Platy Discoloration

[subtle]

I have a platy that is extremely extremely pale, almost sickening to look at actually. She won't eat either. She is half actively swimming and half sitting around the bottom in one place.

I can't find anything online about a disease with these symptoms combined while all four other fish are healthy and happy.

My water tests are also completely normal. No ammonia, nitrites, etc. My pH level is a steady 8.0. My nitrates have some rising to do, they're around 5.0ppm but I really don't think that's what's making her sick.

Any ideas?

 

[Zagz]

How often do you do water changes and when was the last time you did one? Is there anything new to the tank or could anything have gotten in the tank? Do you know how old she is?

What size tank and what other tankmates? Does she breathe rapidly and her gills move quickly? Is there any whitish cottony fuzz on her?

 

[subtle]

I do water changes every two to two and a half weeks and I last did one on the 25th of July.

The only thing new is a breeding net which is holding babies, but it has been in there for several weeks. There was a batch of new babies that I missed and I found only one survivor but they're not her fry. Nothing else new, and the lid is never open unless I'm feeding and any other opening is taped off because I have loaches.

Tankmates are a female red wag platy, a female (very very aggressive) yellow-ish platy, a four inch golden dojo loach, and a five inch weather loach.

After a run-in with the aggressive female over a shrimp pellet, I noticed she had blood on her mouth two days ago but now it's gone.

Rapid breathing and gill movement is present but only when she's sitting at the bottom. When she's swimming normally her breathing is normal.

And as I'm typing now she's being chased occasionally, along with the red wag platy, by the aggressive platy. The ill fish is very uncoordinated and is bumping into everything.

 

[Alaris]

Do you have another tank or a QT to put the sick platy in? I don't think she's going to heal (with whatever she has) with the 2 other platies chasing her.

I'm sorry about your fish.

 

[subtle]

Yeah I have a bowl I could put her in.

What's the best way to siphon gravel from a bowl? Should I get a smaller vacuum or is there a way around it?

My biggest concern is that she won't eat. That's a sure sign of disease but I can't find anything that her symptoms are leading to.

 

[subtle]

Well she died today. I still don't know what was wrong with her.

I dropped food above her when she was breathing at the surface last night and she actually ate it so I don't know what's going on there.

I'm just assuming she got sick or something and my aggressive female did not help at all. I think I'm going to get a new fish to keep my platies in threes.

Do you think if I get a male, the female won't be so aggressive?

Thanks for the help everyone, but her sickness just didn't seem identifiable even through ruthless searching over the internet. Her symptoms didn't add up to anything.

 

[Zagz]

Sorry for your loss. A male might help your situation but it may turn the tables on the female. The male may harass her to death. You could return the aggressive female and get a different female.