sick Platy & Pregnant Platy

Question
Karen, I actually have 2 questions and they are very opposite from the other.  First question, I have 1 platy who has been with me for 2+years now.  he started to show signs of dropsy.bloated-gills sticking straight out...i did some research and tried a couple of things, added salt and finally went with the Maracyn 2. Along with my sick male platy. I treated my whole aquarium(2 larger goldfish, 1 coy, 1 fancy goldfish, 1 male platy and 1 female platy, a cory cat and a plecko.  The sick guy's bloating has gone down and he still wants to eat but he hides out always under a rock until he sees food.  I think I have seen the other male being aggressive to him.  After more research I hear that I  should always have 2 female platys to a 1 male. My sons girlfriend was watching them with me and she said she thought the female was going to have babies soon...I had somewhat thought that myself and now I watch even closer.  Tonight when I came home she was trying to hide in a plant. then after awhile the healthy male would leave her alone.  He kept following her then at feeding time he started following the sick little guy.  Hopefully this gives you enough info.  Now my questions are:  for my sick platy, is he hiding from the other or am I losing him.  His scales are still protruding out but he is as thin as the other 2.  he does seem to struggle when moving around.  He comes out from the rock and then was resting on top of it.  My other question is my female, is the healthy platy tormenting her.  Should i remove him for a bit?  I am new to all of this,  we started with 2 goldfish for a display in a pond and I would allow anyone to let them go after the pond display was no longer needed.  We outgrown 2 tanks and I think I'm at my limit again with my 29g tank.  I plan to move up to a 55g but was waiting on my sick one.  I thought about buying another female platy to busy the aggresive male but again I dont want to throw off my aquarium cycle.  I hope you can give me some direction.  Thanks

Answer
Hi Stacy,
Part of the sick platy's problem is likely due to old age because average lifespan for platies is about 2-3 years. The other male pestering him is stressful to him of course. This type of behavior is very common between male platies. The more dominant male will bully the weak one.

To answer your question I think the answer is both. He is hiding cause he may not feel well and the other male is very likely intimidating to him. I'm not sure how long you treated him and what kind of treatment but I would try moving him into a separate tank for a bit and treating the 'hospital tank' with epsom salt at a rate of about 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons (make sure to predissolve it first and add small amounts over a time period) this is well-known treament for fluid buildup in fish as well as a cure for constipation issues both of course which can cause some bloating.

Along with that I would try offering him some soft vegetables or vegetable-based fish foods. You can try mashed green peas for example. And algae flakes/wafers. You should also try offering frozen brine shrimp and/or daphnia. Both these foods can help sick fish if they have digestive issues. All these foods can help give them energy.

On top of that I would try changing about 50% of the tank water everyday. Make sure when replacing the epsom salt to replace only the correct amount of salt according to however much water you took out.

Continue this treatment for at least perhaps a week. Keep in mind his old age is going to make it difficult for him to recover from illnesses.

He may have poor kidney function and be subject to continuing bloating problems. Its very good that he is eating and all you can do is try your best to keep him happy.

As for the female platy. She very likely is going to have babies cause most platies are pregnant all the time. Usually when they are actually going to give birth a female will usually go hide somewhere and separate herself away from the other fish. Her belly usually 'squares up' somewhat. Male platies usually are very hard on the females due to their constant courtship chasing and nipping. It would be better if there were many more females than males as you know. Your tank is well-stocked but since you are upgrading and if you keep up with large regular water changes I think you could add 2-3 more females to your setup to help the lone female out a bit.

Best of luck and I do hope this helps!
Karen~