FISH EMERGENCY!!! PLEASE HELP (MICKEY PLATY)

[preciousmoments]

MY FEMALE mickey is barely alive. I put here and the male in a 5 gal ice cream bucket temporarily using their original tank water. the male fine but she is kind of floating on her side in a breeding net (at the bottom) so i can keep an eye on her. They are in their original tank now. Fish do float when dead right. I have had such a horrible day today please tell me i didn't kill her.

 

[Mr Burns]

i don't think there's enough info right now to identify a cause or remedy. how long have you had the female? what are the water parameters? have you made any changes to the water that might have caused stress? was the male aggressive towards the female? anything else you can think of would help...

 

[preciousmoments]

i had netted them and put them into a breeding net yesterday and when i cleaned the tank i put them in the bucket and have put them back in the net. she also is pregnant. I think it is prob stress but can i help her. i am going to go check her again.

 

[preciousmoments]

not moving gills at all now i think i lost her and now i have to tell my 4 yr old i killed her fish.

 

[Mr Burns]

hmmm...if you've had a bad day, i would hold off on that. at least check again in the morning. in all likelihood it isn't you're fault. it could have simply been stress from breeding. i don't know a whole lot about platy fish, so somebody may want to jump in here.

 

[grimlock3000]

ok, a quick question here to help you in the future...

why are you putting the fish in a bucket when you clean the tank? being netted and/or moved around is the most stressful thing you can do to a fish. also, what do you consider cleaning the tank? basically what steps did ou do when the fish were in the bucket.

 

[preciousmoments]

It turns out her death wasn't my fault I took her into the pet store and explained to them her behavior the last few days. She also had a red line down her belly. They said she most likely ruptured something inside her. She had swallowed a baby (1/4 inch approx.) and I guess with being due any day with her second batch wasn't able to digest the one she ate. I used the cup I keep just for the fish tank to scoop them out of the breeding net so as not to remove them from water. I then placed them in the bucket of their tank water. the net was only temporary till I could buy a tank divider to keep them from eating more of the babies who we released because we thought they were big enough and they needed more room to grow better. I do appreciate the help you all offered. Oh yes and the male is doing great. I have purchased him some new companions. which are being climatized right now.