Help!!! My fish's life is on the line....!?

Question

I've been having troubles with the ammonia readings in my 5 gal tank. I only had a couple little platties in there. When I started it up, I cycled it and kept it up well. They were doing well for a long time. A couple of days ago, I noticed that one of them was missing. I thought maybe he got sucked up, but I couldn't see that he was. I could NOT find him So today I came home from work to find my other platty swimming funny and twisting wierdly at the bottom. I took him out right away and put him in a seperate bowl. I went to do another partial water change. While I was vacuuming the tank, I saw what was left of my other fish - he was completely decomposed and when I tried to net him out (and this is where it gets graphic) he pretty much came apart into shreds. SO, I had to do a complete water change.

Is there any way I can I save my other fish?? He's obviously dying-he can barely swim and just sits on the bottom - is there any way to save him? I feel so bad about this!

Answer 1

Do NOT add any chemicals to the tank. The ammonia spike was caused by the death of the fish.

The water change should have removed the ammonia. If you added something to take the chlorine/chloramine out of the water, your tank should be fine as long as you fish weren't showing any signs of disease prior to the first fish's death.

Your surviving platty is showing signs of ammonia poisoning. Have you added fresh water to his current residence, or is he still in water from the old tank? Take half his water out and slowly add fresh dechlorinated water (about the same temperature that he's in now) to his - changing the water quickly, even from bad to good, can shock their systems - but he needs to get out of the ammonia, because this is toxic. Adding a small pinch of salt (not with iodine, but pickling, canning, kosher, or epson salt) to his water can help as well - If you know the size of his container, make the salt about 1/4 tsp. per gallon - and add this slowly as well.

If your gravel was kept in tank water, it should still be fine, but if it got exposed to air or was rinsed in tap water, you'll need to cycle again because this could/would have killed the bacteria. If this happened, keep an eye on the ammonia & nitrites for a while while your tank cycyles again. Do 25% water changes at least once a week, twice if the ammonia and nitrites get high.

As long as you have the correct temperature (74-78) and a filter/aerator in the tank, it will be hard to tell what caused the death of the first platty.

Answer 2

Ok here are a couple thigns to do immdiately:
test all the parameters. platties do well in a 7.0 pH. IF it is above or lower try adding a regulator. pH can cause the fish to be at the bottom

If it is any chemical such as ammonia, nitrate nitrites, add Prime by Seachem and Stability by Seachem. The prime neutrolizes all the bad minerals immdiately and the stability adds a slime coating and good bacteria to your tank.

you may also want to try using melafix, which is an antibiotic. This will help to prevent secondary infection and will not harm your biological filter.

also, the temperature may be too high or low. platties are tropical fish more or less so you want to keep the temp around 75. if it is around 78-80 that is fine too, but you will need to get airstones as the warmer the water, the less oxygen is dissolved.

Answer 3

i think it is difficult if not impossible to actually cycle a 5 gallon tank. this just means you need to keep it a little cleaner. weekly gravel vacuums with 25% water changes should be enough with 2 platies.

fish get some diseases you can diagnose but many that you can't. the rapid decomposition would suggest you have a big bacteria build up from not doing partial water changes often enough.

don't blame yourself for you fish's demise -- i go to the store and see lots of sick fish -- you really have to look for healthy ones. platies are good at letting you know if they are sick -- they close up thier fins. if they aren't holding their fins wide open there is a problem.

try doing water changes and remember platies actually prefer brackish water -- water with some salt in it. the salt will kill off most of the bacteria and help keep them happy and healthy.

Answer 4

I don't know what to do about the ammonia levels
BUT, you may think I'm absolutely crazy, but give your fish squashed peas. No joke. Put them in his mouth, or just in the water where he can eat them. i did it to my six year old's fish mr bubbly, and he perked right up! *i thought i was nuts, too until I tried it*

Answer 5

it says in a book i'm reading that you should go to the vet when only your fish is sick so try goin to the vet!

Answer 6

give it CPR or mouth 2 mouth recessitation