What Is Going On With My Platies

[howmany]

For several years now I keep having my platies get like a flat looking belly, as if they have not had any food, and then they die within a week or two.

You know how platies have the nice sort of round look to their bellies (when looking at them sideways). Well, mine all of a sudden look like a straight line from their mouth to their tails.

I have used all kinds of medicines: all the antibiotic stuff, external parasite med, internal parasite med. I have taken them to a couple fish stores and shown the staff how they look and no one has a clue of what is happening or going on.

I can get fish from privet shop, chain store shops, shipped from online fish suppliers, and no one specific place seems to be the cause of what ever it is.

I have tried brand new tanks, all new gravel, all new plants, all new everything and it still happens.

It is not an all the time kind of thing, I can go months or even a year, but then it suddenly shows up.

The fish do eat, I see the ones with the flat belly eat the food and they don't spit it back out.

They seem to act fine, up until about a day or two before they die and then they have the clamped fins and shimmy. (yes, I've used all the meds for shimmy and for any illness or such that would cause clamped fins)

Does anyone know what is happening? Why this happens?

I know it isn't only my fish, cause I have been in shops that their platies look that way too. (of course I do not buy from them, ever)

 

[OldMan47]

The best tonic I have seen for ailing fish is very simple and inexpensive. Put all the medications back on the shelf and do a huge water change.

 

[howmany]

The best tonic I have seen for ailing fish is very simple and inexpensive. Put all the medications back on the shelf and do a huge water change.

I've done that too. That is why I am so confused as to what in the world it could be.

 

[the_lock_man]

How often do you change water and clean your filter, and how do you actually do it?

 

[howmany]

How often do you change water and clean your filter, and how do you actually do it?

I do 1/4 of my water and a change once a month. Also change filter cartridge once a month but not at same time as water change.

I use a syphon hose with gravel vacuum attached (never touches the ground or left where it will come in contact with anything, so it doesn't get contaminated). The water goes into a 5 gal bucket, and that is dumped down a drain. The bucket is rinsed, and used to bring new water to tank. It is slowly added. I adjust all water to as close to temp of the tank as possible, so that I am not adding too cold or too hot of water. The bucket was brand new, with a lid, it was rinsed in super hot water before it was ever used, incase it had come in contact with anything that might contaminate it. It is never used for anything else than aquarium water. Lid is kept on it when not used, so nothing can get inside it. I always wash my hands well before doing anything at all with the aquarium or fish, and make sure my hands are rinsed of any soap.


When I put in a new cartridge, I use the ones by the manufacture of the filer. They are individually bagged. I rinse them before putting them into the filter. I change them about two weeks after a water change, so that it won't throw off the 'balance' in my tank by having a water change and filter change at the same time.

I clean out the filter at least every six months, or sooner if it looks like it needs it or if I think it needs it. I have brushes that are made for cleaning filters, and use them to scrub the intake tube, the containment area of water (where the filter cartridge goes) and since it has the bio wheel, I also run one of the small brushes inside the tube/bar that is over the bio wheel that sprays water on the wheel.

 

[flip]

Water changes should be done weekly, and by throwing away your cartridges you are getting rid of all the good bacteria. What kind of filter is it? Some have separate sponges that stay in the filter to help keep you cycled.

 

[giants1249er]

I have to agree with flip...throwing away the cartridges is getting rid of your good bacteria. To keep your good bacteria, I've read that you can "clean" your filter and reuse it by rinsing with your current tank water to remove some of the dirt. There is no need to completely replace it unless it is really beat up. If it is really beat up, then attach that with the newer filter cartridge and use it together so to keep the good bacteria. After a while, when the good bacteria has developed/transferred to the newer cartridge , then you can get rid of the old cartridge.

 

[the_lock_man]

How often do you change water and clean your filter, and how do you actually do it?

I do 1/4 of my water and a change once a month. Also change filter cartridge once a month but not at same time as water change.

I use a syphon hose with gravel vacuum attached (never touches the ground or left where it will come in contact with anything, so it doesn't get contaminated). The water goes into a 5 gal bucket, and that is dumped down a drain. The bucket is rinsed, and used to bring new water to tank. It is slowly added. I adjust all water to as close to temp of the tank as possible, so that I am not adding too cold or too hot of water. The bucket was brand new, with a lid, it was rinsed in super hot water before it was ever used, incase it had come in contact with anything that might contaminate it. It is never used for anything else than aquarium water. Lid is kept on it when not used, so nothing can get inside it. I always wash my hands well before doing anything at all with the aquarium or fish, and make sure my hands are rinsed of any soap.


When I put in a new cartridge, I use the ones by the manufacture of the filer. They are individually bagged. I rinse them before putting them into the filter. I change them about two weeks after a water change, so that it won't throw off the 'balance' in my tank by having a water change and filter change at the same time.

I clean out the filter at least every six months, or sooner if it looks like it needs it or if I think it needs it. I have brushes that are made for cleaning filters, and use them to scrub the intake tube, the containment area of water (where the filter cartridge goes) and since it has the bio wheel, I also run one of the small brushes inside the tube/bar that is over the bio wheel that sprays water on the wheel.

