# Platy with dropsy and ich



## Noko (Jan 10, 2010)

My platy has dropsy and ich. She looks like she is suffering a great deal. Is it time to put her to sleep? The dropsy is severe and the ich is all over her. Right now she's in a small isolation tank with the water lowered a great deal so she can swim to the surface to get some food since she's still eating. She's not eating her normal amount though. Just a flake here, and a flake there.

I would actually prefer to let her go since she doesn't seem to be enjoying life, and there's no way she's going to heal. My problem is I don't have clove oil.

Also, my fish keep getting dropsy and ich. It's only the platies though. My tetras who are in the same tank are 100% fine. I keep my platies in good conditions. May not be the best they've ever been in, but thats only because I've been busy the last few weeks. They've been ich every month or so. And it's only the adult platies so far that have gotten ich. I've had one fry that has gotten dropsy but he was 'cured'.


----------



## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

If you think she's suffering, it may be best to let her go.

The method I would reccomend would be decapitation. Find a REALLY sharp knife, sharpen it if you have to, and grab a cutting board. Then, net out your fish, put her on the board, and cut just behind her gills. Please be fast so there is no suffering.

What are your water parameters? And what do you use to treat ich?


----------



## Spooki (Oct 6, 2010)

By the time dropsy presents the fish is usually already in some sort of organ failure. Euthanization is best.

The only euthanization method I have used on fish is vodka, add it teaspoon by teaspoon until the fish stops breathing. Decapitation is too gross for me.


----------



## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Yeah, decapitation might be the most quick but i don't think i could do it. I use the clove oil and vodka method. 

Noko, you should not have ich that often. i've only seen it once in the whole time i've had a tank set up (years). You're probably not eliiminating it when you treat the tank for it. Are you using the heat/salt method or meds?

And I'm sorry about your fish


----------



## Noko (Jan 10, 2010)

I am raising the temperature up to around 82 degrees and adding some meds. The meds always nock everything out then it comes back again. I might be more than a month since I'm not with my tanks everyday. But only the older platies get ich. I've never had one of the younger fry, or a tetra get it. And actually, it's only the older females. My one male has always been disease free and he's actually the most unhealthy looking right now.

I'll test my water parameters some time today. It should be around the same parameters of my betta tank though. Except for the ammonia. My betta tank has good water parameters and it's sparkling clear water. Except for an algae bloom from the one light.


----------



## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm pretty sure your supposed to raise the heat only when using the heat/salt method. If you're using meds, don't raise the heat like you would with the salt treatment. 

Kordon's Rid Ich+ is a really good one to use. I'm not a fan of chemicals in the tank but if you have fish that are sensitive to high heat, try the Kordons.

Good luck.


----------



## Noko (Jan 10, 2010)

My med's say to raise the temperature to 82 degrees to quicken the treatment. I'm using API liquid super ich cure.


----------



## La Reina (Oct 25, 2009)

That's a good medicine.

Do you have carbon in your filter?


----------



## Noko (Jan 10, 2010)

I take the carbon out like it says. I then put it back in like it says.

But yes, I have carbon in my filter usually.


----------

