N00B Strange platty behaviour

J

jinchi

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Jul 11, 2009
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Hi all Im new here and I have introd myself in the appropo thread.

I have had a 20 gal high fish setup for the past 2.5 months.

10 days after I put my 1st 3 platty's in my tank had developed an Ick problem which has since been taken care of, with no fish lost. i dont think it is a prob now. Almost immediately after the Ick was cured I lost the only male platty I had. And about then I had a platty population boom. Now I estimate 1 have 3 sets of babies and 2 adult female platty's. Total maybe 15 fish.


For the past Month or so, the fish tank has become somewhat lethargic, in that the fish are not very active. the only time they look alive and come out where I can see them is at feeding time which is 2 times/day and everytime they see me get up from my chair ( I think because they think they will be fed).

Does anyone with Fish Psychology experience care to respond as to why my platty's dont seem to have "A Zest for Life"?

My tanks params are at the moment:

Temp: 80 degrees.

Light: Penn-Plax Aquari-Lux 18" inch 15 w bulb (on).
Substrate: Gravel (mostly white with few colors mixed in 2" deep) with small pcs of dead coral mixed in (not too many pcs)

I have tested 5 mins ago using the Jungle Qucik Dip 5 in 1 test Strips. The readings are: Nitrate (20, listed as safe); Nitrate (0.3, listed as being between Safe and Caution); Hardness (150-300, listed Hard to Very hard); Alkalinity (120-180, listed as ideal), and pH (7.8-8.4, listed as Alkaline).

I plan to do a 25% water change today where I will ADD the recommended dosage of the following: Jungle InstaChlor chlorine remover, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Coat, TetraAqua AquaSafe (with BioExtract for cleaner water) water conditioner.

I have my referenced lite on for about 8-12 hrs a day.
I have plastic aquarium plants (not many).
I use a Whisper 20 (HOB) filter with a floss sleeve and Activated Charcoal inside, which I squeeze out inside water change water every month and will do today.

My fish are fed a combo of TetraMin Tropical Flakes & TetraFin Goldfish flakes 2 times per day which they get enuff to eat in 5 mins.

I am sorry if Im long on the "Wordy Side", but I want to make sure I give all of all of the information about what is going on and inside my aquarium.

thanks,
Jim
 
You really need a liquid test kit as the strips are horribly inaccurate. However, if your nitrite is really .3 ppm that is a problem. A fully cycled tank should have 0 ppm of ammonia and nitrite at all times.

How did you cycle the tank?


Only add the dechlor with the water change. The other stuff is not needed.

Your filtration is not sufficient either IMHO. I would add another HOB, an AC 20 for example.

I would not have the lights on for more than 6 hours/day without live plants. They are not needed when you are not around to view the tank and more light will lead to algae problems in the future.
 
I would do water changes daily until you get your nitrites down to 0. You may want to drop your temp so that 78 is the highest as platy like temps from 72 - 78 and dropping it will help with more oxygen in the tank for them. I would say the lethargy is mainly from the high nitrites though. All else looks good as I have very hard water and the water my platy has is alkaline too. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me as I raise platy and can try to help you.
 
thank you JPappy... and JLink...

JPappy.... Can u recommend a liquid test kit? As u have stated the strips are inaccurate and I can not tell if my Nitrite is really .3 but it is def. not 0 ppm.

i dont think I really cycled the tank, but here is what I did. i added water and gravel, I dosed with the InstaChlor and setup my Whisper 20 Power filter (with floss and activated charcoal). I then let the water stand for about 1 month, then took a sample to the LFS to have it tested and at the same time added the 3 plattys, then have kept a constant weekly 25% H2O change.

My HOB Filter is rated for up to 30 gal so why would i need to add another HOB Filter? your preferred AC 20 for instance. Can I mod my existing filter to mimic your AC 20?

Jlink, thank you for the offer and your advice.

To both, when I do my water change today, at which time after should I test my params?

thank you both so much
 
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals has a liquid test kit that includes ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH for around $20 at Petsmart. I would also pick up a GH and KH kit if it is within your budget. Check the online prices first because most stores will match the lower one.

Right now you are in a fish cycle. Read this:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

Once you get the liquid tests you can verify where you are at. Right now if the strips are at least close to being accurate you are building up the nitrite>nitrate bacteria, however when fish cycling it is best to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels as close to 0 ppm as possible as even trace amounts can harm fish. Whenever it gets above .25 ppm (the lowest reading on the API tests) you should do a water change.

Test after, so you know hat the new readings are.

I was under the impression that the whisper 20 was "recommended" up to 20 gallons. Those numbers are always underestimated and it is better to go overboard to be safe.
 
Ok Jpappy..., youre right after searching for the whisper 20 it is only up to 20, although it cycles at 105 gph, so it looks like I will find an AC20 that cycles at 100 gph.

Since im so N00, im need a little more info to pick up the GH and KH kits, please tell me what they check for, thanks
 
GH = general hardness, the Mg/Ca ion content of the water
KH = carbonate hardness, the buffering capacity of the water which keeps pH stable

pH is not all that important to fish with the 6-9 range but GH/KH are much more closely related to TDS (the total dissolved solids) of the water, which takes into account all the minerals. That is what matters to fish as it directly affects their osmoregulation. The tests are just good to have but it is not something you need to monitor consistently. While cycling, make sure you have liquid tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at the very least.
 
get a liquid test kit. your ammonia is prolly high. do you have places for them to hide?
 
I also would recommend a little added filtration, or bubbler for surface adgitation. Sounds like maybe they are lacking a lil oxygen in the water, that can cause them to be a bit 'lazy'.
Also getting nitrates as close to zero was very good advice, that can also cause fish to appear tired.
Platties are fun fish to keep. BTW, welcome to the forum, I think I missed your intro thread????
 
How are your fish doing today? Are you getting your nitrites close to 0 with water changes?
 
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