Only female platies?

[danas90]

I have a 10-gallon tank which I ran for 3 weeks before putting fish into it, then I got 3 glo-lite tetras, and after they were in there for several weeks - maybe a month - I purchased three more glo-lites as well as two platies (male and female). I thought that putting 5 more fish in at teh same time may be bad, but the guy at my LFS said it would be fine and I wasn't thinking, so I went for it... a couple days later the male platy was dead, and when i tested the water my ammonia had spiked from ~ 0.25 ppm to >1.0 ppm.

So, I wanted to wait until the levels were a bit lower before I got one or two more platies... Now, about a month later, my remaining female platy seems pretty depressed in there all by herself, she just stays at the bottom of the tank - until feeding time, at which time she immediately darts to the top. So, the ammonia has settled a little and I'm about to get a couple more of them. What I am wondering is if I can just get one or two female platies so that I don't constantly have fry in there, or if I need a male...

Any replies are greatly appreciated, I'd like to get whatever I am getting today...

Thanks!

 

[danas90]

I just tested my ammonia levels, I didn't realize that the last time I checked was about a weeks and a half ago... Anyways, the levels are pretty high, around 1.5 ppm. I'm planning to do a two-gallon water change/gravel filtration today, so hopefully that will help a bit...


Also, this stuff has been on my filter for a while. I figure that it's just calcium deposits or something, but I might as well make sure...

 

[jason2894]

looks like calcium and or calcium with other minerals.

 

[jason2894]

if your ammonia levels are high y not change like 5 or 6 gallons it cant hurt the more water u replace the lower ur levels will be. are u sure ur tank is fully established??

 

[danas90]

if your ammonia levels are high y not change like 5 or 6 gallons it cant hurt the more water u replace the lower ur levels will be. are u sure ur tank is fully established??

Actually, if you change too much water at once you can mess up the water, with sharp changes in pH, hardness, etc. I believe that 50% is the ABSOLUTE MOST that you can change at once, but its much better to do smaller changes, i.e. 10-30%.

I'm pretty sure that the tank is established because it has been running for several months now, but of course I can't be sure.

 

[Caesar77]

Just a little info for future refrance. Your tank will not start it's "breaking in cycle" untill the first fish is put in. Each time you put in a new fish, the tank needs to get use to that fish. It is like the breaking in cycle but in a much smaller and fast aspect. So if you look at the fact that your tank may not have been fully established and then stressing the enviroment with 5 new fish in a 10 gallon tank (1" fish per 1 gallon of water ideally). It may have been a little too much for you new friends to handle.

 

[Roan Art]

I just tested my ammonia levels, I didn't realize that the last time I checked was about a weeks and a half ago... Anyways, the levels are pretty high, around 1.5 ppm. I'm planning to do a two-gallon water change/gravel filtration today, so hopefully that will help a bit...


Also, this stuff has been on my filter for a while. I figure that it's just calcium deposits or something, but I might as well make sure...

Danas90,

If you have an ammonia spike like that you cannot just sit around and wait for it to settle. You have to start doing water changes and get it back to 0. How high are the nitrites? Nitrates?

How often do you change the water? You really should be doing weekly changes of at least 25%, 50% is better, and testing as well.

Two gallons is not going to help with the ammonia, you need to change out at least 50% and keep changing it out daily until the ammonia, AND the nitrites -- because if they haven't spiked yet, they will -- get back to 0. If you do not, the fish will die.

Change out 50% of the water today and dose the tank with Prime or Amquel plus to help detoxify the ammonia. Take a gallon of the tank water and dissolve 1 tsp of salt (table salt is fine) for each gallon in your tank. Dissolve it thoroughly and add it back to the tank SLOWLY. Take an hour or two to do it. The salt will help detoxify any nitrites build up and will be removed from your tank, a little at each water change.

Once you get it under control, you can add another fish or two, but no more than that.

Roan

 

[danas90]

Just a little info for future refrance. Your tank will not start it's "breaking in cycle" untill the first fish is put in. Each time you put in a new fish, the tank needs to get use to that fish. It is like the breaking in cycle but in a much smaller and fast aspect. So if you look at the fact that your tank may not have been fully established and then stressing the enviroment with 5 new fish in a 10 gallon tank (1" fish per 1 gallon of water ideally). It may have been a little too much for you new friends to handle.

Yea I know, I realized that afterwards - as I said, I really don't know what I was thinking when I got 5 at once...

I'm just a little impatient sometimes :duh:

 

[danas90]

Danas90,

If you have an ammonia spike like that you cannot just sit around and wait for it to settle. You have to start doing water changes and get it back to 0. How high are the nitrites? Nitrates?

