Gimme Posted September 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2007 Well, I ended up getting 3 smallish Platies... all seem very vibrant and healthy, took to their new home happily enough. They are all about 3cm long so I assume they are only young? (the guppies I had intended to get all looked a bit beaten up in the lfs, hence opting for the Platies) I 'think' I have one female and 2 males based on the descriptions I could find online. not sure if or when these are capable of breeding, I guess we will find out in time! I have been feeding them a really small amount of tropical flake twice a day, is this right or am I over doing it? I must have spent a couple of hour just watching them over the weekend, they are better than TV Hopefully I can keep them happy and healthy until the next batch in a couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Posted September 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 Like Caryl says, you do not need test kits it just encourages you to look for things that are not there just make sure you change some of the water regularly and do not overfeed. Keep posting progress. Jim, when you say overfeed them is there a guide to how much/ how often? I ended up getting 3 smallish Platies... all seem very vibrant and healthy, took to their new home happily enough. They are all about 3cm long so I assume they are only young? (the guppies I had intended to get all looked a bit beaten up in the lfs, hence opting for the Platies) I have been feeding them a really small amount of tropical flake twice a day, is this right or am I over doing it? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 small amounts regularly is a good thing. You will know if you overfeed cos the food will lie on the bottom of the tank and eventually cloud the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 I must have spent a couple of hour just watching them over the weekend, they are better than TV Beware Gimme, sounds like you're showing symptoms of MTS :lol: :lol: How are things going? I liked platties, don't have any right now though I too agree with how you're feeding. That was my biggest fear about getting an aquarium, I was scared that I'd either starve or stuff the fishies...now I'm ok with that, since I found out about all the other stuff to be scared about... :lol: :lol: just kidding, well kind of, I mean there certainly is alot more to think about than just feeding 8) Post pics sometime! Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Posted September 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 I am all set up now, birthday surprize went down a treat.. the 3 platties were sweet for around 2 weeks on their own. We got an addtional 6 neons and a small bristle nose on thursday last week. I took my water into test the the nitrates were bad so I brought some 'holding' stuff which also ages water and did a 50% water change (the tank had started to get dirty as I was over feeding them). all seemed ok although I did notice the platties were all acting a bit weird, like almost cowering, fins against their bodies, often sitting still either in a hidden corner or near the surface behind the pump. I noticed tonight that all 3 platties appear to have some small white specks on their tails... I am assuming the worse that they have picked up something... any thoughts or suggestions from the helpful crew on the forum??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 The tank is still cycling and your poor platies are very stressed. Clamped fins are a sign of stress. The white spots are probably white spot - caused by the bad nitrates (and probably ammonia as well). Water ager only removes chlorine from the water so isn't needed, or useful, unless your water supply has chlorine added. Do not go adding chemicals to the tank (like Ammolock or anything) but get some white spot treatment and follow the directions on the bottle. Some people turn the temp up to about 28C temporarily as this speeds up the whitespot cycle so hopefully you can cure it faster. Do daily 20 - 30% water changes to get those nitrates down and hope the fish survive the process. You added too many fish too quickly Are you siphoning the substrate when you fdo the water changes? This is important to suck up whitespot cysts and muck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Posted September 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 Thanks Caryl. I have done a 50% water change tonight (giving the stones a good vacum) I will pick up some Whitespot treatment tomorrow. I also cranked up the Temp to 28, (how long should I leave it that hot?) thanks for the advice. How do you tell if you tank has cycled properly? does the growth of the good bacteria have any phyisical signs? ie my filtration "noodles" are still bright white (do they get a visible growth of bacteria/alge at all??) Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 As I have never raised the temp for whitespot I can't tell you how long it takes. A few days at least. Someone else will be able to be more specific. The tank will take at least a month to cycle properly and the noodles will get covered in black 'gunk'. That is the good bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.