consuming. Therefore, I don't think you're at all daft.

My dwarf puffer tank is next to the dining table. I don't eat fish at the table after a very uncomfortable meal with them all at the front of the tank watching me, while I assured them "it's nobody you know". Now it's just easier not to eat fish at home - the fish still watch whatever I'm eating, I just don't feel bad as long as it's not fish.

Update on platy. All seems okay so far and I've noticed it only spends time under the plant when the lights are on

I don't really eat fish, but haven't for much longer than I've had my fish tank. In the early days of fishkeeping, my husband called the inhabitants of my tank "whitebait".

Glad your platy seems to be on the mend.

How bright are the lights and do you have any floating plants?

Some fish species do not like bright like, usually those from rivers with a lot of over hanging vegetation. Platies are not usually from this kind of river. But individual platies may not like bright light.

I usually put the lights on about 7am, feed fish and have my first cup of tea watching the antics.    When they turn blue after about 5hrs, I have been  turning them off
 
I do have quite a few live plants now so I think I need to keep the lights on for longer, I've just been to   Grassroots Aquatic centre in Henstridge, somerset (next village) and got some plant food.  They dont have a huge stock of fish, but the lady there is so helpful and friendly. Like everyone on this site

Can you alter the colour of the lights? Plants need red light to photosynthesise while blue light encourages algae. I think you have the Flex tank? That comes with a handset for controlling the lights. I've just looked at the manual and it says there are 3 buttons you can use to alter red, green and blue. I would remove or at least decrease the intensity of the blue portion of the light.

I have the AquaOne Vogue 170, no handset, buttons on the lid. and only white or blue lights, which can be timed, so I don't need to use it. Yesterday I had white light most of the day, no blue

I also have a Eheim air pump running 24/7