platys and ph problem

[cacica]

Hi I,m new to the forum.
Have a community tank 20G and trying to get platys to breed. they seem to get fat but then die. Checked ph and it is above level that the tester will read. have gone through half a bottle of ph down (250ml bottle) over the last 2 weeks and still reads too high for test. Have also checked the KH and GH which are both acceptable. Tap water is also high ph. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[gabysapha]

Hi I,m new to the forum.
Have a community tank 20G and trying to get platys to breed. they seem to get fat but then die. Checked ph and it is above level that the tester will read. have gone through half a bottle of ph down (250ml bottle) over the last 2 weeks and still reads too high for test. Have also checked the KH and GH which are both acceptable. Tap water is also high ph. Any ideas?
Thanks

Welcome.

First slow down, why are you using ph down chemicals for? Those can destabilize your water, and changes in ph can be deadly. It's better to have a stable high ph than a swinging ph. I have never had ph down recommended to me, and my ph is 8.6. They generally should not be used unless you really know what you're doing

Have you researched platties? They do fine in alkaline water. I breed mine in ph 8.6.

There is nothing wrong with ph being above what your test kit can read. Get an API test kit for high pH.
What test kit are you using anyway?

How long has the tank been set up? What is the water quality? Are you good with water changes? What other fish do you have? Tere are many reasons why fish die, and high ph is very likely NOT going to kill your fish. Ph that swings definitely can.

 

[cacica]

mentioned the problem of the fish getting pregnant then dying to the guy at the Aquarium Services store. He said maybe the ph is off. Tank has been set up for years and I never checked any levels until now. I have a sailfin pleco, some panda cory cats, couple assorted tetras and 5 or 6 platys. Other fish are fine but seems that the platys get big, go pale, then die. The water for is from a softenner so maybe the small amount of salt that is in the water has built up over time.

 

[gabysapha]

mentioned the problem of the fish getting pregnant then dying to the guy at the Aquarium Services store. He said maybe the ph is off. Tank has been set up for years and I never checked any levels until now. I have a sailfin pleco, some panda cory cats, couple assorted tetras and 5 or 6 platys. Other fish are fine but seems that the platys get big, go pale, then die. The water for is from a softenner so maybe the small amount of salt that is in the water has built up over time.

Ok then what do you think the ph is right now?

 

[gabysapha]

mentioned the problem of the fish getting pregnant then dying to the guy at the Aquarium Services store. He said maybe the ph is off. Tank has been set up for years and I never checked any levels until now. I have a sailfin pleco, some panda cory cats, couple assorted tetras and 5 or 6 platys. Other fish are fine but seems that the platys get big, go pale, then die. The water for is from a softenner so maybe the small amount of salt that is in the water has built up over time.

You have never checked for ammonia before? Start with that. The dude at the stores can do it for you. I don't think we should assume it's ph when it could be something more toxic and more problematic.
I dunno about the salt, platties appreciate a little salt and cories are very sensitive to it, so if you had a lot of salt I think the cories would Not be doing well.

What do you mean by platties getting big? What are you feeding them? Are they bloated? Are you feedig them veggies? Are they pregnant? Are they female/male? Is it dropsy? A parasite?

If ph is very high, like 9+, then we can be wary of ph. If it's not that high I think platties are ok. They like it a little alkaline and hard, as I have mentioned i keep and breed them in 8.6 and that is considered quite high. They have no problems.

 

[cacica]

Correct, I have never checked for amonia but have had the tank going for years with no problems. the ph kit only tests up to 7.6 so I'll need a high ph test kit to know the exact level. That said I just saw a single fry swimming around the bottom plants (plastic) so maybe the water is OK.
? There are 3 females that look pregnant, one is very large. When they give birth is it 1 at a time for several days or do they all happen around the same time. Reason I ask is that they all still look the same size and I only saw 1 fry.
thx

 

[cacica]

sorry forgot to mention. I feed them omega one flakes and occasionally dried blood worms and they also pick at the shrimp pellets that I feed to the bottom feeders.
What veggies do you feed and how do you prep them?
thx

 

[cacica]

here's a pic (if it works)

 

[gabysapha]

here's a pic (if it works)

Oh wow she is enormous.

I raise platties so I'll give you my experience.

Have you researched platties at all? They certainly eat veggies in the wild and I think veggies are very important in the aquarium. Mine love zucchini. I blanch it, let it cool, and then stick a fork through it to help it sink. They love it. Deshelled peas, lettuce...

My platties have never looked THAT big when giving birth. So as I said before, they may not be pregnant. There are so many factors that can make a fish swell like that.
My first concern is water quality. Test for everything and do water changes if the water quality is not perfect.
2nd is bloodworms. Particularly freezedried. The thing about freezedried is that they absorb water in the gut and expand, which causes bloating (research bloating). And since they are very fatty they also cause constipation. You really need to give fish fiber, like deshelled peas, if you feed freezedried bloodworms. I have a whole container of freezedried bloodworms that is almost new- i stopped feeding them to my fish after I noticed them getting bloated and swelling, not pooping well, and just not doing well in general. I won't use freezedried again.

So after checking on water quality, i would stop using bloodworms and offer veggies to your fish daily and see if that helps.

It could also be a parasite that is making your fish swell. Are they acting normally? How is their poop?

As far as fry goes, they usually drop 5-10 or more per drop. Mine drop once and then drop again 4 weeks later, continuously. The reason you are seeing one fry is probably because they, or the other fish in the tank, ate them. Yes, they love fry. If you offer lots of hiding spots in your tank where adult fish can't reach the fry, you will probably have a few survivors.

 

[gabysapha]

Forgot to mention: platties WILL shrink after giving birth to a bunch of fry. The fact that your are not shrinking is a cause of concern. Let's not think about their pregnancy until we get water quality and diet perfect. Only then will it be worth trying to breed them, because if they are in better condition they will give birth to more fry, and healthier fry that may survive to adulthood.

 

[cacica]

thanks that was a lot of good information. I actually hardly give them any dried bloodworms. I have a container that has been around for a long time. When there were fry in the tank I would occasionally disolve a small amount in water then mush it up to it looked like cloudy water with a few bigger pcs. That said I don't think the bloating is from them. The fish seem to act normally so I just assumed that she was pregnant. How do I determine if it is a parasite and what do i do if it is?
Thanks again for your last reply.
I'll try to get some better pics as well.

 

[gabysapha]

thanks that was a lot of good information. I actually hardly give them any dried bloodworms. I have a container that has been around for a long time. When there were fry in the tank I would occasionally disolve a small amount in water then mush it up to it looked like cloudy water with a few bigger pcs. That said I don't think the bloating is from them. The fish seem to act normally so I just assumed that she was pregnant. How do I determine if it is a parasite and what do i do if it is?
Thanks again for your last reply.
I'll try to get some better pics as well.

Well let's not think about parasites until you give them veggies. Give them whatever is in your vegetable drawer haha! Just soften it through blanching and they'll probably pick at it. Zucchini is best!

Fry will eat powdered flake food or things of similar size. I think the bloodworms would be too big even if they are mushy. Try finely crushing flakes next time.

Have you got the water quality sorted out? All levels should be zero but nitrates 0-10.

 

[cacica]

Thanks Again,
I will have to get the water tested at the store. Will start giving them veggies too..

 

[gabysapha]

Thanks Again,
I will have to get the water tested at the store. Will start giving them veggies too..

Yaaaay! You're welcome. And if your ph ends up high like mine, we can start a club