janiskfp

Can anyone help me diagnose ? (I don't know how I caught her with a bubble hanging on her poo. Did she fart?)

About a week ago she had dropsy, or was just hyper bloated including her scales. The Maracyn & Maracyn 2 solved that in a day, or something did. 2 days ago the whiteness turned into fleshy bumps that turned white. By the next day, with temp increasing (now at 86.5-ish), Coppersafe, Maracyn and Maracyn 2, 1t Aq. salt/gal, it started looking like it did before, smooth still white, but worse.

Her gills don't look bright red to me, but they look like they take up more of her head. Her guts don't look healthy, either. Dark. They have been since her, uh, swelling went down and I could see it.

I think her behavior is OK, but it's a two-minute video, so you be the judge.

Physically she looks like to me. She eats just fine. Seems actually hungrier than usual.

2 25% water changes per day, medication mathed out and in the water changes. Cu @ 2.0 She's got a sponge filter in her 1.25 gal hospital jar.

I'm not necessarily looking for advice on what to do, I'd just like to identify whatever it is she's got, but I'll take input on both subjects.

Add: I want to be humane. If clove oil or a whack on the head would be best for her, I wouldn't be surprised.

Thanks so much for taking the time.

pepetj

First of all, it is my impression that that bubble is likely from the tank. You can see small bubbles in your heater and Sponge filter so I figure her string of feces just caught one bubble from the water column or one attached to any surface.

She looks bloated but I don't see the pine-cone symptom there (lifted scales). If it were dropsy it is more likely than not that your Platy would be dead by now. Why are you using so many meds? If you suspect bacterial infection then using wide range gamm negative and positive antibiotics make sense but raising temp is not a good idea since it will speed up bacterial growth and decrease the chances of Maracyn and Maracyn2 to work. I would set the temp at 74F (adjust slowly if you're going to do this).

Raising temp, extra aeration and adding salt usually is effective against some external parasites, like ick.

Coppersafe... well, I have no idea why use compounds with copper or external parasites meds if you don't know what you are treating for since it's obviously not ick or any other external parasites.

Judging from the color of her feces (not white) my suspiciousness for internal gastrointestinal parasites decreases and constipation becomes my primary suspect. She might be improving since there's gastrointestinal motility going on.

As for inspecting the color of her gills, you would need to manipulate your fish to observe it clearly (which I strongly don't recommend, only my vet is allowed to do that).

Hope she makes it. What are you feeding her? I would use spirulina to boost her inmune system (being a Platy, low protein high veggie diet is indeed better).

Her behavior so far seems healthy.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

aquarist48

Hello Janis. Sorry to hear that your fish is ill. From your description she seems to be improving. Personally I wouldn't give up on her just yet.
Best wishes.
Ken

janiskfp

It's the funky white on her scales that is bugging me. I really thought it looked like ICH, and acted like Ich. But then it morphed, so I didn't know what it was.

For Ich: 86 degrees, 1t+ aq. salt/gal
If it's not Ich: CopperSafe
For mystery bacteria or 2ndary infect.: Maracyn + Maracyn 2 (slight overdose trying to measure for 1 gal)

Yeah, the fart thing was just me being goofy, but I got a chance to show her poo for diagnosing, and the bubble held it up so nicely for display.

I'm feeding her HBH Veggie Flake like I almost always do. I love the stuff for so many reasons. (There's my cockeyed idea that less protein means less nitrogen. Kids like to overfeed, and Platies like to eat. I like to think the veggie-heavy diet allows for more volume. It does with people.)

I think I might float a small cooked spinach leaf. The boys loved theirs, it got their bowels moving, and it might help me see whats going on with her poo. @pepetj, you really got me thinking. There isn't a reason for her poo to be so red/rusty colored. If the spinach leaf doesn't come out bright green, then I might look down another avenue, or just wait and see.

Today she looks much clearer, white-spot-wise. I think I can see where she might have scratched herself on her side, getting this whole thing started.

I sure appreciate the comment on the behavior! It's so hard to know how 1 platy in a tank will act, or 3, when all I see are about 100 in a huge tank @ the LFS.

(Yes, yes, I know, it's a Platy. A feeder. But I'm trying to show my DD how to take care, of a pet, or anything else.)

And thank you so much for your comments!