missbrandi808

Hi All!

I'm new to the site and have a couple of rookie questions:

1. How many Mickey Mouse Platys should I place in one 2.5 gal tank? (I have 4 altogether)

2. What happens if I put all 4 in the same 2.5 gal tank till I get a bigger one?

3. Is it normal for them to just "hover" at the bottom and not swim around?

4. The other day one of the platys kept shaking their body like when you shake your head, and was also darting to the bottom of the tank at angle then going upwards as if to "sweep" the gravel. Is that a sign of something?

Sorry for all the questions, these are the first fish I actually had to take care of by myself lol.

Austin {Aquarist}

hey missbrandi I haven't posted in a while and I figure I could help you out

1. personally I wouldn't put any platys in a 2.5 gallon tank I think it is inhumane to put fish in such a small space. For temporary use (a couple of days) I think it would be ok if you had good aeration.

2. Like I said before if it is for a very short time it would probly be fine but long term it would be very inhumane not to mention unsafe for the fishies D:

3. if they do this all day I wouldn't think it would be normal but my fish do this sometimes but if they do it a lot I would persue this problem

4. to tell you the truth I really dont know ahha sorry :[

hope I was helpful but I would also wait for another fishlorian(hehe) to answer these questions to get a second opinion as I am only 15 and dont have as much experience with fish as many of the other people here do

ShaynaB

Hi,

Your tank is WAY overstocked! I'd suggest taking the fish back or getting a larger tank ASAP!

Did you cycle your tank before you put them in? How often do you change the water??

Welcome to FishLore!

capekate

Hello MissBrandi and welcome to fishlore, you have come to the right place for caring advice without judgement on your inexperience in fishkeeping.

As you have already been advised in above posts, your tank is way over stocked. I really hope that you have plans very soon for a larger tank, or even better, to return the platies til you have the right size tank and that you are able to cycle it first before adding fish.
Keeping fish is a wonderful hobby as we can all agree on and if you can learn about the nitrogen cycle and the care of your fish, you will be that much more able to enjoy it.
You will want to do daily water changes til your tank cycles to keep the toxin levels down in your tank. That is the ammonia from waste, and nitrites which both need to be at zero for a healthy tank of fish.
If your fish are scraping at the gravel as you described, they may be feeling the effects of the water quality or you may have the beginnings of ICH, which looks like small salt flakes on the fishes body which causes them to try to scratch the ich off, such as rubbing against the gravel etc. I suspect that they are in a tank with a fair amount of ammonia level which will also affect the health of your fish very quickly.
My advise would be to return the fish to the fish store, and save up for a larger tank that you can cycle properly and have enough room for your choice of fish to keep.
I really hope this does not sound harsh, as I am not trying to be mean. Just pointing out some facts that will help you to enjoy this wonderful hobby.
Good luck.. and dont feel that you ask too many questions, as this is a great place to learn and there are many folks here willing to help you.

missbrandi808

Thanks all!

The 2.5 gal tank is only temporary until Friday when the 55 (50?) gal tank is done being set-up (need to get a few more things for it). I only have 1 one for now in the 2.5, the rest are in a friends tank and will be coming later this week. Didn't want to have all 4 squished in one little tank! As for the one that was swimming oddly, I checked the tank that he shares with the other 2, they all look and are swimming "normally".

Thanks again for all your help!

Alessa

the most important thing is do you know about the nitrogen cycle? are you doing daily 50% water changes until you get the bigger tank?

the nitrogen cycle is like this:
fish produce waste,
waste becomes ammonia,
ammonia will kill fish as it rises,
when the ammonia has been there enough time bacteria will decompose it into nitrites,
the fish that weren't killed by ammonia, can be killed by nitrite...
when nitrite has been there long enough,
it will decompose into nitrates.
nitrates arent deadly in low quantities,
which can be controlled by regular 25% water changes

once in your test kit Ammonia and Nitrite rise and drop to 0 and nitrates are rising your tank is safe for fish.
The only way you can protect your fish in any new tank is doing 50% water changes daily and testing with your test kit till its cycled... or adding Tetra Safe Start...

sorry for the long post (and if you already knew this) but i think i'd rather make sure....

Welcome To Fishlore

missbrandi808

Thanks Alessa!

Did the test, and have been doing the water changing. I've been reading a lot of the posts on here as well as other sites, and am getting a better idea of the nitrogen cycle. Can't wait for the bigger tank to be completed. Had to get a better filter for it because the one I was given with the tank, wasn't doing such a good job . Don't think i'll be adding any more than fish to the bigger tank. I think i'll just stick to the 4 for awhile.

Any thoughts about feeding them bloodworms? Yes? No? If yes, what kind? and How much?

steveangela1

the 2.5 should be okay for a very temp place, however I would keep my eye on the water quality.
Is the 55g cycled? Its really harsh on fish to be put in an uncyccled tank.
Bloodworms should be okay, I would make it an every two or three day thing w/ them and only a little bit (couple worms per fish). My mil gives her mollies bloodworms, the freeze dryed ones are ok, or the frozen (thaw them in a plastic cup w/ tank water first).

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

I like Hikari brand bloodworms. Frozen or freeze-dried (soak them in tank water, vita-chem or garlic guard before feeding them to the fish).

platy ben

answer to number 4

4. The fish has an itch, they will try and shake the itch away first and then they will quickly but lightly rub it against a rock or something in the tank, its normal so dont worry.