HELP!!! I need help with my sick platy!!!!

[sholi]

So my MALE hi-fin platy was purchased 2 days ago and rightly acclimated.

Can anyone see if he has any problems and how i can fix it? (EX clamped fins, itch, too skinny, pale scales, etc)

Things about him:
-He is very entergetic and loves to swim around the tank when daylight
-He is still pretty shy
-Alone by himself
-when purchased, he was very fat
-only fed him once with regular fish flake, but not a lot
-is nipping on everything (maybe cuz of algae)
-At daytime, he swims around a lot, at night, he likes to float on top of the water and hide in the plants
-Hes not gasping for air at all or breathing hard at all

Things about the tank:
-10 gallon
-1/4 planted w/ fake plants (soon gonna add a young java fern)
-3 weeked cycled
-perfect conditioned parameters
-now there is 2 ghost shrimps in there
-With a heater (somehow the thermometer is not working but i'll check on it) but i know the water temperature is warm enough
-filtered and filter still running
-I've never add any light yet but will tommorow
-gravel=substrate
-The current, i believe its kinda low, but at times, my platy likes to swim against it, idk if hes playing around or is having a hard time swimming because of the current~but he does mostly manage to beat the current

So here are pix of my platy:

So my questions are (due to the descriptions)
-Is anything wrong with my platy and how can i fix it?
-My platy is active at night (swimming everywhere in the tank) but hides in the plants and floats to the top at night (but not gasping 4 air) is this normal?
-Is my current too strong for my male hi-fin platy then?

Thank you

 

[Crypto]

Hello,

Really, I don't see anything wrong with your Platy, he looks healthy to me.
Your Platy being active at day and not at night is normal, all fish do this.
What type of filter are you using? (This will depend on if the current is too strong or not).

Also, just to make sure, what are your parameters and what test kit are you using?

 

[sholi]

This is the filter im using:
Top Fin® Power Filters and Filtration Cartridges - Filters - Fish - PetSmart

It's exactly the same one shown in the picture- top fin powerfilter 10

And i thought the red gills indicated a problem, or is that just his natural color?

 

[Crypto]

Hello,

A power filter 10 is actually too small for a 10 gallon. It only provides 80 Gallons Per Hour (You need at least 100 GPH ~ Power Filter 20)

His gills look fine to me, but to be on the safe side, give me your parameters and the test kit you are using.

 

[sholi]

Oh yea, the parameters 4got bout it
-ph=7.2
-ammonia=0.2
-nitrite-0.4
-nitrate-1.0

I am using different kind of strips to test the water, got it from a garage sale and is not anywhere in the internet

But still, if get the powerfilter 20, will the current be too strong for my platy and my 2 ghost shrimps?

 

[Crypto]

Hello,

I would recommend that you get a new test kit (Strips are highly inaccurate, Liquid test kits are accurate); I like the API Master Test Kit.

Let's go by what the strips say for now...... I recommend you doing a 25% water change once a day until the Parameters are to ~ Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 5-20

The current shouldn't be strong at all

 

[sholi]

ok then, thank you very much for helping X)

 

[Crypto]

Hello,

You are welcome, if you need anything else, just ask

 

[librarygirl]

Seems that your tank is still cycling. As the others said you want to get a good liquid test kit (like API Master) and test water every day. Do water changes to keep ammonia at <0.25, nitrites <0.25 and nitrates <20. You'll be hauling buckets for a while. Also if you do get another filter try to run it alongside your current one rather than totally replace it b/c any beneficial bacteria that is forming on your current filter will be lost if you remove it and could set the tank back in cycling. Here's a guide that will help: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

 

[BillD]

You do not need at least 10x times turnover on a filter. This is a figure bandied about by many on the forums, but isn't necessarily true. Air powered sponge filters don't have any where near 1 or even 5X turnover and do the job rather well. Before you spend money on a filter you may not need, see if this one does the job. Having said that, any filter that requires a regular cartridge change gets expensive to operate. An AquaClear filter uses sponges that last for many years. They may cost a little more to buy initially but you will more than save the difference by not having to replace filter elements on a regular basis.
The fish looks ok, but has a what appears to be a damaged dorsal fin.