Platy not swimming?!

[skemp96]

So around 2 weeks ago I added 4 platys to my 180L tank (which already had 6 zebra danios in).
3 of the 4 platy's are absolutely fine and swim around happily all day long, however one of them literally just sits in the top corner of the tank all day long and very rarely moves, unless when feeding (it's eating normally).
What should I do about this?
I have a smaller tank (70L) which currently has 3 neon tetras in (rescues - will be increasing their numbers ASAP). Would it be happier in there? The danios are pretty fiesty and do tend to nip the poor platy's tail whenever he does venture out. I'm just really concerned that he obviously isn't happy where he is.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Salty&Onion]

Slow fish shouldn't really be placed with faster fish as the faster fish tend to nip at the slow ones I believe. Any pictures of the platy possible? @Colin_T

 

[skemp96]

Slow fish shouldn't really be placed with faster fish as the faster fish tend to nip at the slow ones I believe. Any pictures of the platy possible? @Colin_T

Here's a photo of the little guy! Oh really? That's strange - every website / forum I was looking at before purchasing them said that zebra danios and platys are compatible.

 

[Colin_T]

The fish has clamped fins and is covered in excess mucous. This is usually caused by poor water quality or something in the water irritating the fish.

---------------
How long has the tank been set up for?
How often do you clean the filter?
How do you clean the filter?

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Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt, sea salt or swimming pool salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons) of tank water. Keep salt in the tank for 2 weeks.
When you do the daily water changes, add salt to the new water before adding it to the tank so the salinity (salt level) in the tank remains stable.

 

[skemp96]

The fish has clamped fins and is covered in excess mucous. This is usually caused by poor water quality or something in the water irritating the fish.

---------------
How long has the tank been set up for?
How often do you clean the filter?
How do you clean the filter?

---------------
Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt, sea salt or swimming pool salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons) of tank water. Keep salt in the tank for 2 weeks.
When you do the daily water changes, add salt to the new water before adding it to the tank so the salinity (salt level) in the tank remains stable.

Hey, thanks for your reply! The tank was set up nearly 3 months ago - I left it to cycle with just live plants and only added fish after 2 months and when the nitrate cycle had been completed.
This behaviour has only been happening since the danios started nipping at him, is is possible he's just petrified of being in the tank?
I change the filter sponges:
White floss - every week
Carbon - once a month
Nitrax - every 2 months
Blue fine - not yet changed (every 4 months)
Blue coarse - every 3 months
I give the actual motor a clean every month.
Am doing a 25% water change weekly at the moment, with dechlorinated water.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Do you change the filter media and just put them to trash can? If you do, don't as the sponges contain beneficial bacteria that remove ammonia and nitrite.
Don't do 25% water changes weekly but do 50-75% as they dilute out more harmful microorganisms and nitrates out of water. Do you vacuum the substrate? If not do it weekly. Could you tell us numbers of your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate just like @Colin_T has asked?

 

[skemp96]

No, I rinse them in tank water (outside of the tank) and then put them back in.
Okay - will try increasing the water change and see if that helps.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 7
GH - 15 dGH

 

[Salty&Onion]

Did you change any of the sponges? Do you have live plants in the tank? 0ppm nitrates is usually an indication that the tank is not cycled but if you have live plants in the tank then this would make perfect sense. How many plants do you have? What kinds of plants? Livebearers should have pH above of 7.0.

 

[skemp96]

I've changed the white floss a couple of times as it started to get really tatty.
Yeah I have live plants in the tank (amazon swords, java fern, acorus and bacopa carolinaiana) there's 4 of each.
The shop I got them from said a PH of 6.8 - 8.

 

[Essjay]

I change the filter sponges:
White floss - every week
Carbon - once a month
Nitrax - every 2 months
Blue fine - not yet changed (every 4 months)
Blue coarse - every 3 months

That sounds like a Juwel filter. Don't believe what they say about replacing media. The only thing that needs changing regularly is the white floss as that will go into holes after it's been washed a couple of times. But Juwel pads are expensive. Buy some filter wool from a roll and use one of the white pads to cut it to the right size.

The sponges should be squeezed in old tank water taken out at a water change. They will last for years.
It is generally accepted that the green nitrax sponge does not remove nitrate. Treat it like a blue sponge.
The black carbon sponge is not needed full time. But keep one in the cupboard as carbon is used for removing medication after treatment has finished if the fish are ever sick.




This does not help with the platy though.
Your water is hard enough for them so that shouldn't be the problem.

The best thing you can do for now is the water changes and salt treatment which Colin_T recommended.

 

[skemp96]

That sounds like a Juwel filter. Don't believe what they say about replacing media. The only thing that needs changing regularly is the white floss as that will go into holes after it's been washed a couple of times. But Juwel pads are expensive. Buy some filter wool from a roll and use one of the white pads to cut it to the right size.

The sponges should be squeezed in old tank water taken out at a water change. They will last for years.
It is generally accepted that the green nitrax sponge does not remove nitrate. Treat it like a blue sponge.
The black carbon sponge is not needed full time. But keep one in the cupboard as carbon is used for removing medication after treatment has finished if the fish are ever sick.




This does not help with the platy though.
Your water is hard enough for them so that shouldn't be the problem.

The best thing you can do for now is the water changes and salt treatment which Colin_T recommended.

Thanks so much for jumping in here! It's such a nightmare isn't it - every single stockist, store, manufacturer and hobbyist all have different opinions on everything and I never end up knowing what the best thing to do is.
Yes you're right about it being a Juwel filter - I've got the Rio 180. Will take your advice on the filter media but yes they're incredibly expensive for what they are!! So do you think I should take the carbon sponge out for the time being?
I'll keep up with the water changes and will try the salt.
Thanks so much for your help.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I agree with @Colin_T, that fish defiantly has fin clamp. Do as he recommended.

So do you think I should take the carbon sponge out for the time being?

No. Your sponge probably has some beneficial bacteria in it. It you remove it, you may loose your cycle.

 

[Essjay]

I'd say you can take the black sponge out now if you want to. There are several other sponges in the filter which are thicker than the black one - there should be at least two blue and one green sponge - so the black one won't hold a big proportion of the bacteria. And you say the tank is planted which also help to remove ammonia.

Carbon won't remove salt but it will remove other types of medication.