I would suggest changing water weekly rather than monthly. I personally change 30% per week in each of my tanks, I know others suggest more than that. Unless you have a heavily planted tank, monthly changes will allow nitrate to build up to potentially dangerous levels.

As others have suggested, changing filter cartridges is also counter-productive. Sponge filters just need rinsing in old tank water until they are literally falling apart. Carbon filters don't need to be used at all until you need to remove used medication from the tank water. Just use another sponge cartridge. Biomedia (ceramic rings, noodles, etc) never needs changing.

The main thing to me, though, is that you don't mention dechlorinating your water - it may be that you thought that as "taken as read", but equally you may not be using a dechlorinator. The chlorine (and possibly chloramine) in your tapwater will be killing beneficial bacteria in your filter (and affecting the fish as well).

Equally, you say you rinse out the new filter cartridge - again, if this is in plain tapwater, it will be introducing chlorinated water to the tank (albeit in lower quantities) but it will probably still be killing bacteria.

Constant deaths, like you seem to be suffering, suggests some ongoing issue within your tank, and if you've used all the medication you can think of, then it seems that it can't be illness. That then suggests ammonia/nitrite poisoning, and from what you've said, there is a potential for filter problems inherent in your maintenance regime.

Do you have a test kit, and can you post up some results for us?

 

[howmany]

Ah, I did not know to change it more than once a month. I was told that would throw off the biological/bacteria balance.

Also, that is why I change the filter cartridge at a different time than water change, so when I put in new cartridge, the filter won't be new at the same time.

I use an Emperor Power Filter 280 for a 30 gallon long, it is rated for up to 55 gal. Here is a link to what it looks like and the info on it. http/www.petsolutions.com/storefront/fish/aquarium-supplies/filters/power-filters/emperor-power-filters/prodEmperorPowerFilters.html

Personally, after many years of various kinds of filters, this one was what did the best out of all I used.

The filter has what is called a bio wheel, which is a sort of paper wheel that the unfiltered water runs over and it is always touching some of the water. It is for bacteria to live on (like the bio balls, etc).

We have well water and it does not get any chlorine in it. They do occasionally add water conditioner salt to satisfy all the larger city people (st louis) who moved out this way and were used to public water. They do not like well water and complain about it at every subdivision meeting, so water conditioners were added to all the wells. But I was having this trouble before we even lived here.

 

[the_lock_man]

Fair enough on the lack of chlorine in the water. I take it, then, that your tapwater is not considered safe for drinking? Perhaps there is some other contaminant in the water that is the problem. This may also explain the sporadic nature of your problem.

 

[howmany]

Fair enough on the lack of chlorine in the water. I take it, then, that your tapwater is not considered safe for drinking? Perhaps there is some other contaminant in the water that is the problem. This may also explain the sporadic nature of your problem.

The water is safe for drinking and all uses. Just that we live in the country and do not have public city water. We are all on well water. We have a whole house filter for better quality water. Not that it is needed, just being extra safe. The wells must be tested on a regular basis and the state does it and it is tested in their lab. If it does not meet the safe requirements, the state shuts down the wells. So the people who take care of our wells are very diligent about it, they do not want to flunk any state tests.

 

[OldMan47]

Back to your original question.
You should do a large, over 50%, water change at least once and if the fish do not look better quite soon after, do another equally large change.
I also have a 280 Emperor bio-wheel filter and will say that you almost never need to change the filter pads. Instead, remove them, clean them and put them back into the filter. The ones in my own filter are several years old. It is amazing what a good rinse in used tank water can remove from a filter cartridge. Something that will help even more is to add some nice ceramic biological medium to the spare filter baskets you get with the filter. That way you rely less on the wheel. Wheels do stall at times and you want a biological filter present even if that happens.

 

[PlatyQueen]

It could be clamp fin. Post some pics? Do a big water change of 50% Did you cycle your tank before you got the fish? if you did maybe try guppies or mollies instead and see what happens.

 

[the_lock_man]

We have a whole house filter for better quality water.

I wonder if that's the problem then? It might be that this filter is taking out some of the minerals that the fish need? I only ever use tapwater myself, but I've read plenty of times on this forum that if you use Reverse Osmosis water, that you need to remineralise the water, otherwise the fish will suffer. Perhaps your filter is also taking out more than is ideal for the fish? Just a thought.

 

[Dormfish]

Several problems here.

1) Do you use dechlorinator when you change the water? (No more than 1/4 of the water should be removed, or tank chemistry can be thrown off. AquaSafe is a good brand for this.

2)You need to change the filter cartridge once a month. Not rinse the sponge, which contains beneficial bacteria, but the blue cartridge needs to be changed, because the filter carbon it contains gets full and can no longer take carbon out of the tank, then you get nasty chemical spikes, which can very easily kill your fish.

3)Adding a PH buffer can help maintain balance in your tank as well. I personally use Tetra EasyBalance for my tank. This brand also adds nutrients to the tank as well to benefit fish and tank health.

4)be sure to vacuum your rocks. I usually do this at the time of water changes, since it takes out water anyways. Vacuuming the pebbles removes nitrates from leftover food and waste products.

Hope this helps

~Dormfish