What is going on?

[Copachick]

I've had aquariums and platys for quite some time, and Ive never seen anything like it. Ill try to give a quick background history.

I have a 36 gallon. Beggining of this year, we had our first big tank emergency. We had a case of ick, and something else and we lost majority of our platys to it. Over the course of a couple months we were left with just one platy. We had the tank under control and everything has been great since. The one platy does nothing but hide in our big tall cave. 24/7. She will not under any circumstances come out when the light is on. She comes out when its feeding time. And she doesnt eat with the rest of them. When she sees the food fall, she will dart out and catch bites here and there. SOMETIMES she comes out and makes her rounds and eat then she darts back in the cave. When she sees me or anyone in the room, she wont come out. BUT... when the light is off in the evening and night, she will come out, and sleep in the open with everyone else.
She has had a few sets of babies also (I guess she was holding for months because we havent had males in there in a very long time) And we have the babies in there with her allgrown up.

Its just so weird. Shes still HUGE and fat like she always was. Shes healthy, eats, etc. She just LIVES in that cave.

Any ideas?

 

[nereksnad]

greetings.

my 5 cents is that she doesn't feel comfortable being alone, many fish are more comfortable in groups. when the fry gets to be in the tank it sould get better.

sincerely,
nereksnad.

 

[Copachick]

I use to think that there was a possibility that she was tramatized by what happened. All of a sudden she was left alone because veryone else had passed on, even her twin. We bought them together and they were the only two left after the tank emergency. After her twin passed away she went into hiding. We have other platys with her now and some neons and a catfish. Nothing out of the ordinary.. and she isnt alone anymore. She still acts scared to death to come out. But shes still HUGE like she eats all day every day. She pops out quickly to eat t hen goes back in. When the lights are off she will come out and pick at the bottom like the rest and eat the algae. Its just when that light is on she wont come out. Totally strange.

 

[nereksnad]

the only thing i can think of is that she hasn't been "accepted" into the group of platies yet, did you add the new platies while you added the other fish?

sincerely,
nereksnad.

 

[Copachick]

greetings!
Well there has been many almost full grown platy in there. I think there is 5 or 6 that run around. They are pretty big now. I figure maybe she would start hanging out with them. None of them go in the cave and play around. Maybe they know thats her home now lol

 

[Copachick]

the only thing i can think of is that she hasn't been "accepted" into the group of platies yet, did you add the new platies while you added the other fish?

sincerely,
nereksnad.

Well the other fish were already in there(along with the last platy). Surprisingly the neons and cardinals were strong through the crises. The younger platies were being raised in a 10 gallon (they were born in our 75 gallon) so when they got big enough in the 10, we transferred them to the 36 to grow up.

 

[Tippytrampoline]

Maybe put some floating plants in to diffuse the light a little. I had to do that with my German Blue Ram until he got more comfortable. It took a few weeks, but I no longer have hanging plants, and whenever I walk into the room he comes to say hello, and even swims to the top of the water column during feeding time, which he never used to do.

 

[Copachick]

Maybe put some floating plants in to diffuse the light a little. I had to do that with my German Blue Ram until he got more comfortable. It took a few weeks, but I no longer have hanging plants, and whenever I walk into the room he comes to say hello, and even swims to the top of the water column during feeding time, which he never used to do.

Shes been in that tank with the same everything,(lighting, plants etc) for over a year. Shes never been scared of the light. Shes just scared now. I dunno?