popopola

20 Gallon
Temperature - 80 degrees F
6 platy's

I have 1 red platy and she was swimming fine yesterday all healthy. I did my weekly water change of about 25 % and today my red platy has sort of a curved spine and is swimming strange. It stays near the heater but my other platy's look very healthy and are swimming around my tank.

I don't have an ammonia, nitrate/nitrite tester, but my pH is 7.1

After reading about my platy's symptoms, it looks like she's going to die... =(
is there any thing I can do to save her? and if I can't, what can I do to prevent it from spreading to my other platy's?

Lucy

Hi welcome to Fish Lore.

If you could fill in your aquarium info, it'll help the members help you. You can edit at the top of the page under My Settings.

I'm sorry your platy isn't feeling well.
You might want to move her to a quarantine tank in case what she has in contagious.
With out knowing your readings, it's hard to advise.
How long has the tank been up and running with fish?
It would be a good idea to get a test kit. I like the API master kit, it's very reliable and more accurate than the strips. In the long run it's less costly also.

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful. Perhaps one of the other members will have some ideas.

Good luck, I hope she feels better soon.

popopola

well, I'm really new to this aquarium hobby

I would say, about a 3 weeks ago I did about a 90% water change. (I had a snail problem so I just cleaned out the whole tank) I didn't know you're not supposed to do that and as a result my tank was not cycled but I decided to add my platy's anyways.

When I realized my fish weren't swimming like they used to, I read up online all about cycling your tank, so I learned my lesson. I just added salt to the tank and the fish seemed to slowly swim normally.

After 2 weeks, I got some driftwood, boiled it and put it into my tank and just 3 day's ago I got live plants and planted them into my tank. I have bubbles for water movement and now my fish seem to be very happy and healthy

It's just my 1 red platy that was looking really good yesterday but now has a slightly curved back. I don't know what to do now.

Thanks for the advice Lucy, I should buy a test kit. Sorry I cannot supply you with any information. All I have is a pH tester.

Lucy

Wouldn't it be nice if stores told us about cycling? It sure would make things easier wouldn't it?

Your welcome, I know I wasn't much help. For now put her in a QT
until you can do some more research or someone else has any ideas.

capekate

If your platy has TB its most likely it started at the LFS. As when the spine starts to curve, its had it for awhile. But sometimes a poor diet will give the same results. I noticed your temp is at 80* I would lower it a bit as the highest range for Platy is around 79* preferably around 77* is best for these guys. Your PH range is great.. you wouldnt want it to go lower.
I have a Australian Rainbow that has scoliosis of the spine. It is now over a year old and doing fine, just looks funny. It got very thin and I thought it was going to die, I put it in a QT tank for a few months, being afraid that it was TB and that it would affect the other fish, but it lived and thrived and so I put it back in the main tank. Its been fine ever since and doesnt seem to be affected by its bent spine and the other fish are all fine. Yours may do fine as well..
Best of luck with it.

popopola

wow

I did a water change last night before I went to sleep and when I woke up the next morning my red platy is swimming healthy again! Her back seems straight again like my other platy's

I have no idea what happened, but capekate it's interesting that if my fish had TB it should have had it for a while...

I'll closely monitor her. Thanks for your advice!

Lucy

I'm so glad she's feeling better!
It would be a good idea to have your water checked today.

capekate

Great, glad to hear she is doing fine now. Its obviously not fish TB if her back went to straight again in one day. Once they have scoliosis of the spine, it doesnt repair itself. So it must have been something else. Whatever it was.. at least she is doing well now and that is the main thing.
Best of luck with her....