# Platys - Cause problem in my new aquarium



## Sugi (Jul 18, 2011)

As a beginner, I started with a 5 gallon fish tank in which I have a pair of mickey mouse platys, a pair of small angelfish and 3 pairs of guppies a week back. 
The male platy doesnt seem aggressive with the rest in the daytime but each morning I found few of my fishes dead and now am left with the platy pair,an angel and a guppy pair. I checked the aeration and even changed the water twice to free from any contamination.But nothing works.Should I suspect the male platy?
Also both the platies have started to develop white spots over their body.Is it due to stress?How should I treat them?Is a salt water bath fine or specific medications required?
Also my female platy looks pregnant.How should I treat her?


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Sugi said:


> As a beginner, I started with a 5 gallon fish tank in which I have a pair of mickey mouse platys, a pair of small angelfish and 3 pairs of guppies a week back.
> The male platy doesnt seem aggressive with the rest in the daytime but each morning I found few of my fishes dead and now am left with the platy pair,an angel and a guppy pair. I checked the aeration and even changed the water twice to free from any contamination.But nothing works.Should I suspect the male platy?
> Also both the platies have started to develop white spots over their body.Is it due to stress?How should I treat them?Is a salt water bath fine or specific medications required?
> Also my female platy looks pregnant.How should I treat her?


Welcome to the forums :-D 5 gallons is too small for any of those fish, the deaths that you are getting are probably from high ammonia, and the fish are stressed. For angels they need to be kept in groups of five in at least a foot foot long (50 or 55) aquarium. With platys and guppies I would go no smaller than a 10 gallon, but larger would be better. The white spots on the platys which I suspect is probably ich has more than likely been brought on by the stress that the fish are experiencing from the living conditions. People have had success in treating ich by using a combination of heat and salt, or using medications specific for ich. If you have not seen the fish profiles that we have here I would suggest checking them out, the link can be found at the top of the page second tab from the left. Also if you are not familiar with the nitrogen cycle I would suggest reading the following article which will be helpful in understanding what happens in the aquarium http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/


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## Sugi (Jul 18, 2011)

BarbH said:


> Welcome to the forums :-D 5 gallons is too small for any of those fish, the deaths that you are getting are probably from high ammonia, and the fish are stressed. For angels they need to be kept in groups of five in at least a foot foot long (50 or 55) aquarium. With platys and guppies I would go no smaller than a 10 gallon, but larger would be better. The white spots on the platys which I suspect is probably ich has more than likely been brought on by the stress that the fish are experiencing from the living conditions. People have had success in treating ich by using a combination of heat and salt, or using medications specific for ich. If you have not seen the fish profiles that we have here I would suggest checking them out, the link can be found at the top of the page second tab from the left. Also if you are not familiar with the nitrogen cycle I would suggest reading the following article which will be helpful in understanding what happens in the aquarium http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/


Thanks Barb.. I just added the aqua cure, anti-ich medication to my tank and hope my fishes get better in the coming days.. I am yet to plant the live plants but have just artificial ones there..
Am planning to upgrade the size once I get comfortable with fish keeping..  Until then, what kinds of fishes can I have in a tank of this size(5 gallons)? Will those tiny zebra danios survive?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Sugi, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum. Glad you joined us.

As Barb said, a 5g is much too small for any of the fish mentioned. There are suitable fish for a 5g but zebra Danio is not one of them, it needs at least 20g. But before we get into possible small fish, let's get the ich cleared up. The fish that survive, if any do, will have to be dealt with first.

I know it is thought that starting with a small tank to "get the feel" of fish seems fine, but in fact it is always better to start with a larger tank. The larger the tank, the more stable the water will be, not subject to sudden fluctuations. And more space is always better for the fish whatever they are. Many start with small tanks, lose fish repeatedly, then give up. Please don't; it is really easy to have a healthy aquarium, it just takes some understanding and careful research. Never rush into something, impulse buying of fish, whatever. Plan it well beforehand.

Something to help us suggest suitable small fish would be knowing your tap water parameters. Hardness and pH is important. You can find the hardness value from your water supply folks, and possibly pH. But a liquid test kit for pH is a good investment as pH is something you should check periodically. An API "Master" kit contains tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate; these are the basic tests. This kit would be a good investment.

Byron.


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