Velvet, and Platy question

[Byron]

The Red Mickey Mouse hid extremely well for a few hours after I did a 25% water change. She seemed to have disappeared completely until I turned the light back on to search for her. Her dorsal fin was normal and not clamped but I did see her "flash" several times and she was trailing white, thready poo, so she must have some kind of parasite. Might an improvement in water quality help her recover?

Water quality is a major factor in everything, so yes. But if there is an internal protozoan or some pathogen, treatment might be needed.

 

[Rocksie]

These are the type of sponge filters I use in my smaller tanks. Hagen used to make them under the name "Elite" but I can't find them any longer so presumably they no longer are making them. But there are other brands, like those pictured here, that are the same basic design. They come in single sponge as well as the dual sponge pictured here. Very efficient filtration.

Byron.

I already bought Azoo Oxygen Plus Bio-filters. One for 10 gallon and 1 for my 20 gallon fish tank. I was going to put the one in the 20 gallon as a back-up for the Marineland Penguin 150.

 

[Rocksie]

Water quality is a major factor in everything, so yes. But if there is an internal protozoan or some pathogen, treatment might be needed.

Should I treat the whole tank, including fry? Or scoop out the ailing Mickey Mouse and treat her separately? I have that Kordon Ich Attack which says it treats Ich, protozoans, and dinoflagellates. Should I use that?

 

[Byron]

I already bought Azoo Oxygen Plus Bio-filters. One for 10 gallon and 1 for my 20 gallon fish tank. I was going to put the one in the 20 gallon as a back-up for the Marineland Penguin 150.

Those are good sponge filters too. I have a Hydro which is the same design that I have used. I went to the other type solely because they take up less space and can be attached to a rear corner wall. But they all do the job.

 

[Byron]

Should I treat the whole tank, including fry? Or scoop out the ailing Mickey Mouse and treat her separately? I have that Kordon Ich Attack which says it treats Ich, protozoans, and dinoflagellates. Should I use that?

First, never use any medication if you don't have a near-certainty as to the "disease" and then if it is the most effective. Substances added to the water get inside the fish, and if these are not needed, it is only adding even more stress to already stressed fish.

Second, some diseases spread in the water (ich and velvet for examples), so removing individual fish for treatment is rather pointless. Netting the fish is causing more and severe stress, so again, only when absolutely advisable.

I certainly don't know what if any actual disease is involved with the platy. I will bow to what other more experienced members suggest. But I will offer some generalities. When I use any medication, I always do a major water change immediately before. I also usually do not fill the tank to the top, but keep the water volume less than the full tank. This has three advantages. First, it means you need less medication (and some of them are very expensive); second, you can better estimate the water volume as most medications are added per liter or gallon, and overdosing even a tad can be very detrimental to the fish, even killing them (I've done it, sadly); third, if the fish have an adverse reaction to the medication it is easier to change most of the water. I've had to do this a couple times. No point in killing all the fish attempting to treat some of them, plus not all fish "accept" or tolerate every medication.

Byron.

 

[NickAu]

You mean these?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQH00/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Rocksie]

Those are good sponge filters too. I have a Hydro which is the same design that I have used. I went to the other type solely because they take up less space and can be attached to a rear corner wall. But they all do the job.

Hmm. Yes the Azoo 20 gallon filter is pretty huge. I was going to try to hide it with plants and a nice piece of driftwood.

 

[Byron]

You mean these?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQH00/?tag=ff0d01-20

Yes. This past Spring when I was setting up two new tanks and wanted a dual sponge, I couldn't find these anywhere (including direct from Hagen in Canada), so I went with the similarly-designed ones. Amazon seems to have the Elite now, but no matter. It is early days, but the sponges on the ones I ended up acquiring are a tad larger, and seem to be stronger, so they may last longer, though still early days. The Elite sponges I find are fine for several months, then they begin to break apart a bit when you are rinsing them.