Confused!!!

[lilhurleybunny]

I havn't had fish for a couple of years and sunday I decided I would like to get some. ehe.. Well I now have 2 platies! I have read a little about them but have some questions . What should the temperature in my tank for my platies be? I have had between 70 and 78 but this afternoon we found out the heater was cracked so we are going to get a new one -.-. I also read somewhere that platies like..uh..live? food I've just been feeding mine flakes, what kind of "live" entrees do they like? Please Help..x.x

 

[MAM]

76-78 is a good temp.
i hope you cycled that tank before you put the fish in. if not, go to the beginner section and read the pinned articles, there will be links to info on cycling. flakes are fine, you could supplement with freezedried bloodworms (live if you can find them), frozen tubifex worms and such.

 

[Morrgan]

What should the temperature in my tank for my platies be? I have had between 70 and 78...

Note that temperatue changes that large can stress the fish and eventually lead to illness. The temperature should be kept as even as possible.

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Thanks!! ^.^..no I didnt cycle..are you supposed to cycle O.O?! whats the worst that could happen if you dont?

 

[mike777]

Hi lilhurleybunny,

yes you do have to cycle your tank but actually you could do a fish cycle which is what I'm doing but, I'm not sure but I don't think that platies are really good cycling. Do you have a filter and some plants because you will need those later on or now. And the worst that could happen to your fish is that if you don't cycle it right they will die .

 

[Sinuhe]

If the tank is of a decent size, and there are only 2 Platies, they shouldn't cause the tank to "crash" too quickly. You'll just have to monitor the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and preferably pH level frequently, and if you find any sign of ammonia or nitrite, you'll have to perform partial water changes to get rid of them. But if the tank isn't very small, and you have a few live plants, that should help keep it more stabilized. I always cycle with fish, doing it on a third tank in a short while now, and haven't lost a fish so far, and the fish have seemed perfectly happy.

 

[joshua]

if ur tank is above 2 gals (1ft or so) the 2 platies shud be able to make it without cycling as long as you do not overfeed (put in one flake first using a spoon or spatula [not pour])

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Okie Okie, heres' the update on what has happened with my filtering and cyling issues since yesterday. My dad and I found out that my heater is cracked and sure enough it broke in the tank -.-. So after getting the fish out and cleaning thw water I asked him and my mom about what to do about cycling. The day we got the fish we put in this stuff called "Start right" and its got chemicals and everything in it and the parental units said that that is fine for ccycling. Yes I do have plants and some..fish furniture lol. Anyways, mom and I went out to Wal MArt and got a new heater and two new fish! A Molly and a Guppie (Ferris and Rooney ^.^). Basically I'm just putting chemicals into the tank everytime I change the water, is this okie? does it count as cycling?

 

[Juggernaut22988]

Not really but the chems should be good for the fish
Make sure you dont over water change!

 

[BettaBoyz]

ohhhh dear... this is a bit confusing. were your parents fish keepers? just because a chemical says it fixes water doesn't mean it does! go out as soon as possible and get yourself Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate test kits. you might've condemmed your fish to death, so i'd suggest returning them to the pet store or getting a fish bowl and doing regular changes on that until the tank cycles.

WalMart is the most awful place to get a fish. they do not care for them properly, and you might've just exposed your Platties to a number of diseases (Ich, internal parasites, fungus, etc)

we still need tank size (in gallons) and heater size (in watts), as well as what's in the tank (how much gravel, what kind of plants, what kinds of 'furniture', etc) to even things out a bit.

sad to say, i think you've taken the newbie route that ends with most people quitting the hobby. be very careful with your fish, watch the water parameters, do not overfeed (maybe you can feed every other day instead) and do regular water changes. i hope your fish survive and thrive

 

[lilhurleybunny]

well I have a 5 gallon tank and a 50 watt heater. hmm.. you see the whole testing thing, my parents weren't fish keepers. I would go out and get all this stuff like the test kits and go through all the cycling but im only 13!! and I dont have a job and at the moment only about 6 dollers! ) How much would all the kits and stuff cost? >.< Thank you so much for all your help with my problem by the way ^.^.

Oh and another question. Do guppies and platies get along? Ferris has been nipping at Starkist and Monstro..I'm starting to worry.

 

[BettaBoyz]

thanks for such a fast reply Bunny ^^ it's helping us help you that you're so quick.

the five gallon tank should be fine with the heater, but the amount of fish spells trouble! from what i gather, two Platties (2"), one Guppy (2") and a Molly (4", i do believe) are much to much for the tank to handled. perhaps returning both Guppy and Molly and replacing them with another Platy is best. be sure you have good numbers for your Platties; two females to a male is good. females have a fan shaped fin, males have the more streamlined altered 'boyparts' instead of the anal fin.

i myself am fourteen, but i work volunteer hours at my LPS so i get lots of discounts and free merchandise Ammonia kits are often between $7 and $11 dollars Canadian. Nitrite i got free, and Nitrate i still need to get my fins on. since you can't afford the test kits, just do water changes. i was one of the lucky 'Dumb-Newbs' as my fish didn't die; all four Kuhliis and the Betta survived a cycling period with minor Ammonia burns. if you change maybe a gallon of water every other day you should be able to keep everything in check.

as for the compatibility, the only time i kept Guppies i was five and kept taking the Kuhlii out of the tank and calling him my Wormy Thing, poor thing didn't live too long. if the Guppy is a male and the Platy he's chasing is female he might want to breed with them, and it could end up the same in the Mollies case!

i'd suggest calmly asking your parents for an advance in allowance or a loan, and tell them you like your fish but they might die if you don't get some proper test kits for them, and that would mean more money for new fish instead. if you can get this money off them, try and get the product 'Cycle', it's one of the only chemicals i think works when it's used together with fish food, or in your case fish poo and food.

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Ehehe your welcome!!

hmm.. changing a gallon of water everyother day? Like scooping out a gallon and putting in new water? o.o **goes and reads his post again**

 

[wuvmybetta]

i'd suggest calmly asking your parents for an advance in allowance or a loan, and tell them you like your fish but they might die if you don't get some proper test kits for them, and that would mean more money for new fish instead. if you can get this money off them, try and get the product 'Cycle', it's one of the only chemicals i think works when it's used together with fish food, or in your case fish poo and food.

excellent advice all the way around BB'z!!!

lil~ you should listen to the advice bb'z gives on asking your parents....she's the queen of "bargaining with Mom & Dad" ,follow her footsteps and you'll be on your way to mts in no time

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Hehe alright!! Thanks alot for helping me guys ^.^