Sick Platie

[afc_steve]

Hello all , im new to the forum and only started to keep tropical fish at the beginning of the year. I have a 60 litre Jewel Tank with around 9 different fish , an Angel , Platie , Silver sharks , Gouramis and an albino catfish. I have had others , including a Fighting Fish who sadly died after just one weekend. The temperature is set at around 80 degrees and i change around 10 percent of the water weekly as instructed by my local aquarium shop.
I recently suspected that i had a fin rot problem in the tank - i have a platie whos upper and lower fins have dissappeared almost completely and is just about able to make it to the top of the tank for a feed before returning to the bottom where he is spending the rest of the day / night until the next feed. I bought some fin rot treatment and did a 5 day course as instructed but the platie doesnt appear to be any better ( i was led to believe that after time they regenerate there fins back ) and subsequently have moved him into a segregated area for his own safety - the Angel fish seemed to be hovering around him all the time , seemingly understanding his plight !
Am i fighting a losing battle with this platie or is he likely to make a full recovery ? Any help or advice would be much appreciated , my mates seem to think im mad worrying about a fish which costs less than a pin of beer , but if i can help it i will. Cheers , steve.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I admire your concern for the fish in distress, (and the value comparrison - a pint of beer).... but I do think that your diagnosis is correct.....(though it's hard to tell without a pic)...UNLESS, your (concerned) angels are the culprits...... Is there a cottany white edge to the missing fins??... or are they merely .... cut short??? It would help if you can place a photo....

 

[arobinson1984]

One of the best ways of getting rid of fin rot is by keeping the water as fresh at possible and it tends to heal itself. I'd recommend doing larger water changes than 10%, try doing 50% which wouldn't be too hard work in a 60L tank.

On another note, your tank is not big enough for a silver shark or an angel fish, the sharks grow over 12" in length and angel need a tank that is at least 18" high from gravel to top of water line.

Its possible that your gourami may be too large for the tank as well depending on what species of gourami it is?

Andy

 

[afc_steve]

I admire your concern for the fish in distress, (and the value comparrison - a pint of beer).... but I do think that your diagnosis is correct.....(though it's hard to tell without a pic)...UNLESS, your (concerned) angels are the culprits...... Is there a cottany white edge to the missing fins??... or are they merely .... cut short??? It would help if you can place a photo....

The Fins look "Cut Short" Ludwig , and i only have 1 Angel Fish. He is just lying at the base of the tank , mainly on his side and like i said only pops up for feeding , although i can see its a hell of a job for him now , he struggles to the top of the tank then drops like a stone to the bottom.

 

[afc_steve]

One of the best ways of getting rid of fin rot is by keeping the water as fresh at possible and it tends to heal itself. I'd recommend doing larger water changes than 10%, try doing 50% which wouldn't be too hard work in a 60L tank.

On another note, your tank is not big enough for a silver shark or an angel fish, the sharks grow over 12" in length and angel need a tank that is at least 18" high from gravel to top of water line.

Its possible that your gourami may be too large for the tank as well depending on what species of gourami it is?

Andy

Thanks for your input Andy. I was unaware of the sizes these species can grow too.....the silver sharks are great - i bought them as a pair , the Angel seems very terratorial , and i originally wanted two , but the shop keeper didnt reccommend it. He does seem o chase a few of the others around quite a bit !! As for the gourami , i dont know what sort it is although i do know its a female. I forgot to mention that i also have a guppy an albino molly , and my "oldest" fish a swordtail.
Should i do the 50 per cent water changes weekly ? Thanks for your help.

 

[arobinson1984]

I'd recommend doing a 50% water change each day for the next few days to ensure your water is nice and fresh then convert to doing weekly changes of 50% with a gravel vac each week as well.

Do you test your water? If so what test kit do you use and what are your results?

Yes angel fish can be territorial, you will prob also find that your silver sharks will become aggressive as they grow because they are in an environment that isnt big enough for their needs.

Andy

 

[afc_steve]

I'd recommend doing a 50% water change each day for the next few days to ensure your water is nice and fresh then convert to doing weekly changes of 50% with a gravel vac each week as well.

Do you test your water? If so what test kit do you use and what are your results?

Yes angel fish can be territorial, you will prob also find that your silver sharks will become aggressive as they grow because they are in an environment that isnt big enough for their needs.

Andy

I had the water tested once by my local aquarium shop , and he said it as ok , mind you that was a while back. I will start doing the 50 per cent changes from today , thanks Andy.

 

[arobinson1984]

I'd recommend you invest in a good liquid based water test kit, the recommended one would be the API freshwater master kit which you can normally pick up online for around £15-£20 but will last well over a year.

This way its alot easier to diagnose any problems in your tank without relying on your lfs as there results may not be accurate depending on the testing methods they use, if they use the paper test strips then they are next to useless. Also if you are asking questions on here regarding fish health or illnesses, people wont be able to give you any advice without knowing the PH, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate readings for your tank.

Ideally you should test your water weekly in an established tank as part of your maintenance and upkeep of the tank.

Andy

 

[razer121]

can i just point out something, there is a chance your platie may well survive this...im pretty new myself but a friend of mine has some fish which shouldn't be together and unfortunately his silver doller decided to try and eat his zebra danio, not very good as the zebra danio had nearly half his body missing and his fins were a mess but! he survived! he is now a very happy danio in a new tank!

so yes your fish could survive, good luck with it all mate

 

[afc_steve]

can i just point out something, there is a chance your platie may well survive this...im pretty new myself but a friend of mine has some fish which shouldn't be together and unfortunately his silver doller decided to try and eat his zebra danio, not very good as the zebra danio had nearly half his body missing and his fins were a mess but! he survived! he is now a very happy danio in a new tank!

so yes your fish could survive, good luck with it all mate

Unfortunately i found the platie dead today , face down in the gravel. But im going to continue with the regular water changes , and invest in a good water testing kit. Thanks guys.

 

[razer121]

ouch.....sorry to hear that man, im sure it was for the best though