mother, fry and cobwebs?

Question
QUESTION: I have had my 5 gallon tank for about 3 months. I bought a pregnant (I didn't know at the time) mickey mouse platy and a male red wag. I had to give the red wag to a friend because I do not want any more fry.

The mother has been fine until recently, she's not pregnant currently, but her underside is completely FLAT, like she's lost weight. She's been eating a little more recently instead of nothing, but she's been nibling on the plants! I found her sleeping upside down yesterday (no, she's not dead). I'm worried about her health and nutrition, but I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?


Also, 6 fry were born, 1 died from ich, I treated the rest and they lived. I've let 3 of the 2 month olds out of the net and they react fine with their mommy. They're really fat though and I feel like their stealing all their mother's food (which is why she's skinny). My question about the fry is: is it possible for them to have incesstual relations.... (siblings getting eachother knocked up)?


Lastly, my tank has this cobweb looking stuff all over the bottom. It doesn't disappear or move. I'm thinking it may be from the food and poo on the bottom(mold?). Do you have any suggestions about fixing this or what it is?

ANSWER: Hi Katie:  I would treat the tank for intestinal parasites... most of the meds for this work well but Jungle makes a good medication for this.  Just make sure its ok for fry.  I would add aquarium salt to the tank and make sure the temperature is between 78-82 degrees.... yes in the fish world having babies with your sister/brother is ok... but in reality... it leads to birth defects, etc.  so ... try not to let that happen.   The cobweb stuff is a form of algae... right now everyone is having an algae bloom and for some reason there seems to be a combination of increased protein and algae... so try to clean it up as best you can and it should just go away eventually... the salt will help... dave

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QUESTION: how do you suggest I keep the siblings from making babies? I will probably have to give the males to the pet store or friends, correct?

and with the salt and increased temperature, will they be ok? They're not saltwater fish.

thank you for your help so far! I think I'll go to the pet store tomorrow

ANSWER: Hi Katie:  The aquarium salt is great for all fish...even freshwater fish.. molly's, guppies, and swordtails like salt in their water. You can separate the sexes into different tanks if that helps... I take my "extra" babies when they are about 1.5 inches off to the aquarium where I work and trade them in for store credit... You will also want to clean up that fish poop, and extra food as it will start to rot and cause high ammonia levels which could kill your fish... invest in a gravel vacuum... they are about $12 at the aquarium... they are the handiest tool ever.... dave

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QUESTION: I already have a gravel vacuum, I should definately use it more =]

I went to the pet store today and got a new kind of food (crisps instead of flakes), a snail, and aquarium salt. I cleaned the tank yesterday. The store I went is different than where I bought my fish and equipment; it is a lot better than the other one. They had better and more choices  of healthier fish and plants. I started to apply to work there but I'm not old enough.

Anyway, I told the guy there about how the mother fish is crawling along the bottom and not eating very much. He said it could be recooperating from birthing, but it's been over a month since the last ones were born. He said that platies only live for about a year so is it possible that she may be near the end of her life?

Also, the store wouldn't take my fry, but I've found someone who will. I want to give the males to her but I can't figure out how to tell the difference between the sexes. I saw a picture and I had determined that they were all girls, but I saw one chasing another earlier today. He must be a male.

The people at the pet store also said they have some chemical that makes it so the fish can't get pregnant, but he said they don't sell it. I'm wondering what exactly this chemical is/does (permanent breaks 'nads or temporary contraceptive?) and where I can get it.

Lastly, I'm thinking about getting a couple new fish such as fancy guppies or neon tetra. What do you think?

Answer
Hi... platy's can live up to five years... with a typical life span of about three years.  Sexing the fry is difficult but typically as they begin to grow to near adulthood... the males develop a longer anal fin and the females become a bit more rounded... As for the contraceptive medication for fish... I have never used it so I can not say much about it.  You should be able to sex the fish before they start to mate... Fancy guppies are like platy's the are going to mate like crazy too...platy's, swordtails, guppies, and molly's are live bearers... and they go well together... Hope this helps... dave