Poorly Variatus Platy

Author Topic: Poorly variatus platy  (Read 4647 times) 14 replies

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Poorly variatus platy
« on: October 05, 2016, 11:19:55 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Not a full on emergency, but I am quite concerned about Daddy fish, my male v. platy.
The tank had it's usual clean and water change on Friday, and all seemed fine over the weekend.
Early evening he had his dinner and was out and about with the rest of the tank as usual, but later this evening I noticed he seemed quite subdued, so pulled up a chair and spent some time watching. He's not quite himself, seems to be hiding towards the floor of the tank and under the wood pile. When he is swimming he seems a bit wobbly - not full on swim bladder floating/sinking stuff, but not swimming completely upright, and ocassionaly wobbles and corrects himself.
I've spent the past hour testing the tank (0, 0, <40 with API kit, with pH 7.6 for the tank and 7.2 for tap water), doing a 20% water change, testing the tank again (same results), then testing again with a different kit (Colombo Aquatest) which gave 0, 0, 20. I also used it for some other tests, which gave the following KH 13, GH 19, PO4 5mg/l. No idea if this is having any impact - I know I live in a hard water area, but noticed the pH in my tanks getting higher over time, so have tested these parameters just in case, and so I can start to keep an eye on them. Will do another set of tests, including tap water, tomorrow. Water temperature is 20C.
I've also popped an airstone into the tank, mainly because it makes me feel a bit better if I think they've got plenty of oxygen when they are feeling poorly.
A bit tired now, so heading to bed, and will check on the little fella in the morning.
Any advice greatly welcome.
Thanks.

Offline apache6467

  • Rocking Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 323
  • Likes: 15
  • Catfish Enthusiast
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2016, 06:40:44 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
One of my books says that v plates need slightly temperate water instead of tropical. He might just miss his girl though

Offline fcmf

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3831
  • Likes: 281
  • [PicCredit: @NiloSinnatamby]
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2016, 07:27:37 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Sorry to read about this.

I know you do feed your fish a very varied diet but is there any possibility of being able to reduce the amount or proportion of dried food this week while increasing the proportion of live/frozen food or veg food, or even reducing feeding altogether this week? I have a lot of experience with swimbladder-type problems (from having kept goldfish) and this was always my first course of action before moving on to trying other options.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2016, 08:37:32 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Thanks for the advice both.
Update this morning, Daddy fish is still the same, although he may have been hiding as all fish were asleep at 7am when I was trying to have a look at the tank. None seemed overly impressed at being woken, but at least I used a small lamp rather than putting the tank lights on. Daddy fish had been in the log pile, but swam around a bit for a while. I didn't have long for observation this morning, he did seem to be swimming more upright, but did have one slight wobble.
I'll check his water parameters, including temperature, again tonight, and perhaps do another small water change.
As for diet, blanched peas were on Thursday, but I will give the whole tank a limited/no food day today, then perhaps another pea day tomorrow, and update on the situation. I have plenty of frozen food available, so I could always cycle through frozen, flake, pea food days for a while. I also have spirulina flake, which I give to both temperate tanks, but would it help if I put one of Harry's smaller algae stones into the tank for Daddy fish to nibble on? He doesn't seem to nibble on the plants and sides of the tank the way that the girls in the other tank do, but it could be worth a try if you think it would help.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2016, 05:10:05 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Update this afternoon, Daddy fish is swimming at the front of the tank with the white cloud mountain minnows. It's almost business as usual, but I haven't had enough time to observe him to check on his wobbly swimming.
I'm still going to go with the restricted diet advice, and I'll still check the water parameters and do water changes daily. Fingers crossed that everything is ok.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2016, 10:30:02 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Water parameters still good.
Nobody has been fed tonight.
Plan to feed peas in the themperate tanks tomorrow.
Daddy fish more active and less wobbly.
Will monitor more tomorrow.
 :)

Offline Trish

  • Super Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 144
  • Likes: 2
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2016, 05:52:19 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
I meant to say, in my thread.....fingers crossed that your platy will be OK in the morning.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2016, 05:58:38 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Thanks Trish.
Daddy fish is swimming around the tank. He has had a nibble on some chopped blanched peas and certainly has a lot more energy that recently. Still monitoring him and the tank, and will feed peas again tomorrow, before trying a reduced flake feed on Sunday. At least he's not hiding under the log pile any more, and his swimming isn't as wobbly.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2016, 10:04:37 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Daddy fish no longer hiding and seems to be fairly comfortable swimming around the front of the tank with the minnows.  :)
Will continue as planned and give an update towards the end of the weekend, but very hopeful that things are almost back to normal.
So, keeping in mind that I followed the dietary advice given by @fcmf my next questions are as follows:
have I been overfeeding him?
Was I not giving him a varied enough diet?
Should I consider more pea days?
What other veg is it safe to feed?
I don't want to see him miserable again, so want to make sure I'm doing the right thing for him and all temperate tankmates.
Also, thanks for your support & advice during this incident.  :)

Offline Trish

  • Super Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 144
  • Likes: 2
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2016, 11:36:57 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Good news, Donna,

Glad to hear he is getting back to full health.