How often do you change the water? You really should be doing weekly changes of at least 25%, 50% is better, and testing as well.

Two gallons is not going to help with the ammonia, you need to change out at least 50% and keep changing it out daily until the ammonia, AND the nitrites -- because if they haven't spiked yet, they will -- get back to 0. If you do not, the fish will die.

Change out 50% of the water today and dose the tank with Prime or Amquel plus to help detoxify the ammonia. Take a gallon of the tank water and dissolve 1 tsp of salt (table salt is fine) for each gallon in your tank. Dissolve it thoroughly and add it back to the tank SLOWLY. Take an hour or two to do it. The salt will help detoxify any nitrites build up and will be removed from your tank, a little at each water change.

Once you get it under control, you can add another fish or two, but no more than that.

Roan

Well... I haven't been 'just sitting around', I've been doing water changes quite frequently. And I heard that large water changes can be detrimental.

Also, I just remembered that after my platy died, i took my water to the LFS to have it tested, and they said that my ammonia levels were 0... even when my kit tested them to be at about 1 ppm! So I'm really not sure here...

Also, they told me that I needed to not do big water changes, and instead to do much smaller ones as I was most likely destroying my bacteria communities when I did large changes (now that I think about it, I believe that they live mostly in the filter, gravel, and decor, right?)... God what idiots they are in those places, and what an idiot I am for listening to them. After having a hamster and having the store sex it wrong and tell me much misinformation about hamsters, I should know. But it was a different store, and I thought that they seemed pretty knowledgeable about fish. :rant2:

The nitrites and nitrates are still at 0...

I just did a water change of about 40% (as I only use 1-gallon water jugs with tap water for the changes, and I only have 4 jugs... I really need to get a single 5-gallon bucket, I just keep forgetting about it :sad:

So anyways, thank you for your help - but please, don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. I've just gotten so much contrasting information from multiple sources that I've gotten confused!!!

I still remember a few months ago, walking into a local pet store, and bein like "Hey, why don't I get a fish tank? They're so easy to care for, just put 'em in, feed 'em, and change their water... Now I know just how ignorant I was :thud:

Oh and one more thing: After this initial 40% H2O change, should I do 40% changes daily or do like 20-30% changes daily?

 

[Roan Art]

Well... I haven't been 'just sitting around', I've been doing water changes quite frequently. And I heard that large water changes can be detrimental.

I apologize for my tone, however there was a lot of misinformation being posted in this thread and I wanted to get your attention

Also, I just remembered that after my platy died, i took my water to the LFS to have it tested, and they said that my ammonia levels were 0... even when my kit tested them to be at about 1 ppm! So I'm really not sure here...

Are you using a strip test or test tube kit? The strip tests are not very accurate. Pick up a test tube kit as soon as you can.

Also, they told me that I needed to not do big water changes, and instead to do much smaller ones as I was most likely destroying my bacteria communities when I did large changes (now that I think about it, I believe that they live mostly in the filter, gravel, and decor, right?)...

EXACTLY! Now yer thinking!

God what idiots they are in those places, and what an idiot I am for listening to them. After having a hamster and having the store sex it wrong and tell me much misinformation about hamsters, I should know. But it was a different store, and I thought that they seemed pretty knowledgeable about fish.

YOU are not an idiot. THEY are idiots. You are here asking quesitons and learning how to keep your fish alive. That makes you smart in my books.

The nitrites and nitrates are still at 0...

0 nitrates means your tank is not cycled yet.

I just did a water change of about 40% (as I only use 1-gallon water jugs with tap water for the changes, and I only have 4 jugs... I really need to get a single 5-gallon bucket, I just keep forgetting about it :sad:

Or pick up a Python. It connects right to your tap. I love mine. I'm filling a 75g tank while I type

So anyways, thank you for your help - but please, don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. I've just gotten so much contrasting information from multiple sources that I've gotten confused!!!

I know, that's why I spoke the way I did. I apologize, but -- I DID get your attention

I still remember a few months ago, walking into a local pet store, and bein like "Hey, why don't I get a fish tank? They're so easy to care for, just put 'em in, feed 'em, and change their water... Now I know just how ignorant I was :thud:

Been there! Ask me about the silver dollars in the 20g tank sometime

Oh and one more thing: After this initial 40% H2O change, should I do 40% changes daily or do like 20-30% changes daily?

Do as much as it takes to keep the ammonia and nitrites at 0. Once you start to show around 10 nitrates, and 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, your tank is cycled.

Get a test tube kit and update us here, please.

Roan