Platy clamping fins

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AquariumFreek

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Messages
55
hi

ive just recently noticed one of my female platys is clamping her fins and chasing around the other females. tank is cycled (20 gallons) ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate 20. ive had her for about 2 weeks now and she was perfectly fine before :( all the other fish seem fine.

just yesterday i moved the only male into a separate tank bc he was attacking the girls, could this be why shes so stressed?

she appears to be (very) pregnant. dark gravid spot and big belly, and shes just kinda hovering around the tank. does anyone have advice, or know whats wrong with her? thanks
 
It might be two things. Males are very persistent on females (I found one male and 3 females or more). Females and males have a pecking order but some do get carried away and have to be removed. Plenty of plants (even plastic), ornaments, etc help keep squabbles apart as a thought.

The clamping of fins could be parasites. Especially if with any flashing. Or could be something else. Is the fin clamping just before chasing or at feeding or all the time?
 
Hello Aqua...

Platys are medium sized fish and fast breeders given the right water conditions. Aggression can mean the fish are feeling crowded. I've kept Platys for several years and don't keep them in anything smaller than 45 gallons of water. Livebearing males are very territorial and females need lots of floating plants to avoid them. The tank is yours to keep, but small tanks call for very small fish. 20 gallons is too small for a Platy.

If 20 gallons is the best you can do, then remove and replace half the tank water twice weekly to at least keep the water conditions good.

B
 
oh wow, i didnt know they needed so much room. shes no longer clamping her fins or chasing the females, and ive just noticed some tiny fry swimming at the bottom. i put some terra cotta pots at the bottom for more hiding areas and they seem to be doing okay.

the other 3 girls are doing fine, is there a possibility she was giving birth and thats why she was so stressed?
 
Aqua...

Difficult to say. Keep the tank water especially clean and start feeding a little more and more often. I've found that will fed adult fish are much less likely to bother the fry.

B
 
You should add some salt, turn up the heat, and use an ick medicine such as Malachite Green/formalin, or Clout.
 
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