Death Due To Birthing Complications?

[StarfireGraves]

Ello,
 
So Minnie (My Micky mouse platy) Has been boxed for a week, she gave me 3 healthy fry, and she still has some in her. I woke up this morning, fed the babies in the nursery tank, walked over to my community tank and fed them, and at first I didn't thing anything was wrong, till I noticed Minnie wasn't moving.She looked like she was asleep like all the fish do at night, resting on the bottom, but she didn't get up or move. I scoped her out and realized she is dead. But she is still boxed and has fry in her. What is going on? Here is a picture of my little girl now..:

 
And one with a flashlight under her so you can see in her better:

 
She was just fine yesterday, swimming about happy and healthy. She is the 2nd female to just drop dead over night, this happened to my Micky mouse high fin Lyric. Should I be worried about my other fish? Is there any problems I don't know about that you can see?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I can't see anything.
 
Are their any behaviors or symptoms you've been seeing in your fish?  Like stringy poop, etc.  Have you tested the water?

 

[bluesword23516]

How big are all fish? Are the males a lot bigger than the females?

 

[StarfireGraves]

I can't see anything.
 
Are their any behaviors or symptoms you've been seeing in your fish?  Like stringy poop, etc.  Have you tested the water?

Not before she died. I just did a 15% water replacement because it was worrying me.  Their poop hasn't changed since I brought them home. My largest fish, a green platy with a red tail, Lucy was acting strange before I did the water replacement, resting at the bottom till I tapped the glass to make sure she is ok. Now she is swimming around happy again. I will be watching the remaining 3 very closely, Lucy is close to having her fry I think, she is quite round. And I don't own any water testing kits.
 

How big are all fish? Are the males a lot bigger than the females?

I have one male for my now 2 females and he is the smallest fish in the tank. I don't know exactly how long they all are.

 

[AshleyNZ]

What are the water parameters like?

 

[StarfireGraves]

What are the water parameters like?

Again, I don't own any test kits so I don't know.

 

[AshleyNZ]

I would recommend you get some, the water quality is very important for the health of any fish

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Haven't heard that before. She could have been stressed and harassed while giving birth. Does she have other tankmates? livebearers are normally semi-cannibalistic as well so the other tankmates probably went on rampage to eat the coming fry

 

[PrairieSunflower]

As you don't have a water testing kit, I'd start right there.  You need to get that water tested, take a sample into your LFS for now and have them do it.
 
How long has this tank been running?  Did you cycle it first, if so what process did you use to do it?
 
I am wondering, that since you don't have a testing kit, if this is a new tank with an uncycled filter and your fish are suffering from ammonia levels... if that is the case, I'd be starting with large water changes to reduce the ammonia... by large I'd personally be doing about 75%.

 

[StarfireGraves]

I would recommend you get some, the water quality is very important for the health of any fish

I don't have access to them right now, my parents refuse to take me to town where I can get tests or get it tested.
 

Haven't heard that before. She could have been stressed and harassed while giving birth. Does she have other tankmates? livebearers are normally semi-cannibalistic as well so the other tankmates probably went on rampage to eat the coming fry

Yes, she was with 2 other females and a male. The male being the smallest of them all.
 

As you don't have a water testing kit, I'd start right there.  You need to get that water tested, take a sample into your LFS for now and have them do it.
 
How long has this tank been running?  Did you cycle it first, if so what process did you use to do it?
 
I am wondering, that since you don't have a testing kit, if this is a new tank with an uncycled filter and your fish are suffering from ammonia levels... if that is the case, I'd be starting with large water changes to reduce the ammonia... by large I'd personally be doing about 75%.

I have been trying to get test kits but my parents have been putting it off and refusing to go. And the same place where the test kits are is where I would get the water tested. Its been running about a year now. When I first set it up I let it sit for a few days. Before I put platys in it I had my old goldfish in it till she passed of old age, along with 2 others the same age. I did a water change and had fish in it the next day so it never stopped running, and I hadn't had problems till I got the platys. I haven't changed maintenance since I got the tank aside from water changes, with my goldfish (the lived to be 4 years old) I always did a 5%. Then when I got on here people said to do 10-15% so I do 10-15% every other week, this week being the 15% change ( I did that yesterday instead of today because I am having company over and they will be over all day.) But other than that nothing has changed. I scrub the front panel with a toothbrush I bought just for that, I clean out the filter about every 2 weeks, and I have an under gravel filter always running. All of this makes bubbles for oxygenation in the water. 
 
She seems to have snapped out of it today. She had a slow start today but after I fed them she deems to be doing better. Until I get this all figured out I wont be getting anymore fish, but I want more females to make it less stressful for them because of the male, he is a butt. Before Lyric and Minnie died he had 4 girls and didn't bugged just one, he bugged them all, giving the others a break as me made his rounds. Minnie though was like his wife, he chased the other girls away from her and just 'sat' with her a lot. Or followed her. 

 

[AshleyNZ]

Water changes should probably be around 25% each week, to stop buildup of nitrite and ammonia.

 

[csfishkeeper]

I completely agree with testing the water, that is most often the cause of fish deaths and diseases.
 
However, giving birth is a stressful thing and sometimes fish die while giving birth. It isn't common, but sometimes things happen.
 
Do what you can to get a test kit (liquid, not strips) and make sure that your water is good. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, less than 40 nitrates.
 
Until you can get your test kit, I would recommend a couple of water changes per week. I didn't see how big your tank is and how long it's been running, but if it were me, I would try to do around 30% at a time twice a week and be sure to treat the new water with a conditioner like Prime. 

 

[StarfireGraves]

Yay! Test strips! Ok, here are todays results: NO3: 0 NO2: 0 pH: 7 KH: 80 GH 60

 

[AshleyNZ]

Um, test strips are highly inaccurate. Liquid test kit is recommended. You want to be testing for Ammonia, pH, Nitrite and Nitrate. 
 
Conditioning the water with Prime is a good way to get rid of any metals and other bad things as well as chlorine out of your water before adding it into a tank. It is cheap, and it will last a long time so it is worth it.

 

[StarfireGraves]

Um, test strips are highly inaccurate. Liquid test kit is recommended. You want to be testing for Ammonia, pH, Nitrite and Nitrate. 
 
Conditioning the water with Prime is a good way to get rid of any metals and other bad things as well as chlorine out of your water before adding it into a tank. It is cheap, and it will last a long time so it is worth it.

As inaccurate as they are they are all I have, so Im stuck with them because I cant afford any better. And I couldn't find any of this Prime stuff.