# Fish Sick: Angel bloated, Molly kissing heater, platy hiding



## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Well, came home for lunch to find one of my Angelfish acting sick -

My black marble is all bloated and hanging out my the heater. I don't see scales raised. He ate fine this morning, and I didn't notice the bloating (but I hadn't had my caffiene yet either)

One of my mollies has been hanging/cuddling/kissing the heater for a couple of days, but she's been eating normal - I noted it, but wasn't sure if it was cause for alarm.

And now one of my platys is hiding (I was scared he was dead) which might not indicate he's sick, but I thought I would mention it. 


I did an immediate water test:
Temp 80.1
pH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Last water change was Saturday. I used Amquel+ and Stress coat+ 

I have been treating for ick (there was a platy that was covered and spots on my male mollie) - used higher temperature (raised from 78 to 80) and 1/2 dose of Ick Away On my second cycle of treatment (day 5). Which by the way doesn't appear to be working, still have spots. 


I'm planning on doing an immediate water change when I get home tonight (on my lunch hour now - so no time)

Any other thoughts, suggestions????


Thanks in advance
~cheers


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

Well for one thing depending on what you are using for ick if you use a carbon filter then that is the reason it's not working. also it might have babies or something


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Removed the carbon filters when I started treatment.... And I didn't think that Angelfish bloated before laying eggs.... or do they?


The molly still snuggled up to heater - considering upping the heat... or maybe she just likes her reflection in the metal heater and I should start calling her Narcissa....

The male platy I got out of hiding and he immediately started flashing. The other male platy is doing a shimmy. He immediately went back to hiding.

The angelfish pooped a little looked big and firm, then about 1/2 hour later excreted what I might call fish diarrhea. He also has some white spots on his pectoral fin - looks more like a fungus (bushy) rather than like ick (salt crystals). 

The other fish seem okay.

I am starting to get frustrated. It seems like I look in there every day and see something new to worry about. I though fish were supposed to de stress you! 

I don't want to lose any fish as this tank is mostly for my daughter - she's attached to the mickey mouse platy and the angelfish. 

So now my conundrum is: is this bacterial, fungal or parasite?????


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

Vacuum the gravel and do a big water change and add more treatment to treat them. Also how tall is the tank because angelfish grow large and need 18in at leas from top to bottom of the tank


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Did another water change and last ich treatment - turned the head up to 82 throughout the night and kept the lights off all day - and I haven't fed them, planning on feeding them tomorrow am. 

MOST importantly - the bloating is gone!! He (or she?) looks normal today. Who knows what that was about. 

Narcissa the molly is still loving up the heater and the male platy is still hiding - I'm considering a territorial issue there since the only other platy is also male. 

My tank's a 55 gallon so it is 22 inches high, so I think there is enough height, but I wouldn't ever put angelfish in this tank again. 

The angelfish came with the tank I bought off craigslist. The previous owner had the tank way overstocked with incompatible species - so I'm slowly working it over to a more community tank. When the angelfish go, I'm going to do smaller species that do well in more brackish water to compensate for my higher pH and hardness from my tap water. Making lemonade I guess.


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Sorry to turn this into a daily blog.....


The male platy in question didn't come out to eat, and when forced out, just sank to the bottom of the tank. He moves around if someone bothers him, and didn't miss the opportunity to "flash" the driftwood as he passed.

Speaking of "flashing" all my mollies are doing it now, in fact they are going to town on the filter intake they are almost fighting over who gets to use the "scratching post"

When I fed the fish today they really didn't seem overly interested in eating - thought that they would after fasting for a day. 


Does ick get worse before it gets better??? Did turning up the heat cause something? 

The spot on the male molly's fin is still there it never "fell off" and so are the spots on the marble angelfish.

Maybe this is not ick after all? 

Ugh - I hate to see these guys suffering.



On a side note my house is filled with illness this week anyway: My youngest daughter has been battling pneumonia and goes to the doctor today to determine if she needs to go back into the hospital, the oldest just has teenage-itis of which there is no cure except time. And I have two finals at the university today - so a water change will have to wait until after 5pm - that is if my sanity holds out.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Ick can get worse before it gets better. It can last anywhere from a week to a month. Just keep treating as the instructions states. Make sure the fish in the tank (mainly mollies and platies) can handle 82 degrees. I believe their temperature range is about 75-80 degrees. 82 might be pushing it for them. You might need to drop it a degree or two. Perhaps the bloating could have been constipation?


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Just got home - Angelfish is bloated again....

doing water change now....


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Did 60% water change fish started perking up... rearranged some plants and the molly is no longer plastered to the heater. 

The marble angel is still rather bloaty looking, but not as much as before, but larger than the Koi angel.

The male platy came out to eat this morning and socialized for a while but is now back in hiding

This morning - a new symptom and sick fish...


One of the clown loaches, who was kinda on the skinny side anyway is now deathly thin looking his bones are sticking out. He is also pooping white stringy stuff (part looks like white beads), and hanging on the bottom of the tank basically doing nothing. If it wasn't for his fins moving occasionally, I'd swear he was dead. The other is hiding too on other side of tank under driftwood and I can't see him too well. 


