FishFriend Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 She was always the shy one, but have noticed over the past week or more that her spin has curved. She still swims and eats, but spends a lot of the rest of the time hiding in a small divot between a plant and an ornament. I have also noticed her "flashing". I just finished treating a case of ich in the tank on a separate fish, so I originally associated the flashing with that, but maybe it is something else? All but one of the other fish in the tank seem fine; however, I do notice others "flashing" every now and then (but not regularly). I am concerned for one other female Platy though, as she is another "shy" Platy and I don't know if I am just paranoid or if she is slowly starting to show the same signs as this one. My local fish store said that it is not contagious, as most fish diseases that are, will sweep through the tank in a shorter time period; but also that there is nothing I can do. My tank currently contains Platy, Molly, Guppy, Corydora, Hillstream Loach, Kuhli Loach, and one Angelfish. Any advice is welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 2 things that normally lead to bent spines in fish are genetics, and lack of minerals. nothing you can do for gentics, but you can add minerals to an aquarium. wondershell, crushed coral, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFriend Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 Thank you. I will try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Quick question, are any of the platies fins clamped? Are they close and tight to the body of the fish? That's the first tell I had that my platies were struggling after bringing them home from my lfs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 1) What are your water parameters (Including GH and KH)? 2) How long have you had the platy? 3) How long has tank been established? 4) Does the place you bought them share similar water parameters? Sorry bout all the questions, but the answers can potentially lead to cause. Livebearers do well with high minerals, as mentioned above. Salt, Wondershell, Equilibrium would all be appropriate, pending the current water parameters would allow for the increase. Personally, I have a feeling they would. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 If you are seeing flashing, my first guess would be water quality problems and my second guess would be parasites. If you don't have a way to test your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, that would be a great place to start--test strips or liquid test kits are essential for knowing your water is safe. If your water tests show the water is safe, you might treat for parasites. Using medications like Paracleanse or Expel-P can help to get rid of parasites. In my experience, platies are not shy fish--if she's hiding, she is probably feeling poorly. I am sorry this is happening and I hope she gets better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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