Unhappy Platy rescue

Hello. So a friend of mine didn’t want their fish anymore so I offered to take it with me. Unfortunately had sold my quarentine tank just prior as wasn’t planning to get anymore fish. Anyway I got him set up in a 7L vase with a heater and pump with extra sponge as a filter. He had no heater in his previous 15L tank And the water went unchanged for ‘A very long time’. He’s a year and a half old and his other platy tank mates passed about a year ago. I was gonna increase the temp by a degree or so every other day till it reaches about 26 (which is the temp in my main tank). He’s got a Greenish golden Look to him on his upper back which looks a bit weird. Since I’ve got him (1 day) he’s been eating like a champ. I was just wondering if someone could give me advice on whether or not he has velvet because that was my thought when seeing his back. May just be me over thinking though. I also stuck his poop under a microscope as was worried about internal parasites but wasn’t sure what to look for. Pictures attached. Please someone give me advice on what to do before adding him to my maintank.

The tank is too small for a platy, platies should be in a 20 gallon, but in my opinion they should be housed in a 30 gallon tanks as, in my case of course, they are very active fish.
Make sure you have perfect water conditions for the fish and the tank is cycled.
Edit: I just wanna throw in that the long worms (are they?) are parasites, but these also might be intestinal worms.

Salty&Onion said:

The tank is too small for a platy, platies should be in a 20 gallon, but in my opinion they should be housed in a 30 gallon tanks as, in my case of course, they are very active fish.
Make sure you have perfect water conditions for the fish and the tank is cycled.
Edit: I just wanna throw in that the long worms (are they?) are parasites, but these also might be intestinal worms.

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He’s only staying in there a week or so till I can figure out if he’s ok. Unfortunately my Personal tank is only 30L however fully planted and has 2 filters so I figure it’s ok and much better than his old tank. Also my current tank is fully cycled and had no problems at all. His old tank Literally was so bad with no plants and Had sharp ceramic media) had to get the poor thing out. Thanks for telling me about the worms. I had someone else mention the possibility of internal parasites but wanted someone else view before I treated him. Anything in particular I should treat him with? Never had to deal with internal parasites before. Next time I catch him pooping a fresh boi ima try grab it straight away just to confirm if it’s worms. Hopefully will catch em moving as the poop I got this morning was old.

EmmaTheCabbage said:

He’s only staying in there a week or so till I can figure out if he’s ok. Unfortunately my Personal tank is only 30L however fully planted and has 2 filters so I figure it’s ok and much better than his old tank. Also my current tank is fully cycled and had no problems at all. His old tank Literally was so bad with no plants and Had sharp ceramic media) had to get the poor thing out. Thanks for telling me about the worms. I had someone else mention the possibility of internal parasites but wanted someone else view before I treated him. Anything in particular I should treat him with? Never had to deal with internal parasites before. Next time I catch him pooping a fresh boi ima try grab it straight away just to confirm if it’s worms. Hopefully will catch em moving as the poop I got this morning was old.

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I'd recommend you getting a 20-30 gallon tank
My fish had also worms and when I tried to catch my 3" swordtail ( I have a 33 gallon tank), the worm came back inside the fish! Real stuff of nightmares

For intestinal worms I will recommend using eSha gdex and eSHa ndx. I have used both of these medications.

Salty&Onion said:

I'd recommend you getting a 20-30 gallon tank
My fish had also worms and when I tried to catch my 3" swordtail ( I have a 33 gallon tank), the worm came back inside the fish! Real stuff of nightmares

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Bigger is definitely better however I’m moving away in a bit. Maybe when I get back I’ll get a bigger one for them. Also That sounds so gross. I got another look down the microscope and saw some very different stuff. Still no movement at all though. I’ll Also buy some of the meds you were talking about. Better safe than sorry.

Well.... thanks for the close up....and for the nightmares....

@Byron @Colin_T

The red worm in the poop is concerning to me... but an actual expert on fish health and recommendations should take a look at this and recommend treatment.

NCaquatics said:

@Byron @Colin_T

The red worm in the poop is concerning to me... but an actual expert on fish health and recommendations should take a look at this and recommend treatment.

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I thought it was a little odd too. Thanks for the input.

I have no idea what to look for under a microscope, and no expertise in parasites and diseases either. But for what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing by keeping him quarantined and finding out what's going on with him before moving him into your own tank. The colour on his body just looks like normal colouration to me, there are so many colour varieties with platies, and those colour varieties interbreed and produce more variations, so it can be hard to tell. But something does look off about his body shape to me. Not quite the chubby rounded body platies usually have. Could be skinny because he was underfed and in poor conditions, but it could also indicate worms, or something else.

Your quarantine set up is definitely better than where he was, so thanks for rescuing him! Hope you can find answers and that the poor little guy makes it.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I have no idea what to look for under a microscope, and no expertise in parasites and diseases either. But for what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing by keeping him quarantined and finding out what's going on with him before moving him into your own tank. The colour on his body just looks like normal colouration to me, there are so many colour varieties with platies, and those colour varieties interbreed and produce more variations, so it can be hard to tell. But something does look off about his body shape to me. Not quite the chubby rounded body platies usually have. Could be skinny because he was underfed and in poor conditions, but it could also indicate worms, or something else.

Your quarantine set up is definitely better than where he was, so thanks for rescuing him! Hope you can find answers and that the poor little guy makes it.

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I agree with @AdoraBelle Dearheart you are doing the right thing and he is living in better conditions then what he was. Hope he gets well. Good luck

Retired Viking said:

I agree with @AdoraBelle Dearheart you are doing the right thing and he is living in better conditions then what he was. Hope he gets well. Good luck

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AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I have no idea what to look for under a microscope, and no expertise in parasites and diseases either. But for what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing by keeping him quarantined and finding out what's going on with him before moving him into your own tank. The colour on his body just looks like normal colouration to me, there are so many colour varieties with platies, and those colour varieties interbreed and produce more variations, so it can be hard to tell. But something does look off about his body shape to me. Not quite the chubby rounded body platies usually have. Could be skinny because he was underfed and in poor conditions, but it could also indicate worms, or something else.

Your quarantine set up is definitely better than where he was, so thanks for rescuing him! Hope you can find answers and that the poor little guy makes it.

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Thanks both for the support . Any interesting updates I shall keep you posted.

EmmaTheCabbage said:

Thanks both for the support . Any interesting updates I shall keep you posted.

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Would love to hear how he's doing later, either way it goes.
Wanted to suggest you try emailing these people here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/index.html
Include details and photos, I imagine they will have a lot more knowledge about what to look for under a microsope, and they certainly have a lot of experience and science based info on the site. While you're waiting for a reply, try searching their FAQ for sick platies, or internal parasites, or any symptoms you're worried about. I've picked up a lot of useful information and become totally absorbed just reading through their email exchanges about different issues in the past. I would trust their information.

Just get a standard internal parasite cure. (API makes one.)

Not sure why everyone think the microscope images are so bad... lol.