I'm having a recurring problem with getting MM Platys to survive my aquarium.
The tank has been up and running for almost a year. It's a 20 g.
My current water stats are Nitrates: 30 mg/L, Nitrites: 0mg/L, Total Hardness: 120 ppm, Total Alkalinity (buffering cap) 90-100 ppm, pH 6.9.
The load in my tank, and the fish I have successfully living: 4 albino cory cats, 5 LF zebra danio, 1 bristlenose pl*co. The zebras have been in the tank about as long as it's been up without problem, the cats just a little shorter and the bristlenose has only been in a few months .
During this year, many MMPs have died. Most didn't last 24 hours. The majority didn't last the 14 days of live fish guarantee. So I figured I was trying to keep alive the weakest fish ever, until my two oldest MMPs died unexpectedly. They had been in for oh 6 months, while a crew of newbies died around them, they were constant. (The was no sign of disease with the new fish)They died about 2 wks ago, within 24 hours of each other. It was a male and a female. They were hanging around the top of the tank, but not gasping for air. The female I basically watched go, she got really sluggish, and started doing a headstand, I pulled her out into a small bowl of tank water and that was the end. The male died the next night. I still have a female and an adolescent (about 3 months old) in the tank doing fine. The kid is the offspring of the dead pair. The two remaining MMPs showed no signs of stress during the time the other two were dying, in fact, none of the other fish did, I also did water tests in case something bizarre had happened, and it was all pretty much the same as above, and I also did Cl and Ammonia (0) just to cover the bases. No one messes around in the area, nothing added, no water change had been done in probably 4 days prior.
Anyone have any input/suggestions? I basically want to know if I'm doing anything wrong for the MMPs, and anything on the untimely death of the pair.
Oh, more on my tank, it's a 20 tall, for filtration it has two Biowheel 125s, it is heated (78F), not planted, 10% water change at least weekly. I do not added aquarium livebreeder salt, except when I first got the tank up and running. I do about monthly, add carbonate salt buffer to increase my buffering capacity, but only 1/4 tsp. for the whole tank (instead of the recommended 1 tsp.). I use Amquel plus as declorinator every water change. Please give me your input and if any info is left out, please let me know.
Thank you.
The tank has been up and running for almost a year. It's a 20 g.
My current water stats are Nitrates: 30 mg/L, Nitrites: 0mg/L, Total Hardness: 120 ppm, Total Alkalinity (buffering cap) 90-100 ppm, pH 6.9.
The load in my tank, and the fish I have successfully living: 4 albino cory cats, 5 LF zebra danio, 1 bristlenose pl*co. The zebras have been in the tank about as long as it's been up without problem, the cats just a little shorter and the bristlenose has only been in a few months .
During this year, many MMPs have died. Most didn't last 24 hours. The majority didn't last the 14 days of live fish guarantee. So I figured I was trying to keep alive the weakest fish ever, until my two oldest MMPs died unexpectedly. They had been in for oh 6 months, while a crew of newbies died around them, they were constant. (The was no sign of disease with the new fish)They died about 2 wks ago, within 24 hours of each other. It was a male and a female. They were hanging around the top of the tank, but not gasping for air. The female I basically watched go, she got really sluggish, and started doing a headstand, I pulled her out into a small bowl of tank water and that was the end. The male died the next night. I still have a female and an adolescent (about 3 months old) in the tank doing fine. The kid is the offspring of the dead pair. The two remaining MMPs showed no signs of stress during the time the other two were dying, in fact, none of the other fish did, I also did water tests in case something bizarre had happened, and it was all pretty much the same as above, and I also did Cl and Ammonia (0) just to cover the bases. No one messes around in the area, nothing added, no water change had been done in probably 4 days prior.
Anyone have any input/suggestions? I basically want to know if I'm doing anything wrong for the MMPs, and anything on the untimely death of the pair.
Oh, more on my tank, it's a 20 tall, for filtration it has two Biowheel 125s, it is heated (78F), not planted, 10% water change at least weekly. I do not added aquarium livebreeder salt, except when I first got the tank up and running. I do about monthly, add carbonate salt buffer to increase my buffering capacity, but only 1/4 tsp. for the whole tank (instead of the recommended 1 tsp.). I use Amquel plus as declorinator every water change. Please give me your input and if any info is left out, please let me know.
Thank you.