Platy sitting on bottom of tank

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cafrederick

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
3
Hi guys, I'm new to the forum here.
10 gallon tank, have had fish for 6 months +.
Inhabitants:
2 otocinclus
1 red nose rummy
2 neon tetras
3 female platy
2 platy fry 2 weeks old in mesh breeder
- I understand some of these are schooling fish, we had some casualties a few months ago and live several hours from a pet store, when we've went to buy more they've either been in quarantine or haven't had any. But I will be buying more to keep them in a school once we get the opportunity.
Sorrry I do not have a water testing kit. Tested the water at store and was ideal conditions they told me.
I only use RO water for water changes. The last time I cleaned the tank and vacuumed etc was one week ago. Also did a 50% water change. I also add about 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salt and 5 ml of bacteria supplement. I do this once a month. I recently got rid of two males that seem to have gotten my whole tank pregnant. When I cleaned the tank we discovered it was absolutely full of hundreds of fish eggs. Upon cleaning, the fish eggs caused the entire tank to turn a dark black grey colour, this has never happened before (but I've never had fish eggs before). After cleaning and letting the filter clean, the tank became clear water again. 4 days ago one of the tetras died, upon inspection his gills looked inflamed and wider than usual, his back scales did not seem to have much texture, very smooth. We assumed it was because of the dirty water the fish eggs caused.

Anyway, my main concern right now is this:
The platy has been laying on the bottom like this for about two weeks. She was pregnant and gave birth to her fry, the ones that survived are in a breeder. I did not get the breeder in time and found the two babies in the tank later on and transferred them to the breeeder, that's why there is only two. After giving birth she has been laying on the bottom, not sideways, but she will position herself so she can lean against the rocks. The rest of the fish seem perfectly fine. Is she just resting? This is very unusual for her, we've had her for about 6 months. She was harassed constantly by the males and that's why I got rid of them, they have been gone for about a month now.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

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If it's just the mama, then she probably is just recovering. Birthing isn't as hard for fish as it is for mammals, but it still does cause major body changes.
 
Straight RO water is too pure. Any reason you can't use tap water ?

You can get a remineralizing agent like Seachem Equalibrium. If you prefer to use straight RO.


https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116044301-Equilibrium-600gram/dp/B0006JLVX0

I've used Tap + RO for my Shrimp tank to keep TDS low.

And IME it is not normal for a Platy to stay on the bottom. Very bad sign.

Can you post a pic of your whole tank ?
Is that just white gravel on the bottom ?

What is the Temperature of the tank ?

And lastly I would say get a testing kit ASAP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...-1&keywords=water+test+aquarium&pi=SX200_QL40

This is an old pic of one of my 10g
IMG_1476857929.870248.jpg
 
Don't add any more fish. 10g is not a big tank. Platies I think, should be in 20g or bigger.
Or only keep 2-3 Platies and nothing else.

I prefer to stock with tiny fish. Neons are about the biggest I'll use.

Rummynose def need at least a 20Long. They get 2" and need room to swim. Plus they are very sensitive and should never be in a new tank. Not blaming you. We all started out somewhere.

Rehome the Platies might be your best bet. Or only keep 2.

Or buy a bigger tank and use the 10g as a quarantine tank for new fish.

Don't mean to bash you or your choices.
Most pet stores don't give great advice.

You can use AquAdvisor for help knowing how to stock your tank. It isn't perfect, but it's a good starting point.
 
Thanks everyone for the help. To answer the questions, tank temp is at 78, slightly warmer than I had before for the babies. This is not a new tank, the tank has been up and running for 6months and we introduced the red nose rummy 3 months ago. Yes that is just white gravel on the bottom of the tank - why is that a concern?
The reason I use RO water is because we live on a farm, our house collects rain water into a cistern, therefore we never really know what is in the water. So we use purchased RO water for the tank to ensure its safety for the fish. I have mineral stones that I filter the water with before adding to the tank. There is also a moss ball in the back of the tank.
Update: platy is now swimming about normally, but mostly hangs out at the surface of the water now. Platy fry are growing and looking good.
 
The platy might have the crooked spine disease. Check if it has a hump on its back and a straight belly. If yes then its probably going to die. It is contagious and very deadly to female breeders.
 
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