My Red Wag Platy Is Acting Weird

she stays by the heater facing downward or she hides in the plants shes been doing this for about 3 or 4 days now. im giving her a salt bath right now. if this does not help does anyone have any advice? her poo is also stringy and white/clear. pic attached of her

MrsHennesy87 said:

she stays by the heater facing downward or she hides in the plants shes been doing this for about 3 or 4 days now. im giving her a salt bath right now. if this does not help does anyone have any advice? her poo is also stringy and white/clear. pic attached of her

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Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels?
Tank size?
Other tankmates?
Any recent changes/additions to the tank?
Normal temperature range?

I'm not an expert but there's nothing particularly strange from what you've said in your post. When I got my first platy she hid in the plants or swam around the thermometer and did nothing else for a while.

I've had her for a few months now and she's never done this. Tank is 10g US. Haven't tested it I temp stays sjsjsj do not have test kit at time, all together there's 3 otos, 3 platys and 3 guppies. Nothing has changed. Temp stays between 68 and 74

What are your water parameters? and when you say the temp stay between 68 and 74, do you mean it fluctuates between those? if the temp of the tank is flucuating, that could cause some stress. if the ammonia or nitrites are higher than 0, that could also cause stress. also, how big do your otos get? 9 fish seems a lot for a 10g especially with the three platys, which can get up to 3 inches.

stringy white poo is not a good thing.


I believe that is a sign of internal parasites, bacterial infection or constipation.


What is their diet? What other symptoms does the fish exhibit?



Just a quick internet search brought this up:

Hey I have the same problem with a platy of mine, he's sorta hiding behind the filter most of the time, Im Also treating for Ich at the moment as they had a little out break over the last couple of days and its pretty much cleared up now, But the little male isn't looking too great, his Ich has gone but he's very listless and has stringy poop, I dont know what foods in the UK has metro in it, and will salt cure it? thanks in advance

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I believe the best course of action would be to treat with a medicine which will deal with both a parasite and bacterial infection. I've heard that Seachem's metronidazole is a good option. You need to dose for a full 10 -14 days though, as an anti-biotic it is important to finish the regime, just so that no bacteria can survive and build up immunity to the antibiotic.

She's just acting weird like I said hiding and clamped up. And will the medication hurt the other fish?

Any other symptoms besides that? Mucus discharge with the poo or any thing like that? Is the fish eating? Are any of the other fish showing signs of this as well?
What is their diet?


For future reference, feeding peas every so often (I go about every week) will help their digestive systems. Use frozen (not canned - too much salt) peas and just defrost them, squeeze them out of the outer "casing" and mush between your fingers. Deposit into your tank. The fish absolutely love the stuff and it is good for keeping things... moving. This is a nice preventative against constipation, which is one possible cause for the strange behavior.


According to what I've read, this medication is safe for all fish, but you have to take that with a grain of salt. I am not a vet, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I am by no means an expert, but this is what my research has found. These medications should be safe for your other fish, but I guess there are no guarantees on that. What other fish do you have? Are there any that have known sensitivities, like corydoras? Is your temp at a steady 72, with occasional swings from 68 to 74, or is this a daily occurrence? Temp swings like that can be stressful, which can leave the fish more susceptible to issues. If your temp isn't holding at a steady temp with only a degree swing, I would say that you need to get that sorted out as well. Does the platy hang out near the heater when the water temp is colder in an effort to warm up, or is it just trying to hide somewhere?