New to Fishkeeping-Need some help with Platys!

[PlatyKeeper]

Hi

I put 4 Variatus Platys in my 5 gallon tank (Around 5 gallons) a couple of days ago. The tank has an ornament, a real plant and a fake one. It's also got a filter (Not too sure if it's a good one) and a thermometer. The 4 Platy seemed fine on the first day, apart from the biggest one chasing the rest. The next day the tank went all cloudy and I researched about this, and I discovered my tank had something called a bacterial bloom.

So I have a few questions to ask:

Is this bacterial bloom safe for the platys? I know it clears after a few days if the filters on but is it safe?

Also, the biggest platy is chasing two more. I think he's being a bully, but I can't do anything about it because I have nowhere to separate him to. What can I do about this, is it normal?

And finally, I'm not sure how much to feed them. I have some tropical fish flakes, and my local pet store told me to feed them once every other day, but I'm not sure how much to feed each fish, and how to make sure each fish gets the same amount. So how much should I feed them each and how can I make sure they get the same?

I'd really appreciate some answers as soon as possible as if I don't give my fish the right treatment they might die.

 

[fishyperson3010]

A 5 gallon isn't big enough for 4 platies

 

[Aqualady40]

I would upgrade to a bigger tank soon real soon....

 

[PlatyKeeper]

The people at the pet store recommended 4 platys. Apparently it's supposed to be 1 litre for each cm of fish, and they grow to about 6 cm, so it should be exactly right when they grow to a full size...

 

[_skyla_]

I agree you definitely need a bigger tank for those platies. At least a 10 gallon and you won't be able to add anything else though unless you go even larger. Platys are messy and quite heavy on the bioload and reproduce quickly if you have a male and female? If you cant get a bigger tank you could rehome/return them and opt for some nano fish or red cherry shrimp tank that would suit the 5g.
If you could get a larger tank for them and can keep them that would be great I love them their what I first started out with when I first got into tropical fish keeping so I have a soft spot for them, I have 2 females and about 8 fry.
Also you could use the 5g for the fry if you'd like to try raising the babies or a quarantine tank or nano fish if you wanted

 

[fishyperson3010]

The people at the pet store recommended 4 platys. Apparently it's supposed to be 1 litre for each cm of fish, and they grow to about 6 cm, so it should be exactly right when they grow to a full size...

That isn't a good rule

 

[PlatyKeeper]

Well, the platy I have now are quite young. Will they not be able to survive in a 5 gallon tank (not exactly 5 gallons, it's around 24 litres). Also what about this bacterial bloom? Is it dangerous? And how much should I feed them anyway because I don't know how much they eat (Please don't say a pinch)

 

[_skyla_]

The people at the pet store recommended 4 platys. Apparently it's supposed to be 1 litre for each cm of fish, and they grow to about 6 cm, so it should be exactly right when they grow to a full size...

No that's not right every fish is different and has specific requirements and energy levels. Don't listen to the advice the pet store give you without checking it out on here or researching first i saves you being in situations like this, they are only after a sale most times and dont really know what their doing its just a job to them. Not all though to be fair there are some very well educated and honest fish shop employees. I think most of us started off listening to what they said and making a ton of mistakes in the process. It's not your fault this happens

 

[fishyperson3010]

Well, the platy I have now are quite young. Will they not be able to survive in a 5 gallon tank (not exactly 5 gallons, it's around 24 litres). Also what about this bacterial bloom? Is it dangerous? And how much should I feed them anyway because I don't know how much they eat (Please don't say a pinch)

Have you ever heard of stunting? It is where the fish stops growing but it's internal organs continue growing.

 

[_skyla_]

Well, the platy I have now are quite young. Will they not be able to survive in a 5 gallon tank (not exactly 5 gallons, it's around 24 litres). Also what about this bacterial bloom? Is it dangerous? And how much should I feed them anyway because I don't know how much they eat (Please don't say a pinch)

They may survive but they won't thrive and be happy and reach there full potential.And your going to have some trouble keeping the water parameters in check, they produce a lot of waste and being in a small tank the water quality is going to get very poor very quickly and frequently.

 

[_skyla_]

Oh and in regards to the feeding a good rule of thumb is to feed only what your fish can consume all of within 5 minutes so give them little bits at a time untill you learn to know how much to feed you fish and how much they consume within the 5 minutes. If the food starts dropping to the bottom and there not eating it your putting to much in and the food waste with turn into ammonia and pollute the water. Like I said just a little at a time untill you get the hang of it. It's better to underfed as you can always add more but if you over feed you'll have issues.

 

[fishyperson3010]

Also did you cycle the tank

 

[_skyla_]

Also did you cycle the tank

Good question I was just wondering the same

 

[PlatyKeeper]

When you say cycle the tank, what exactly does that mean? I bought and added some live bacteria to the tank, not sure if that's what you mean though (As I said, I'm quite new to fishkeeping). Also with the feeding is this for the 4 platys I have?

 

[librarygirl]

Live bacteria doesn't often work; it's hard to keep bacteria viable in a bottle. I suspect with 4 platys in a 5 gal (way overstocked by the way) the ammonia levels are going to rise to toxic levels pretty fast. Here's a guide for you: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice and Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[PlatyKeeper]

Well its starting too get less cloudy. Does this mean the ammonia levels are dropping? (I can see all the way to the back of the tank now). Also, is this 1 litre per cm of fish not true? (The fish expert at my local pet store told me this and recommended 4 variatus platy fry). Also do I feed them once every other day, or can I like feed them every day? And 5 minutes seems a lot to consume everything. Say if I had half cm fish flakes, how many flakes would I put in the tank around to feed all of them, but not overfeed them?

 

[librarygirl]

The cloudiness of the tank isn't an indicator of toxins in the water; the tank could be crystal clear and still have high levels of ammonia. A test kit is the only way to know for sure. The 1" rule of stocking is out-dated as it doesn't take into account things like activity level, bioload, etc of the fish. Are these platy fry you have? if they are small babies that could be good as they aren't full-grown yet and won't produce as much ammonia however you should either try to upgrade tank size (15 gals at least I'd say) or return some of the fish within the next couple of months or so. If they are fry they need to eat more than adult fish. There's no magic number in terms of amount. Crush up a couple of flakes and watch them, see if they can consume it all in a few minutes. If not, you're overfeeding.

 

[PlatyKeeper]

I believe they are platy fry. I'm still wondering why the pet store recommended 4 platys. Thanks for the tip about the food though, I suppose I'll just have to get used to feeding them how much they seem to like. By the way, how often should I feed them (Like should I feed them twice a day, once a day, or every other day)?

 

[librarygirl]

Can you possibly post a pic of one of them so we can see the size? If they are indeed fry then they'll need to eat more often than adult fish; 2-3 times a day I'd say, but not sure. Maybe Google "platy fry care" and see what you get. If indeed they are fry. Fish will always act hungry and will eat when you feed them but too much food isn't good for fish. Again fry are exceptions; they should eat more often and their water should be kept very clean.

 

[PlatyKeeper]

Here you go. Sorry about the bad quality, I haven't got a good quality camera. In case you can't tell they are around 2-3cm long. I hope you can see it.