platy sick?

Question
QUESTION: I have a platy that may be sick. For weeks he tried like mad to mate with a female molly.  Now he just lays at the bottom of the tank looking asleep. Be perks up at dinnertime and then will swim around with the other fish.  Tonight he did not perk up and is swimming in place by the heater. He did not eat. This is the first time he has not eaten.  The others in the tank all seem active and alert. Did he get banished from the group for his annoying mating behavior or is he slowly dying. I do not want him to suffer.

ANSWER: Hi Carla,

He sounds like he's got a swim bladder issue, and/or is dying.

Swim bladders help them swim upright.  He's unable to do that.

I'd increase heat to 80 degrees F.

I'd change water at a rate of at least 40% tonight...I suspect this is the cause.  Change filter media, and clean the filter and make sure the gravel is nice and spotless.

If his scales are distended at all, or look like they are puffed, he has to be isolated, because what he has is highly contagious.  It's called Dropsy.  

My advice to treat the fish:

Remove him and put him in his own aquarium.  It needs a heater.  Heat to 80 degrees and add 3 teaspoons of salt per gallon.

If it's Dropsy, it will alleviate it.  If it's TB, it will alleviate it and if it's swim bladder disorder, he will possibly live, but the survival rate is low in all 3 maladies.

I certainly hope my advice is helpful and I'm so sorry your fish may not make it.  But, don't lose hope.  Treat him and he may survive.

I am here off and on, every day so if you need to reply, please feel free to do so and I will help you much as I can.

:)

Happy fish-keeping.

Renee

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I may not have stated my observations correctly.  the platy lays on the bottom but not on his side. I watched last night after the lights went out and he started swimming all over, sticking to the top areas of the tank.  I checked several times and he still seemed so alert when the others have slowed down at night.  He also seems to not be part of the group anymore. No one seems to pick on him, he looks healthy.  Can a fish be banished from the group? I will have to see tonight if he eats.  I hope so.  He shows none of the physical signs that you had in your post.  If he has been "kicked" out of the group will he still be happy?  This is our first tank.  we have no options for moving him to his own tank unfortunately.  thanks for your help.

Answer
Carla,

It's not uncommon for a fish to be isolated, but it's rarer in school-oriented fish, such as Plattys.

Laying at the bottom, or going to the top to breathe, are often water-condition driven conditions and this is why my post went immediately to a "condition", rather than to a "behavior".

Without further information, it would be very difficult to properly give you a diagnosis.

Could you send the following information?

How often is the water changed? How much is changed per change?
How often is the filter cleaned, cartridges changed and what make/model are you using?
What is the size of the aquarium?
How often are fish fed and what brand of food is being fed to them?
Does food get eaten immediately, or does some make it to the bottom?
Are there any aggressive breeds of fish in the aquarium?
What is the heater kept at?

Perhaps he's at the bottom of the tank due to heating issues, and that could cause him to feel listless or to want to "be alone" due to inability to keep up.

He could just be enjoying solitude also, but that is truly, rarely the case.

See, fish are like dogs in the pack, and can't let others know that they are having a tough time.

Usually, a sign that a fish is indeed ill is when it begins separating itself from the school, or from its peers.

This can be due to "territorial behavior", but that does not include laying at the bottom of a tank.

I've raised Plattys over 30 years.  I know the species very well.  Behaviors like your fish's are often the sign that they are either sick now, or will show signs of illness shortly after it begins (within a couple months).

That does NOT mean this is what is going on with your guy, but please realize the advice given here is expert advice and that sometimes if it's not what the reader wants to hear, it is taken personally.  Please do not take my direct association between the fish's behavior and the possibility that there are water conditions as any inference that his care is neglegent.  In fact, quite the opposite - you would never write in if you didn't care about your fish and that shows how much you love them. :)

I love doing this.  I love fish with all my heart and soul, and if I had my way, the whole world would be perfect at fish-keeping, but even I learn things daily.  After 36+ years, I still don't know it all.  Nobody can.

I don't like having to tell people that their water may have issues.  They sometimes take it personal.  But if I don't say it, then how can they know?

Please remember I do this free, and offer my advice free, as well as my time when you give me a rating back.  I love great ratings, but I feel bad when someone takes what I say as advice, personally.  

I look forward to your response and I hope he's just enjoying some solitude.  That would truly be an odd behavior, but you know...fish are individuals too.  

:)

Renee