My Pineapple Swordtail has raised scales

[Darkseid76]

Hi guys, I'm new to these forums and here I am with questions! Well I'll try to provide as much info as possible. I have a 2 month old 55 gallon set up as freshwater. I'm just starting to get back into the hobby.

As the title says I'm worried about my pineapple swordtail(male). I purchased him with 2 female Red Wags about a week ago. He has a good
appetite but isnt very active. He just hangs out in a corner of the tank.

Water parameters are: ph 7.4, ammonia 0, temp 82 degrees F. I dont have a kit for nitrates and nitrites or hardness sadly so i dont have have those numbers. I will say that my tank is planted, (the water sprite is growing super fast!).

As for the inhabitants: 2 Platies, 1 guppy, 2 balloon mollies, 2 Sailfin Gold mollies, 2 Red Wag Swordtail females, 1 Green Swordtail female, 1 Painted Swordtail female, 1 Bamboo Shrimp, 1 black Mystery snail, and my super troopers 3 neon Tetras!!

So far I've been doing weekly partial water changes at around 15-20%. I'm also running two backside filters: an Aqueon CA55 and an AquaClear 50 which does 200gph.

Okay so any advice or helpful info will be highly appreciated!!

*Note- I've also added about 5 tablespoons of aquarium salt. I wouldve added more but I wanted to be mindful of my tetras and plants.

 

[BBradbury]

Pineapple Swordtail

Hi guys, I'm new to these forums and here I am with questions! Well I'll try to provide as much info as possible. I have a 2 month old 55 gallon set up as freshwater. I'm just starting to get back into the hobby.

As the title says I'm worried about my pineapple swordtail(male). I purchased him with 2 female Red Wags about a week ago. He has a good
appetite but isnt very active. He just hangs out in a corner of the tank.

Water parameters are: ph 7.4, ammonia 0, temp 82 degrees F. I dont have a kit for nitrates and nitrites or hardness sadly so i dont have have those numbers. I will say that my tank is planted, (the water sprite is growing super fast!).

As for the inhabitants: 2 Platies, 1 guppy, 2 balloon mollies, 2 Sailfin Gold mollies, 2 Red Wag Swordtail females, 1 Green Swordtail female, 1 Painted Swordtail female, 1 Bamboo Shrimp, 1 black Mystery snail, and my super troopers 3 neon Tetras!!

So far I've been doing weekly partial water changes at around 15-20%. I'm also running two backside filters: an Aqueon CA55 and an AquaClear 50 which does 200gph.

Okay so any advice or helpful info will be highly appreciated!!

*Note- I've also added about 5 tablespoons of aquarium salt. I wouldve added more but I wanted to be mindful of my tetras and plants.

Hello Dark...

Small water changes are not enough to keep pollutants from building up in your tank. That may be the reason your fish may be sick. You need to start an aggressive water change routine by removing and replacing at least half the water in the tank every week with pure, treated tap water.

Keep the temperature of the water in the low 80s until your fish get better, a couple of weeks will do. Then, lower the temp to around 76 degrees, but continue to do the large, weekly water changes.

I'll bet the combination of a lot of pure water flushed through the tank and a little warmth, will help.

Adding a little standard aquarium salt to your water change water is a good idea IMO. A teaspoon for every five gallons of water is plenty. More than that and you can damage your plants.

B

 

[Darkseid76]

Okay I guess I'll give larger water changes a try, but I wish i could nail down what is really ailing him. He's a great looking fish and I would hate to lose him. As of now he's resting on the bottom and I really and I really want to help him.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

to AA!

We really need to know your nitrites and nitrates.

Did you QT him before you got him?

It sounds like he has dropsy.

 

[lee1983]

it might be that you added too many fish too quickly with a new tank you need to stock gradually to help the tank develop its own little ecosystem a few fish every couple of weeks. see if you can buy any live bacteria for conditioning water at your lfs i only use that stuff now and swear by it(wife not happy about bottle of bacteria in the fridge) it conditions your water and adds the benifical bacteria fish need