Platy - really thin with multiple symptoms

Hello everyone!

I have a 5.5 gallon tank that is a little over 6 months old with a mickey mouse platy, a balloon belly molly, and a female betta. The platy and molly are both males. There are no nitrites, minimal amounts of nitrates, and the pH seems to be about 7.5 (taken from a strip so kind of hard to tell, but it at least does not seem to be over 7.5).

The molly and the betta are both fine, but the platy has had some pretty rapidly progressing issues. He has a pretty curved head and back and is REALLY thin, so he is basically c-shaped now. He has lost coloration, is not as active, eats less and more slowly, and has some fin tearing. Granted, though, the fin tearing may be more of a wound than an illness - yesterday I could not find him and found him very well-lodged inside a small hollow section of one of my ornaments. Fortunately, I managed to break the ornament and get him out, but the fin damage may have been done from him lodging himself in there and trying to swim away from me when I found him inside it. Right now, since the betta in particular was attacking him quite a bit after he got really sick, I have him inside a breeder box. I have been alternating him and the betta inside the breeder box every so often, but the betta has gotten the bulk of the time since I know she can handle less space and water flow better. I know that this can cause some stress on both of them, but I'm trying to make sure that they're separated, he gets plenty of food, and he still gets some hiding spaces a good chunk of the time. However, I am more than happy to take some suggestions about this situation.

Just fyI - this fish was treated for ick about a month or two ago and has experienced some bullying on and off from his tank mates more recently.

I have a feeling that what he has is a bacterial infection (maybe TB?), intestinal parasites (maybe camallanus worms?), or just some kind of congenital issue, maybe sparked by some kind of stress like the ick or the more recent bullying, or just from him being a Petsmart fish.

So my questions are what does it sound like he could have based on the description? I already rush-order some Kanaplex in case it is TB. If it doesn't seem like something that Kanaplex could fix, what could I use and how can I make sure that I do my best to help him and keep my other fish from having the same problems? Also, with the Kanaplex, would it be dangerous for me to keep the other fish in the tank with him during treatment or should I keep them in in case they are also affected by it? I do know that a quarantine tank would be incredibly difficult for me to get (for a wide variety of reasons) so if the others do need to be removed from the tank they will be temporarily staying with a male betta (the female betta would be in the breeder box which I know is horrible, but it would probably be my safest bet without a quarantine tank) in another 5.5 gallon tank.

So sorry that this is so wordy - I'm really confused by all this!

 

Sounds like hes just falling apart. It happens, may be time for an ice water bath.....

 

Yeah I can't say that I'm surprised... At least I don't have to worry about my other fish though if it's just him. Thank you!

 

Welcome to Fishlore

I really suggest moving the platy and molly out of that tank as soon as possible. If you can't get a bigger tank (at least a 30g), I would look into rehoming them. The platy is probably facing these health issues and is stressed because of the betta attacking him. 5 gallon is way too small to house all those fish together and is really only suitable for the betta itself.

You may also want to get the API Freshwater Master Test Kit as those strips you have are unreliable. Your water conditions could be a factor in the platy's issues and could eventually affect your other fish.

 

Thank you!

I will see what I can do for the tank sizing issue... Fortunately (knock on wood) I haven't run into any major issues with the water quality, just the bullying with the betta. That actually didn't start until more recently - when the platy started really going downhill. Before that, she would chase him once every now and then but back off pretty quickly. I would like to find them a more ideal housing situation for them, though. Unfortunately though, I'm a student so I have major limitations in budget and space - technically I'm only allowed to have a fish in a bowl but there was no way I was going to do that. I will be back home in a couple weeks after the semester ends so hopefully I can find something to do with them then.

I have actually been planning on getting a test kit for a while, so thank you for the recommendation! I figured that I would be able to make it through this batch of test strips first but if you think that it would be a better idea to ditch the strips sooner then I can go find a kit ASAP.

 

Yes, I would get the test kit as soon as possible or if you know an LFS that uses the liquid test kit, I would ask them for the exact numbers and you can post them here. Having a reliable test kit would be the only way to ensure you don't have water quality issues. Platys and mollies are pretty heavy on the bioload.

if you're limited in terms of space and finances, I would just rehome the platy and molly to someone that has a bigger tank to care for them properly. The betta may be showing more aggression especially since the platy is showing signs of weakness and illness.

 

Okay, I will be sure to get a test kit as soon as possible then. I am looking for a good place for the platy and molly to go until the end of the semester, but I realized that I have access to a good and very large tank at home (at least a 30 gal, definitely, but not positive of exact size). I intend to rinse it out well and move them in there as soon as I get there.

Thank you so much for all of your help!