Yemminie

Hello!

I've got a 10 gal with 2 adult female platies, and 1 juvenile female platy. I started out with 2 adult females and a male, and the females were pregnant when I got them. After several rounds of babies, I ended up with platies coming out of my ears, and I simply didn't have room for them. So I gave nearly all of them away, except for the 2 original females, my favorite one of their biggest female babies, and the 3 smallest babies in the fry tank. (So now I've got 3 in the 10 gal and 3 little ones + a snail in a 3 gal.) The original male was sent away to live with some of the biggest fry at an elementary school. Anyway, ever since the male was sent off, the 2 adult females haven't been acting as they used to. They used to dart happily around the tank, and now they just hover together in a bottom back corner of the tank. When I do water changes, they completely freak out, and they didn't used to. I mean, freak out to the point where they start throwing themselves at the gravel trying to escape. The young female is acting just fine. She acts pretty much like the others used to. The only time the 2 adults come out is when I feed them in the morning. They've been like this for the past couple of weeks.

The water in the tank is a little bit cloudy, and water changes don't seem to help with it. It's been like that pretty much since I had nearly all the growing fry in there with them (too many for the 3 gal!) and ended up with an overstocking problem until I gave them away. I thought it would clear up, but a bit of cloudiness has persisted. I've also got some algae growing - some green and some rust colored. I've checked the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels, and they are all fine. 0 for the first 2, 5-10 ppm for the nitrates. The planaria that I had in spades several months ago seem to have all gone, so I think the water quality is fine. The light that I have in the tank is obnoxiously loud, and I worry that that might be causing some of their distress, as it makes a nearly constant deafening buzz. But the young one seems unaffected, and it didn't used to bother them. Also, I've looked the 2 depressed platies over, and they don't appear to be ill.

Any ideas about what's going on and how I can get them back to their happy platy selves? Do they need a male in their lives to be totally happy? Could it be that they are lonely, or is it more likely to be the water? I'm about to move the last 3 fry + my snail back in with them, as they are plenty big enough not to get eaten now, so maybe that will help give them some company? Should I go out and get another adult female?

I'd really appreciate any input, because I want to have happy fish. Thank you!

COBettaCouple

well.. platys are funny little fish and i think the most likely cause of their stress is the light. it could be giving off an electrical field that's affecting them. i'd replace that asap (or fix it, if you're electrically inclined) as it could be a sign of bigger problems to come, such as sparks, etc. it may not lead to anything, but i'd play it safe with electrical devices.

there's also a chance that they need a 3rd adult size platy and a female platy of their type, the biggest one at the store, may help with that. It's a wildshot guess though and bringing home a female does give you a possibility of more fry.

0morrokh

Platys all have very different personalities. Some are very tame while others are more shy. If the male was the confident leader of the group, then by removing him the females now feel leaderless, I guess. Kind of like they need a dither, in the form of a more confident Platy. It's just a theory, of course. If I am right then getting another Platy may or may not help, depending on the personality of the new one.

It's also possible they're actually depressed because they miss their friend. I know it happens to Bettas a lot but I haven't had enough experience with Platys to know whether they experience depression.

I agree to replace the light, but since only the two older females seem affected, it seems unlikely that this is the cause of the problem...

Yemminie

Thank you for your replies! I don't think the light is giving off any electrical fields or anything, since the noise is coming from the bulb vibrating in its frame. If I turn the whole thing over, it's silent, and I can't figure out how to secure it more tightly when it's turned back the correct way. I'm definitely going to have to get a new one, because I have to turn it off whenever I'm home, because the noise drives me to distraction. Perhaps the older ones are more sensitive to the vibrations.

I might also have to try another adult platy, because I hate to see how bummed they're acting. I will try the three other fry that I have first though, since one of them is getting pretty big now. If loneliness/shyness is their problem, then I totally underestimated them! I mean, I know fish are social, but I didn't think their memories were especially good, so I thought removing one of the original 3 wouldn't cause any lasting trauma. Live and learn!

Anyway, thanks for the input! Now I'll see about cheering them up!

0morrokh

Fish have very good memories. They are way more intelligent than most people realize.

Let us know if they perk up after trashing that bulb.

COBettaCouple

it does seem strange that the myth of a "4 second" memory for fish got started. From observing our fish, they seem to be able to remember for weeks, even months.

best of luck with them, we look forward to hearing they've perked up.

jack11

I belevie that the rumour was started to justify keeping goldish in tiny unfiltere bowls so people can say, "oh its only got a four second memory so by the time its swam around the bowl once its like its in a whole new place." Also they proved this myth on the tv show mythbusters by teaching goldfish to pass through a maze.

Jack

COBettaCouple

yea.. so many lies to sell animals and justify wrong care methods.

Yemminie

Here's the update so far: last night I moved the last 3 fry from the fry tank to the main tank, so now there are the 2 adult platies, 2 larger fry (just under an inch), and 2 fry that don't seem to have grown much at all in the last couple of months, plus an apple snail. Since there are no more fry in the fry tank, I took the lid off that tank, and perched it over the hood of the big tank, and turned the light on. It's still pretty dim in there, since the light is small, but it's completely silent, so it's an improvement, and I'm about to head off to the LFS for a bigger light. I am already seeing a difference in the adults. I've seen them out and about swimming around the tank more today than I have in weeks. So maybe it's the added company, but I suspect it was the light. They still hide when I wander over to the tank, but I'm starting to think that they associate me being near the tank with the buzzing light getting turned on. Poor things!

0morrokh

Glad to hear the Platys are doing better. That light must have been what was bothering them.

Yeah, they've proven Goldies to have a memory of many months or years (I don't remember the exact number).

Yemminie

Final update: I now have a brand new SILENT light (I swear, it's a miracle - I knew the old one was bad, but the difference is incredible! Amazing what you can get used to!), and the platys are having a little platy party. I think if I look closely enough, I'll see tiny party hats and streamers. They are all over the tank, and it's wonderful to see them come out of hiding. Thanks for all your help!

COBettaCouple

great! we're glad to hear the platys are happy.. don't let them party too late though or they'll trash the tank!