It is difficult, with feeding. On the one hand it's lovely to see them enjoying their food, and feeding is, to my mind, one of the great pleasures of fishkeeping, yet on the other hand, fish will eat until they burst.

Putting my Gourami to sleep, has had me asking the same questions i.e. - have I been overfeeding or, not giving a varied enough diet? And if so, has this brought on the disease that Gouramies are prone to.




Offline Sue

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9866
  • Likes: 403
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2016, 11:50:46 AM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
If it was dwarf gourami iridovirus, it would have been infected before you bought it. There have been opinions expressed that all dwarf gouramis bred in the Far East are infected by the time they arrive in our shops. The only way to be sure a DG doesn't have the disease is to buy from someone who breeds them at home. You'll find a lot of experts (eg the people on WetWebMedia) who advise against buying dwarf gouramis just for this reason.


Offline fcmf

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3831
  • Likes: 281
  • [PicCredit: @NiloSinnatamby]
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2016, 12:56:44 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Will continue as planned and give an update towards the end of the weekend, but very hopeful that things are almost back to normal.
So, keeping in mind that I followed the dietary advice given by @fcmf my next questions are as follows:
have I been overfeeding him?
Was I not giving him a varied enough diet?
Should I consider more pea days?
What other veg is it safe to feed?
I don't want to see him miserable again, so want to make sure I'm doing the right thing for him and all temperate tankmates.
Also, thanks for your support & advice during this incident.  :)
[Sorry I haven't been on here for a couple of days - work is hectic this week.]

Glad to read that the situation seems to be on the mend. It's very normal to question whether what you've been doing is right or not, and wondering what could be done to prevent a situation from recurring. What I've found over the years of fishkeeping, albeit mainly with goldfish but also from what I'm learning in tropical fishkeeping either personally or through this forum, is that as fish get older, what might have been fine and theoretically is excellent practice might have to be altered, monitored and re-altered in line with what you find works / doesn't work. For example, at the current time, my fish seem to be fine with dried fish daily, a weekly or fortnightly cube of frozen food, and peas twice a week; if I noticed that there were frequently strings of poo from the fish, then I'd adjust this regime accordingly, and I quite expect that it will change as the fish age.

In answer to your specific questions, I'd try different things out eg less food, or more pea days, or trying out different veg eg courgette, spinach, etc, but just one change at a time, to see how things go.

What is also important, though, is that the majority of the tankmates are happy ie you don't want to create a situation where more fish are adversely affected, especially as it might just be that Daddy Fish was just having a few "off" days. With that in mind, it might actually be best not to change anything just now, but if it occurs again, then try some of the above suggestions.

Hope that helps.

Offline Trish

  • Super Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 144
  • Likes: 2
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2016, 01:20:20 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
I know I won't be getting any more Dwarf Gouramies, again.

I set out to get a pair of Honey Gouramies, and due to my ignorance and Pets at Home, housing Dwarfs and Honeys together, I ended up getting 2 females of each species.

I keep calling the fish that died a "he", as that is what I thought I'd bought, and can't get out of the habit, lol.

Offline Littlefish

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4076
  • Likes: 330
  • aka Donna
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #13 on: October 08, 2016, 01:40:37 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
Thanks @fcmf that helps a lot.
The rest of the tankmates also enjoy peas, so I'll perhaps have a limited feed today, another pea feed tomorrow, then back to normal & keep an eye on it.

Astounding to think that all imported dwarf gouramies are infected. Useful information though.

Offline Sue

  • Global Moderator Subscriber
  • Superstar Think Fishy Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9866
  • Likes: 403
Re: Poorly variatus platy
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2016, 02:19:37 PM »
  • Likes On This Users Post 0
It's something like 22% are infected when they leave the breeding farms but as it is so infectious, by the the time they've been transported, kept in wholesalers' tanks then shop tanks, the chances of any escaping the bug are almost zero.



Have I mentioned that P@H once tried to sell me a striped male DG and a powder blue male DG as a male and female? Even though I'd only just started keeping tropical fish and we didn't have broadband back then, even the books in the library told me - before going shopping - that I was given 2 males. He insisted that he'd given me a m/f pair when I queried him so I asked again at the checkout and the woman there so no, that's 2 males, go and get one changed. They didn't live very long; it may have been DG virus even though this was about 18 years ago, or it might have been my incompetence  :-\

Tags:
 


Assess Tankmates In The Tropical Fish Community Creator


Topics that relate to "Poorly variatus platy"

  Subject - Started by Replies Last post
1 Replies
4332 Views
Last post January 15, 2013, 08:26:58 AM
by Sue
9 Replies
4755 Views
Last post February 01, 2014, 07:12:17 PM
by Sue
6 Replies
5381 Views
Last post February 24, 2014, 02:26:57 PM
by Sue
5 Replies
3702 Views
Last post August 13, 2014, 11:04:41 AM
by Loubaa
8 Replies
5786 Views
Last post November 17, 2014, 04:55:40 PM
by Loubaa
5 Replies
3663 Views
Last post November 30, 2015, 07:23:26 PM
by Extreme_One
3 Replies
4331 Views
Last post April 13, 2018, 09:05:03 PM
by Littlefish

Sitemap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 
Legal | Contact Follow Think Fish on: