My Platys seem unhealthy 3rd week of cycle!

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Saucy840

Aquarium Advice Activist
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Aug 2, 2012
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Connecticut
:banghead:So today i test my water everything is in normal order and for some reason my female platy was almost in a sleep like state laying on the flat part of a rock in the tank. when i moved the rock she moved but in a weird way not good looking, and then a male poked at her n she swam around weirdly again n now i cant even find her. The males also look like they are swimming slightly on a angle almost tilted alittle sometimes n sometimes act strange. If everything is normal with the water for a cycle whats causing this?

my ammonia is .25 or under , with no nitrites and about 5.ppm of nitrate , the ph readings are also normal.I Feed them 1-2 a day not alot tho just enough to eat in about 1-2 minutes.The only one thing i can think of is that when i got them i told the guy at the lfs to give me 2 females n 1 male when i got home n researched how to sex them n found i had 2 males n 1 female?:thanks:
 
What are you feeding? Has the ammonia and/or nitrites ever been high when cycling? Sometimes fish exposed to toxins can end up having issues. What size tank? If the males are swimming oddly as well and not just the female it might not be due to stress from the males trying to mate with her (although it's possible too; if the tank size allows it you could get a few more females). It's hard to say really. My first inclination would be a swim bladder problem. Try feeding them a thawed deshelled frozen pea (I put mine in the microwaver for a few minutes then take the outer shell part off) -- take out what they don't eat in a few hours. Then fast them for a couple of days. If it's a food-related issue (e.g. constipation or bloating) the pea and fasting should help. If it doesn't then it's likely something else.
 
Thanks alot for answering !! :] ... And im feeding them omega one fish flakes, The levels of ammonia never passed 1 and if it got to 1 i would do a 50% change asap. The nitrite never went more then .25 before returning to 0.The tank is a 29 gallon with 3 platies and 1 angel fish.They dont really swim weiird but sometimes act weird and the angel fish has been normal. Swim bladder sounds plausable .. Its weird shes layin on the bottom againts a rock but when i feed them she comes out eats n goes right back to the same spot. Im going to do a pwc see if that helps and i will give the pea idea a try depending on if i have some lol .. Thanks again librarygirl you have been a big help!
 
After you pea/fast them (if you don't have peas it's ok, just fast them for a day or two, the peas just act as a natural laxative) you could try a different food other than flakes too. Flakes float at the top and some fish can tend to gulp air when eating. A sinking pellet like Hikari or New Life Spectrum might be a good thing to try (I soak mine in tank water for a minute so they sink faster). It's possible something else is going on but start with the easier fixes first and then if that doesn't work we can figure out something else. Hopefully it's nothing serious. Good luck!
 
Ah gotcha on the fasting part. For some reason they wont eat off the top only the angel will ( he eats anywhere ) so when i add drop the flakes in i do it right where the filter is so the falling water knocks the flakes into the water n not just on the top.

both males n the female have been acting weird on and off im not really sure as to what the problem is . I did a pwc n the levels are still fine , i added another air pump for air bubbles and filters on both sides of the tank. cleaned the filters in tank water. Its weird that the angel seems fine hes his normal self just hanging out.
 
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