the-bees-of-autumn

Howdy! First off, let me say I'm super impressed at the time and care your family has taken to make sure your fish are looked after. That's awesome! Looking at your beautiful fish, I don't immediately have an illness that comes to mind, though I'm only a year into fishkeeping myself. I'd echo what others are saying with a few added possibilities/solutions: 1. Clamped fins are often an indicator of stress caused by an illness, not an illness itself. Sometimes it can even be just stress. The easiest solution could be that Vox is getting chased or bullied and is stressed/sick because of that. Are there any other males in the tank that are chasing, nipping, or sparring with Vox? I've never had guppies but from my time owning platys I know the males can fight over EVERYTHING. 2. What's your water quality like, and do you use a dechlorinator? Tap water has chlorine/other metals in it if you're using your cities water supply. It's okay to use for fishtanks, usually, but you should dechlorinate your water all the same. I like the one API sells, personally. If you're on well water, like I am, treating fresh tank water for heavy metals is still recommended. Follow the dosing instructions and add after each water change. 3. How long have you cycled your tank for? There are great articles on tank cycling that explain this better, but essentially "cycling" a tank involves kickstarting the ammonia in your tank, allowing good bacteria to grow and basically beat back the nitrate/ammonia/nitrite. Along the same line of thought, while cleaning your tank and doing a 50% water change is the correct thing to do, I have found cleaning too much too soon can rid the tank of good bacteria build up. How often do you change the water? Do you clean the filter as well? What's in your filter media? 4. At the end of the day, sometimes fish get sick for no apparent reason. If you bought Vox at a chain fish store, it's not uncommon for fish from there to be stressed, have low immune systems, and illness. If nothing works and Vox passes away or has to be put down, you and your daughter should be proud of how well you are taking care of him and his buddies. 🙂 -I also have only one tank. I use a designated medium sized glass tupperware bowl for dosing and observation. -Just spitballing, I would look into methylene blue. I don't know exactly what's going on with your little friend, but I have used methylene blue myself for a fish with cotton wool disease and it worked great. Some people swear by it, others have mixed results. Methylene blue has been used for everything from dropsy to fungus to mouth rot. It is SUPER stainy though, so maybe help your daughter with it. Salt baths are also great, just make sure you dose correctly. Good luck! I hope Vox feels better soon!

Quick follow up question: i have 3 platy fry in my tank, and no other tanks available. Should I be concerned about Expel P dosage and them, or will they be alright?

Thank you so much!! I had no idea how to treat or diagnose a parasitic infection so this helps a ton. Fingers crossed I can save both Dos and prevent the rest of my tank from getting infected...it's amazing how quickly you can become attached to the little fellas. 🙌 Thank you again!!

No rapid breathing, flashing, or surface lingering. He still eats well as far as I can see. He doesn't lay around *all* day, but his activity is certainly minimal compared to the other fish in the tank. I'd day he lays on a shelf about 60% of the day, and moseys around the other 40%. ...His poop is pretty pale and stringy now you mention it. Decidedly so. 😬 I have sinking shrimp based patties/pellets that both the Yoyos and Khulis eat. I supplement this with freezedried and sometimes fresh brine shrimp, freezedried bloodworms, and Fluval Bug Bites. Sometimes I'll throw in a Veggie wafer for variety, but they're not as into those.

pH: 7.0 Nitrates: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ammonia: 0 Water Temperature: 75 Degrees Farenheit Tank Size: 29gal Hey all, I'm a relatively new young aquarium hobbyist and I'm currently in a tailspin trying to figure out if one of my juvenile yoyo loaches has a parasite/ "Skinny Disease." I've had two of them for a good 3-4 months now, (Named Uno and Dos, very creative names, I know) and while Uno has gotten significantly bigger and plumper, Dos has stayed relatively little and pale. I didn't realize the disparity between them until a few weeks ago, (although Uno has always been a smidge bigger) and now I'm wondering if Dos perhaps has what I have heard been called "Skinny Disease." Symptoms: Dos likes to rest on the tunnels/shelves in my aquarium, but he still swims around quite efficiently-just not quite as manic as Uno. He is incredibly pale, almost translucent, and rail-thin. He does have an appetite still, I watched him devour some brine shrimp the other day and he had a cute round belly for a day after before becoming thin again. He's pretty shy, but still comes out for food and swims around unafraid. I haven't seen him bobbing at the top or laying in a concerning way. His fins don't appear clamped, and his gills aren't red or flaring. Does he have a parasite, or am I just hating on a loach with an incredibly snatched waist? More importantly, if he is sick, is there any way to help him? I'm also worried if the other inhabitants in my tank are at risk. All of them are plump and healthy, but I know stuff can go sideways really quick. (I have the aforementioned two yo-yos, four Khuli Loaches, four platys, and 3 platy babies.) Attached is a picture of the two Yoyos, Uno on top and Dos on the bottom. I hope I included the right information! Thanks in advance! 😅