So I tested my water 
temp 80.1 
Ammonia 0 *slightly over since the water change but close to 0 - tap water has ammonia in it
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Medications used prior to water change Ick Away (wardley's brand)

Medication after water change: None, but used Kordon Amquel+ and API Stress Coat 

Current Tank Inhabitants
55 gallon
2- Angelfish
2- Congo Tetra
2- Kuhli Loaches
2- Micky Mouse Platy (both male)
4- Creamcicle Molly (1 male 3 female)
4- Otocinclus
2- baby clown loaches (each about 1 1/4 inch - eventually to be rehomed to brother's 90g tank)

I'm at a loss - short of flushing the lot, I don't know what to treat since it doesn't seem to be ich anymore.


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## bex101 (Mar 3, 2010)

Actually ick is a parasite its going to take a long time to get rid of. You turn up the temp to speed up the cycle of the parasite. The adults live on the fish and it falls off to reproduce and then attacks again. You can not treat the ick while it is on the fish unfortunate. Here this explains it better then I can http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich.php 

Keep on eye on your ph I found that copper safe really messed with mine and from the reading I did they are more deadly to the fish when your ph drops. The other thing I have found on a lot of boards I have read is to treat with a lower dose for a longer period of time. I haven't been doing this for long enough to know but I seen it suggested a lot. I also have seen it sugested you add an ant-biotic to prevent against secondary infections I don't but its another option you might have one thing leading to another.


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks bex - 

The strange behaviors in my tank have me just baffled....


The molly found the heater an is back to loving up to it, even through a plant.

The flashing is still going on - its pretty frequent so I know its not the normal. 

The platy hiding is still going on. 

The clown loach getting more and more anorexic is still going on. 

The marble angel bloating one day and not the next is still going on.

I am truly surprised that no fish had died yet. 

I test my waters and they test consistent with all the readings I've had since day one. The pH has only varied from 7.8 to 8 to 7.8 again.

Going to do another major water change tonight and see what happens. I guess I can't err if I do lots of partial water changes, right? *grin*


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## bex101 (Mar 3, 2010)

Ok i just finaly found the mardel fish disease chart buried on my desk. The flashing, spots on body and white stringy materials are all on the parasite list but the hiding and swollen body are part of the bacteral. And even for just ick it sugests useing a gram negative or gram positive antibiotic. how to tell the diffrence between gram negative and gram positive I never figured out. Is that anymore help wish i could copy the chart.


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Well - I am going to be going into the "Big City" tomorrow so I can pick something else up at the LFSs there - I am limited to a WalMart in my town - which frankly should not carry ANY fish and the medicines are limited to say the least. I do hate asking the LFS for any advice but.... 

I'm not sure what the difference is either between gram- and gram+ but I too have scoured websites and charts and lists looking for anything that might describe the behavior - maybe my fish are just neurotic like me?? LOL... 

Seriously, thanks for your help!


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## bex101 (Mar 3, 2010)

I have looked and looked myself my best guess would be to get either marcide or coppersafe and then maracy-two or maracyn. Or anouther brand with the same thing if it doesn't work try the other one though with the ick i know it's going to take some time for u to know if it's working or I have velvet in my tank right now and it's starting to fade after 2 weeks though i am useing copper so i slowly increased what was in the tank over a couple water changes. If you go with the copper (not sure if your fish can handle it my corys are ok with it) grab a copper test kit while you are there it makes water changes easier and check that your water conditioner doe's not say anything about hard metals. Let me know how it turns out I try to pick up any info I can so when it happens to me I don't have to spend all night online as i have been the past couple weeks lol.


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## bex101 (Mar 3, 2010)

Random thought can the angel be eatting something they shouldn't be? My betta does that with the algae tablets meant for the cat fish.


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

oh... my angel does eat the algae wafers for the oto cats.... hmm... All the other foods are tropical flake and shrimp pellet... maybe I should cut out the wafers...

I also threw out all the 1/2 fished cans of food and bought new and dated them so that I know when to get rid of them next time. Just as percausion incase the food was spoiled.

I know I also have a molly that looks like she is going to burst with babies soon - so I know he'll be eating those soon.


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## PaperclipGirl (Feb 7, 2010)

Sad to report 

the "skinny" clown loach and the male platty have passed.

Going to pretty much end this thread as I had filter issues and wont be treating this tank anymore until the tank cycles again - I'm expecting large losses - if not the entire tank.


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## Pudgerson (Apr 26, 2012)

*Please Help: Worried about Platy*

My Mickey Mouse Platy is not been eating or pooping for about 2 weeks now. 
He is in a 1g bowl with a pH of 7.6. I do water changes very frequently and am crazy about keeping it clean. I noticed some small signs of fin and tail rot a few days ago and immediately went out and bought Melafix and some freshwater aquarium salt to help the water quality. His fins seem to be improving, but I am noticing more strange behavior. :-( He seems to be a little bloated today, and his scales are very slightly raised. He is also spending all his time at the top of his tank, and if he swims to the bottom he does "handstands". I've been researching every type of disease or infection he could have and I'm really worried. Please help!


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## fish3142 (Jul 4, 2012)

*Platys are now well. Thanks for the advice.*

I had 8 platys in a 10gal tank. I know it is overcrowded but I moved them into the new tank with a bio wheel to get them out of 3 one gallon bowls when several of them started shimmying. They shimmied in the new tank until I read your advice about raising temperature to 85F and adding 2 tbsp salt and using 10 drops of ick medication. After two days the fish all looked better, and on the third day they absolutely look fabulous. All swimming rapidly with fins extended, eating and pooping great. Thanks for the good advice (to overcome some early mistakes on my part.)


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