# Help please....I'm about to cry!



## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

My platy has been acting strange for a few days now, and I just went and did their water change and her scales are protruding. she looks like a pine cone. What should I do???? Should I treat the whole tank? and with what/? I'm so worried all of them will get sick. OMG I'm about to cry!


----------



## Backer (Sep 18, 2010)

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that is a sign of extreme constipation. 
What I have been told to treat this is adding aquarium salt to your tank, which will help diffuse water into the fish's system.
I have also been told to switch fish foods around, such as frozen pellets of bloodworms.
I have also been told that your should feed your fish anti-parasite food, in case that is the cause. 
The better question to ask though is your fish bloated?

Hopefully I've helped get a start on things at least.
That's about all I know but someone will know for sure.

Good Luck.


----------



## imill48 (Dec 28, 2010)

hi for some reason i was unable to figure out how to start my own thread, so i might as will post it somewhere,

i recently bought a 20 gallon tank, and 3 baby sharks, i got a heater, filter all that,
in some food (tropical flakes or somethin),
how often shud i clean the tank,
how often shud i change filter,
how many times a day shud i feed it,
and do i actually need to take out all the water evertime i change it?
i will post some picture soon, 
as soon as i figure out how to make my own thread,

any help is appreciated, thanks.


----------



## kaythenewbie (Aug 23, 2010)

I wouldn't use frozen bloodworms, they'll make bloating worse. I've heard that feeding a fish fresh peas (the squished insides, not the outside) will act as a laxative for fish and help with constipation issues. Or you should fast your fish altogether. However, with such severe bloating and scale protusion, I'm not sure constipation is the issue. I hope someone who knows fish diseases better will respond.

Definitely quarantine your platy. Don't ever treat your entire tank unless you absolutely have to. It can be very harmful for fish if they are given medicinal treatments that they don't need.

@imill-Please do not post such questions in someone else's thread. Particularly in a thread about fish disease. You need to click on the freshwater aquarium link. From there, there will be a button that says "new thread". Click it and you'll be all set to post your questions.


----------



## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Britny, your platy has dropsy. I've never treated for dropsy so can't recommend anything there. But the pineconing of the scales is a dead giveaway. Google it and maybe you can get some help on what to do. Good luck.


----------



## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

Recently, one of my platies had pineconing. I googled and came up with it either being dropsy (as jeaninel said) or a bacterial skin disease - the recommended treatment for both was antibiotics, but dropsy can just be a symptom of all sorts of illnesses resulting in organ failure so there's no guarantee it's an infection. Although my fish didn't seem bloated at first, I isolated him and treated him with antibiotics but he just got worse and did seem bloated later. After several days of treatment, he got worse and I decided to euthanize him. I'm sorry, but if your case is similar to mine, the prognosis may not be good.


----------



## Ellador (Dec 25, 2010)

Hi, Britny... I've never kept Platys before, and only once experienced dropsy. I was a beginner then, and had no idea what to do... I went out for medication, and when I came back home my fish had died. I know this doesn't sound good, and I'm sorry. I had been out of town for a few days right before he got sick though, so there's a chance that had I acted sooner, he might have recovered.
Here's a link I found about dropsy (I should warn you-- the pictures are pretty rough): Aquarium Fish - Dropsy - Disease Identification, Diagnosis & Treatment

Good luck...


----------



## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

Thanks guys! So I woke up this am and she was still alive. I started treating with aquarium salt last night. Hopefull it'll help some. I swear these fish become your little friends and I just hate seeing them suffer. I am prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

So she spent the day upside down, not eating, so I euthanized her. : ( I wanted to show you guys some pics, just to confirm the diagnosis... Rip little platy


----------



## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

She definitely looked bloated so I think the diagnosis of dropsy was correct. Poor little thing.


----------



## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Sorry about your fish. But you did the right thing putting her out of her misery.


----------



## britnyjackson (Mar 10, 2010)

Thanks, I agree. I felt so bad for her! I clean their water often and make sure the parameters are good. I feed them a combo of flakes and frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. What do you think the cause was? Will it happen to my other fish?


----------



## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

From what I read when my fish had the pineconing, it just means your fish has organ failure. WHY your fish has organ failure could be due to heaps of different things - it could be a bacterial infection, it could be old age.... My fish was the only one who had it, everyone else seems fine. I hope your other fish are ok, too.


----------



## Ellador (Dec 25, 2010)

Britny, I'm so sorry... definitely dropsy-- and I agree with Jeaninel about you doing the right thing. I've never been able to bring myself to euthanize, even when I know I should-- I always hope against hope that they'll pull through. I'm glad you were able to do that, as hard as it must have been for you.


----------

