platies, iridescent shark, bala shark

Question
Dear Karen,
    I currently own several species of tropical fish. Recently i decided to try breeding platies. But i cannot tell which are male and which are female. I have 5 of them. Is there any easy way to tell which are which?
Also, Is it normal for my bala shark to be antisocial? I put my iridescent shark in with him and both sharks hid in different corners. Once i put the iridescent shark back in the tank with other fish both were fine. Both sharks are still small, only a coule of inches a piece.
 My iridescent shark has also recently formed small white spots on him. They looked raised, and are on his head and body. Is this normal? Besides them being there he is perfectly fine. I'm not having any trouble getting him to it and it hasn't spread to the other fish.

   Thanks so much,
             erin

Answer
Hello Erin!

Platies are the greatest fish! Luckily telling the males from the females is very easy... Look at the platy's bottom fin nearest to the tail...also known as the anal fin. In the platy s it is a regular fin shaped like a fan. In the platy boys however, that fin is pointed back. Platies are very easy to breed and if you do have females they almost certainly are already pregnant they breed so easily!
Be sure you provide much cover for the fry to hide in in the form of very thick bushy plants grouped together, it is also good to provide many free floating plants at the surface. Another option is to buy one of the several kinds of breeding traps they are called. The pregnant platy is carefully moved to the trap when it is pretty certain she will drop babies soon. Once babies start arriving they will fall down either through a v-shaped slot where it is un-accessable to the mother or fall through netting, (in the nets, you should move them to a seperate bare tank if used) Either option works pretty well. I prefer the massive groupings of bushy plants method. Plastic or real, it doesn't matter as long as effiecient cover from the mother and other fish in the aquarium is provided, the fry should survive until they are large enough to not be eaten.

~About your sharks~
I can't think of any other reason why your Bala shark would be anti-social when you added the Irridescent, other than maybe 1.) he was simply stressed-or 2.) the water quality is bad. If you can, make sure the ammonia or at least nitrates aren't too high. Immediently make a 30%-preferably 50% water change if you have a good quality water conditioner and make sure the water coming from the tap is the right tempertature, same as the aquarium. Do this if you have any trace of ammonia. Irridescents are known for aggressiveness but it may be possible he might be nipping the bala.

I am really worried about your Iridescent shark's white spots. I am afraid he may have ICH or the full scientific name Ichthyophthirius multifiilis. It is a very common disease especially in over-stressed fish whether if they had come from a petstore and weren't acclimated properly to the aquarium, or enviromental dangers in the aquarium itself. Sudden lower, cooler temperatures can trigger Ich. Bad water quality can also be the culprit. Treating Iridescent sharks can be tricky since they are scaleless, you see, the most medications are too powerful and will kill scaleless or other-wise fish that are extremely sensitive to bad water quality or chemicals present in the water. Most medications say to half dose. It is best if you can isolate the Iridescent shark in another hospital tank for treatment. Be very careful in finding medications for treating ICH. There are many on the market but some don't work all that well while others work wonders. I have found MARDEL products seem to be a very good quality medication and I highly recommend them. Despite what any medications say on the label, please do at least 20% water changes EVERY day. When using a medication remember it is a toxin in the water, making the water that much more stressful since most meds kill the beneficial bacterai which leads to a ammonia rise. Do those daily water changes please! Keep the water warm to at least 80 F with a heater warm and clean water helps out sick fish that much more. Another note is that it's best to keep on dosing the medication contrary to what it says on the label for at least 1-2 weeks to insure all the Ich Parasites are gone. This is also important because the ICH parasites cannot be affected by any medication when they are off the fish, it is only when they have dropped off to multiply in the bottom of the tank...That is when they are vunerable. Do not take this cycle for granted that they are gone. Please keep treating for at least 1-2 weeks. ~

My greatest sympathy for your irridescent shark. I hope he gets better very soon. Be sure to keep the water clean and warm and read the label on the medication very, very carefully. Pay special attention to the information about using it one very sensitive fish like your Iridescent shark.

For more detailed information, please go to-
"www.aquamaniacs.net/ich.html" there you will find a page on everything you possibly needed to know about ICH and it's lifecycle.

Remember if you need anymore info on your Iridescent shark or any other of your fish...You can email me again!

Here's wishing you the very best with your Iridescent shark and your platy breeding. Don't feel too bad or guilty with your ill shark. ICH happens to everybody sometimes with no apparent reason...I just know you can solve your problem!
Good luck!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~