# Platies are dying, ulcers and white tuffs on body



## Magna pisces custos (Jun 19, 2012)

My female sunset platy had at first a tuft of white stuff on her body in the rear. It began to eat away at her, and she started to lose scales at the spot, and her flesh was exposed. She was quarantined prior, and died in the QT. 
I just noticed that one of her 3-4 month old fry (now pretty mature) in my main tank, has a large ulcer in front of its gill. 
It is white in color, and looks as though there is a hole there. Its eating away that spot. 

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? 
-Thanks

All water parameters, temp, etc, are good. Tank is fully cycled.


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## Blackfeet (Jul 23, 2012)

Your tank parameters may be good, but what are they? Going off your description sounds like a bacterial infection. Still need the parameters though


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## Magna pisces custos (Jun 19, 2012)

Good water parameters = 0 ppm Ammonia, 0 ppm Nitrites, 20 ppm Nitrates.


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## Blackfeet (Jul 23, 2012)

Those sound fine but what about KH, PH, salinity, and temp. Did you QT the infected fish? One of the first things to do is add salt if you don't already have it and raise the temp to the max for your fish


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## Pearl2011 (May 21, 2012)

Blackfeet said:


> Those sound fine but what about KH, PH, salinity, and temp. Did you QT the infected fish? One of the first things to do is add salt if you don't already have it and raise the temp to the max for your fish


Maybe s/he (sorry!!) doesnt have a test kit, and how would raising the temp help? They dont have cih?


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## Magna pisces custos (Jun 19, 2012)

[She was quarantined prior, and died in the QT.]
I don't know what "KH" is, my API Fresh Water master test kit does not include that. 
I have a planted tank so I can't throw a bunch of salt in there. Also, if it is a bacterium 
that is the cause, how would raising the temperature help that? Generally, bacteria thrives in warmer water, 
and does not do well in cooler water. 

​


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## Blackfeet (Jul 23, 2012)

Raising the temp is not a cure all, with the info I was lacking I was assuming bacteria got to them by stressed out fish. Salt will hurt more than help in your planted tank however in your QT tank this is another story. Most infections bacterial, fungal, and parasitic can not live in brackish water long term but your live bearers in particular are well adapted to it, thanks to their natural environment, some plants can tolerate it as well. If you don't have a hydrometer to test for specific gravity of 1.008 it usually works out to 1 teaspoon per gallon. KH is a measurement of the carbonate hardness in your water (Note: this is not the same as GH general hardness which is the measurement of dissolved minerals in your water). The reason I asked for KH is it acts like a PH buffer preventing flucuation, also plants use it so if your KH is too low your PH can fluctuate wildly (usually down which is really stressful for live bearers). Last but certainly not least, what is your PH?


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## Blackfeet (Jul 23, 2012)

FYI from your description of the symptoms it sounds like "hole in the head desease" a bacterial infection common in cichlids. This is not normally a problem in tropical fish. Did you make any additions to the tank recently including plants? and what/how many fish do you have in what size tank?


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## Magna pisces custos (Jun 19, 2012)

The pH (regular pH test) reads at 7.6. When I test the pH High, it reads 7.4. So I place it in between
at *7.5*.
It is a 38 gallon tank. There are 11 neon tetras, 2 neon swordtails, 3 balloon mollies, 3 cory cats, 1 BN pleco, and
3 platies, and a number of various types of fry swimming gleefully about. Well planted, with two pieces of wood for caves.


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## Blackfeet (Jul 23, 2012)

Ok sounds like you are good for stocking though when the fry develop you will be over stocked. You ph is fine for your live bearers but high for the neons, pleco, and corys. Your temp range for your fish barely overlaps, this could be a cause for stress in your live bearers depending on where you keep it. You don't have enough fish to make a school of each of your live bearers, this is also a cause for stress. Stress makes your fish more vulnerable to infections of all types. It might be a good idea to give away one species of live bearer in favor of getting more of the remaining ones and a normal school of neons 5 though I admit they look cool with more of them. As for the infection take infected fish into your qt tank crank up the temp to their natural range, treat, and salt the tank


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