Platy rescue tale (but it can't happen without you!)

Hi,

Classic me, I got another fish for free! I was not planning on him to make it but he is alive by the second night. I'm having issues though so I could use some help...
His name is Spark. He is so brave! He was stuck in the filter in the shop and has issues swimming. When I feed him he ignores it until I guide him to it to him. I have to crush it but he eats and spits! Is he blind...? He also has fin rot so I do water changes with vac 50 every week! What should I do?

 

What species is he? He might be blind. He could have swim bladder disorder from an injury in that filter. Hope he makes it!

 

What kind of fish is it? You shouldn’t get a random fish from a store that’s sick unless you have a hospital/qt which from your posts I assume you don’t.

 

What species is he? He might be blind. He could have swim bladder disorder from an injury in
that filter. Hope he makes it!

What kind of fish is it? You shouldn’t get a random fish from a store that’s sick unless you have a hospital/qt which from your posts I assume you don’t.

I think it's a platy because it's listed in the platy forum.

 

Oh ok, I’d keep it in a plastic shoebox with a sponge filter, if you can, get floaters and some guppy grass or Indian fern as a qt for a few weeks-months to let it heal. Make the environment warm 82 degrees should work and include aquarium salt. Also try feeding live foods or frozen foods to nurse it back to health. It was kind of you to rescue that fish!

 

What species is he? He might be blind. He could have swim bladder disorder from an injury in that filter. Hope he makes it!

What kind of fish is it? You shouldn’t get a random fish from a store that’s sick unless you have a hospital/qt which from your posts I assume you don’t.

I think it's a platy because it's listed in the platy forum.

Oh ok, I’d keep it in a plastic shoebox with a sponge filter, if you can, get floaters and some guppy grass or Indian fern as a qt for a few weeks-months to let it heal. Make the environment warm 82 degrees should work and include aquarium salt. Also try feeding live foods or frozen foods to nurse it back to health. It was kind of you to rescue that fish!

He is a platy! His fins are torn so that's probably why he swims badly. He is in a cycled 8-gallon tank! I can't change the temp but it is 78. He gets lots of bloodworms and I feed him 4 times a day. The food needs to be crushed! I really hope he will make it!!!
EDIT: The filter is not a sponge but the flow is so little the water hardly moves!

 

If you can do daily wc with water around 86 degrees

 

If you can do daily wc with water around 86 degrees

I do water changes 25 or 50 every couple of days. I can't change the temp, my heater is not adjustable.

 

No like the temp of the water you add

 

No like the temp of the water you add

Ok! Thanks!

 

No like the temp of the water you add

Why heat the tank up that much? There’s absolutely no need to raise the temp, especially when this fish is in such a fragile state.

 

I'm so sad I can't keep him. Our 15 has 7 platys. Guess once he heals up I will take him to an LFS...

 

If you can do daily wc with water around 86 degrees

Why so warm?

 

To kill off bacteria that could infect the fish

 

Do you have pictures?

 

To kill off bacteria that could infect the fish

It’ll just speed the bacteria up.

 

To kill off bacteria that could infect the fish

Is this hypothetical bacteria in the source water, and what makes you think 86 degree water will kill it?

 

People use hot water to treat ich

 

People use hot water to treat ich

Ich is completely different and the high temp stops ich specifically from reproducing.

 

People use hot water to treat ich

Ich is a parasite, people use heat to prevent it from reproducing and to speed up its lifecycle to make it more susceptible to medicine.

 

People use hot water to treat ich

Ich isn’t a type of bacteria. Ich is a parasite that gets weaker in super hot water. Heat speeds up the growth of most bacteria. 86 degree water will just stress the fish.

 

Here is a pic! He looks fine but he is not...

 

Here is a pic! He looks fine but he is not...

He’s so pretty! If you could lower the water temp, I think he would be a bit happier.

 

yea, ich is a parasite and is not at all like bacteria. I'd like to add that bacteria will reproduce FASTER in warmer water.. though its not really relevant here.

78 is a good temperature OP, don't perform water changes with hot water. Keep the water at 78 consistently. A degree change is fine, and two degrees is often enough to trigger spawning, but aside from that you really do want to shoot for consistency

 

He’s so pretty! If you could lower the water temp, I think he would be a bit happier.

yea, ich is a parasite and is not at all like bacteria. I'd like to add that bacteria will reproduce FASTER in warmer water.. though its not really relevant here.

78 is a good temperature OP, don't perform water changes with hot water. Keep the water at 78 consistently. A degree change is fine, and two degrees is often enough to trigger spawning, but aside from that you really do want to shoot for consistency

Thanks! My heater is not adjustable so the temp Is always 77-78! I'm SO sad I cannot keep him!

 

Update: HE IS STILL ALIVE AND HEALTHY NOW!
I love his color and I was wondering if I could put him in my 15g tall with 2 males and 5 females for a few days, to get the color in?

 

His color is really nice in the pic you posted. Only add him once he has fully recovered. It’s best not to risk him getting harassed by the males.

 

His color is really nice in the pic you posted. Only add him once he has fully recovered. It’s best not to risk him getting harassed by the males.

He is recovered!

 

Well then go ahead and plop him in. I’m sure he’ll love the company

 

Well then go ahead and plop him in. I’m sure he’ll love the company

Haha lol. But I'm not so sure they will love him though