Urgent Help Required

[Taser]

Hi!

I need some very urgent help.

Tank size: 70L
pH: 7.5
ammonia: 0.25 (normally at 0 so I feel this may be the problem)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5ppm
tank temp: 26 degrees celcius

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): Male platy looks bloated, scales seem only very slightly raised, but I am assuming dropsy. Still very active, no clamping, still looking for food, but seems to be attacking my other platy.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30% biweekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Prime/Stability, standard biomedia and filter wool

Tank inhabitants: 2x male platies, 1x Bristlenose catfish, 6x WCMM, 2x blue rams

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Blue rams were added a week ago today.

Exposure to chemicals: N/A

I just set up a quarantine tank but my heater is not working. It is the middle if winter over here and I am at a loss as to what to do I don't want to lose my fish! The tank has been running and established for over a year without any problems. Please help! Should I quarantine him immediately? If so, what should I do about having no heater? It is nighttime so I cannot go and buy one. PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[attibones]

Male platies will chase each other. This is normal. They also tend to chase females. They just like to chase.

If your heater isn't working, this is good for your minnows. They are not tropical fish (so the rams shouldn't be living with them), but the other fish would enjoy warm water. If it worries you, do a water change with warmer water which will help your ammonia situation too.

Have you tried feeding peas? Sometimes bloating can make the scales appear raised.

If you can isolate the fish, you may want to do it, but dropsy is a secondary disease so there might be something in the tank. Did you quarantine the rams at all? They may have brought something in.

 

[the_lock_man]

 If it worries you, do a water change with warmer water which will help your ammonia situation too.

 

 
I agree with everything you said apart from this.
 
Ammonia toxicity increases slightly with increased temperature, so doing as you suggest would make the situation worse, not better. However, the actual increase is fairly minimal.
 
As it goes, a test showing an ammonia level of 0.25 is (A) probably misread and (B) not a problem, even at this high a pH level, in the short term.

 

[attibones]

Hmm. I didn't know that. Thanks, lock.