Platy wasting away.

liz

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My calico platy's of which i have three, do not appear to be doing very well. I moved house last month, and thanks to all the advice I recieved here, no casualties at all. They are actually at my parents house as we are getting our house re-wired and it is all a bit to chaotic here for them at present. Anyway, back to the point, two weeks after the move, the smaller most submissive platy started to clamp its fins, although it still is feeding and seemed quite active. I was then on holiday for a week, and have now returned to find that it looks awful. It looks as if the muscle has just wasted away, its body is kind of bent (tail down) and it swims mainly with its lateral fins (not sure of correct name), it hardly uses its tail at all. I work at a vets, and one vet suggested that it could be a mineral deficiency but they are fed a varied diet, and I checked they were being fed enough. Another platy is also starting to show similar symptons, clamped tail and fins, but still good body condition. Because another fish seems to be suffering, I suspect it must be either contagous, or something in the water or diet affecting them. Water tests show all is fine, and other fish all look very healthy. The two ill fish are both still actively feeding and responsive. The first platy is more lathargic, but with no muscle, who can blame it. Any help or idears would be much appreciated. I expect the first platy will die, but I am actually thinking of ending its wasting life, as I can't bear to see it the way it is right now.
 
Hmmmmmmmm ??????????

Strange one this?????? :what: :what:

Try adding a medication similar toWaterlife Myxazin as this claims to help with stressed fish when moving etc as i feel that the move may have stressed your fish and the weakest of the bunce have now been left very suseptable to diseases :(

It could also be intestinal worms but i wouldnt have thought so :what:

hopefully someone else can help more than me ..............as i have never experienced this particular problem :what:

Hope all works out ok for you and your fish ;)
 
Would you say your fis is malformed or Deformed, this more than the muscle thing.
Also do the fins seem deformed, and/or has it a deformed opercula (just in behind the gills).

Be the sound of things it is some vitamin or other deficiency. It's not a disease, though all fish of one kind or more may become infected in the same way.
 
hi liz,

i have also experianced this with platy's, both shop brought and home bred. unfortanly in all cases the fish have died. no matter what i have done the fish have died. sorry i cant help anymore.

Gaza
 
:( Hi liz, sorry to here of your dilema. I'm afraid I'm a bit baffled here, I would have suspected a vitamin/mineral deficiency but that seems to be ruled out. As you work in a vets, maybe one of them could dissect a fish (dead of course!) to see if there are any nasties present. It is also possible that it is a viral infection which I think rules out any successful treatment. Sorry I can't be more positive. ;) Mac.
 
Hey Liz. It could be a deficiency or something genetic if the fish are all from the same source and age(may just be that the defct is showing now).
Are the fish showing any of these symptoms? the fishes colours appear duller, there is wieght loss with them still eating, the fins are folded/clamped and if there are any ulcerous wounds. If they are you need to get back to me asap.

oops forgot to ask if the fish's eyes are sunken or protruding or normal,or if the colours' got darker.

There could be a couple of posibilities of the cause also it would help if you could let me know what the water conditions are like(temp, ph, nitrate/nitrite, water changes how often).
 
In answer to your questions adeyc, colours still bright, no ulcerations or apparent skin conditions, but loss weight with feeding, it is as if all the muscle has gone and there tails no longer work, all fins are clamped, body is bent. eyes seem fine, pH 8 and all nitrate, nitrite, ammonia is fine, water change every month of about 25% to 40%, fed on dried food and I give freeze dried tablets with minerals twice a week, and live food about once a month. All three are from the same batch and same age. I think the third may be showing signs, but not sure if I am paranoid. Oh and water temp is 25C, plants and air stone, so I assume no oxygen deficiency.
I think that is your questions answered, thanks for everyones help, will let you know how I get on, and Macquatic, i will get the vet to disect the fish if, or when (as most likely) it dies! Thanks.
 
K Liz with the answers you gave I've ruled out TB. It could be a Sporazoa parasite thats infecting the fish it eats the insides. The Sporazoa has nasty bacetria that attack the muscle's by eating them. (It's very similar to humans getting malaria except it's our liver, or is it kidneys that get attacked by the Sporazoans). If it is I'm sorry to say that as far as I know there is no treatment for it.
Chances are it is a genetic defect though. I can't think of any internal infection that causes the same symptoms. Except intestinal flagellates or worms, but these don't usualy affect the muscles. The best advice I can give is to get some fish poo and get the vet to have a look at it under a microscope. He'll soon spot anything wriggleing about or anything that shouldn't be there.
Sorry I couldnt be of more help, but do let us know of any changes in the fish.
 
The best thing is to get it disected. If the vet finds nothing it's not an infection of any sorts.
It would point to Defect, or vitamin deficeny. If it's only the one type of fish that goes like this it's genetic, like Adeyc says.
If it's not the two about it leaves you with Vitamin defencey

Argh Get a spell checker Davy :laugh:
 
Liz it would be helpfull to post some more info. What are your water conditions. Post test results for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, Gh and Kh. Also phosphate levels would be helpfull. Hope your fish improve.
 
Liz whatever happened in the end??? Did you find anything out?
 

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