SwanseaGuppies
New Member
I have an 85l tank with approx. 9 guppies, 8 platies and a handful of tetras. I bought a platy last Sunday and as soon as it got into my tank, it went down to the bottom. I thought it was just heading to the plants for cover in an unfamiliar environment, but over the next few days, I noticed that he hadn't really moved from the bottom and he seemed really sick. That morning, one of my other platies dropped dead and I'd not noticed any illness preceding that. I told the shop and they asked me to bring in the sick fish and they exchanged him for a well one from a different tank. When I got home, I noticed some of the fish rubbing against the wood in the tank, and I found out they had Ich. I've started to treat the tank for parasites (treatment should be finished on Monday), but now I have noticed the new platy (the one I got in the exchange) has some fin rot. I imagine she came with the damage to her fin, because it couldn't happen within 24 hrs? Also, it doesn't seem to have progressed?
Anyway, I'm concerned about my other fish. I have noticed a guppy and another two platies are now looking unwell. They spend a lot of time hiding amongst the plants at the bottom of the tank and they don't seem to eat. I can't see any parasites or fin rot on these fish, but I may be missing it. I don't think there's been any problems with fin nipping, but I'm keeping my eye on things. All the other fish seem very well, although quite a few others (especially the platies) have got some Ich. Since medicating the tank, the rubbing against the wood has subsided significantly (I only saw one doing it today), but I can still see the tiny salt-like white spots on their fins.
I check the water regularly and it has been very good. I also took a water sample to the shop to test and they said it was pretty perfect. I also change 20% of the water weekly and I add tap safe. I usually have a carbon filter and ceramic filter media, but I took the carbon filter out before medicating the tank. All my fish have come from the same supplier (Maidenhead Aquatics) and I have felt in the past they were very reliable and knowledgable. I suspect one sick fish slipped through the net and had created a problem in the tank. Another possibility: I have an electrical fault in my house (hopefully now fixed) and the electricity tripped in the night at some point the night the platy died and for two nights after. This would have shut off the filter and the heater for a few hours, so I don't know if that may have caused some stress which either made them more susceptible to illness, or which has caused some of the more delicate fish to struggle?
But, what should I be doing now? If the fish came with fin rot, could my tank help them recover, as long as I continue with regular water changes? Should I medicate for fin rot yet? Can I do that at the same time as the parasite treatment? Also, how soon after medicating the tank can I do a water change?
Thank you for your help and advice.
Anyway, I'm concerned about my other fish. I have noticed a guppy and another two platies are now looking unwell. They spend a lot of time hiding amongst the plants at the bottom of the tank and they don't seem to eat. I can't see any parasites or fin rot on these fish, but I may be missing it. I don't think there's been any problems with fin nipping, but I'm keeping my eye on things. All the other fish seem very well, although quite a few others (especially the platies) have got some Ich. Since medicating the tank, the rubbing against the wood has subsided significantly (I only saw one doing it today), but I can still see the tiny salt-like white spots on their fins.
I check the water regularly and it has been very good. I also took a water sample to the shop to test and they said it was pretty perfect. I also change 20% of the water weekly and I add tap safe. I usually have a carbon filter and ceramic filter media, but I took the carbon filter out before medicating the tank. All my fish have come from the same supplier (Maidenhead Aquatics) and I have felt in the past they were very reliable and knowledgable. I suspect one sick fish slipped through the net and had created a problem in the tank. Another possibility: I have an electrical fault in my house (hopefully now fixed) and the electricity tripped in the night at some point the night the platy died and for two nights after. This would have shut off the filter and the heater for a few hours, so I don't know if that may have caused some stress which either made them more susceptible to illness, or which has caused some of the more delicate fish to struggle?
But, what should I be doing now? If the fish came with fin rot, could my tank help them recover, as long as I continue with regular water changes? Should I medicate for fin rot yet? Can I do that at the same time as the parasite treatment? Also, how soon after medicating the tank can I do a water change?
Thank you for your help and advice.
