Platies Dying On Me! Please Help!

[jimmy78]

Hi,

I'm new to the forums but I have been keeping fish successfully for about 3 years.

I have a 100 litre tropical tank with x12 Glowlight Tetras, 8 Platies that have bred like crazy giving a further 10 small adolescent fish.

Trouble started about 3 weeks ago - without warning two dead fish at the bottom of the tank - no symptoms. Water quality was 0 Ammomnia, 0 Nitrit, under 20ppm Nitrate......Ph 8.0....a few plants in tanks, lots of small snails....notices plants dying off and shedding leaves - some stuck under orniments which I mist - must have been rotting away there.

Also a bit of a green algae issue - on plants on side of ornaments and glass. Found out the girlfriend had been overfeeding way too much so this could be the cause.

So I did a 30% water change and everything seemed ok until 4 days ago - out of no-where 2 other platies in trouble - definate fin-rot.....1 had most of his dorsal fin eroded the other his tail fin ulcerated and slightly eroded. I immediately put these 2 in a hospital tank (20 L) with some salt and started them on a waterlife myxazin course. It is day 4 of this now.....yesterday one of them dies (it's symptoms worsened a lot - became sluggish and developed mouth rot also). The remaining fish is still very active and is eating water quality is excellent....but it's the last day of the treatment tomorrow and it hasn't worked - fin rot still there and ulcer still there on fin....

So what do I do now?



The waterlife treatment hasn't worked - shall I do a water change then start again? Or can you guys recommend something better? It's definitely fin-rot.....Shall I try get some antibiotics (human) and dose the tank with this?

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[hughessomefish]

maybe that your tank is over stocked ok 100 literes divieded by 3.8 is 26 ok so you have 12 glowlights 8 platies plus their babyies the tank may be over stocked

 

[jimmy78]

What shall I do for the ill fish - the waterlife treatment hasn't worked - it's the last day - no improvement

Please help - don't want this little fella to die!

 

[WILDER]

Does the growth look like a cauliflower.
Ulcers are pink or red with a circling of dead white tissue around the edges.

For columnaris in the uk myxazin by waterlife and pimafix.

 

[jimmy78]

The fish in the hospital tank both died - the water quality was excellent.....the waterlife treatment did not work.....#40## IT!!

It was fin rot and smmall ulcer on the fin...yes red/pink with a circling of white tissue around edges....


Not sure why the treatment didn't work....

The main tank the fish are all fine. I have the x12 Glowlight tetras....I am going to take some of the baby platy fish to the pet shop (Maidenhead Aquatics) as I feel the tank is at the limit of stocking.

How many platys shall I leave then? I may want to get a betta in the future......

I am thinking of upgrading my Fluval 3+ internal to the new fluval U3 or U4 as it has the option of the biomax and better media. Also a spraybar.

I am also planting the tank up with some good plants and java moss.....however I do have an issue with green algae....it grow all over the heater and on the plant leaves....how do I make sure this doesn't happen again? Is it phosphate?

Any advice will be great.

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[WILDER]

Lfs bought meds only really work on mild bacteria infections.
You really need antibiotics in bad cases in issolation.

Ulcers can be caused by bad water quality, parasites, bacterial or viral.

I find over filtering the tank helps keep green algae away. Don't have tanks light on as much.I don't have green algae in my tank due to over filtering, and cutting down on light time.

http/www.fbas.co.uk/Ulcers.html