# Mickey Mouse Platy looking funny.



## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

I have
5 Zebra Fish
5 Mickey Mouse Platy
1 Fiddler Crab
and 1 Common Pleco

Now here is the thing, one two of my Mickey Mouse Platy started to turn a darker brown on their heads, and they were white when I got them, now one of them started to grow a small spot on the top of her head, that turned a dark white. Is there something wrong with her? Right now, I have her in a smaller tank by herself, to see what is going to happen with her now. She has a very small amount of aquarium salt added, with the conditioner that I bought too. I just am wishing that nothing is wrong with her, I think she may be prego with some babies, along with the other one that has the brown strip goin on for some reason. 

Thank you
Amber


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

If it is a cotton-like white growth on the top of her head which it sounds like it may be, it is some form of a bacterial infection. It could also be a fungal infection. I would treat it with a half dose each of melafix and pimafix in the seperate tank, and see if it starts to clear up. Repeat the dose once a day for three days, then replace carbon and do a water change to take it out.


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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

I have already began to do the 25% daily water changes on my tank, and am going to be replacing my one filter, and washing out the second that I have. Now, the fish that has the white bump is doing really well on her own. The brown has lightened up for some reason, just after a few hours out of my community tank. Also, the white bump has kinda gone down a little bit, but now I have also studied her a little, and a small little white flake of something has popped out of her back-top head, or whatever you wanna call that place right between the two.. lol. Anyways, tomorrow I am going to petco were I use to work to get the meds I need for her, and going to treat the community tank as well, from what I have now read too.. 

I have also read that a salt bath would be a good thing to do as well, would that be a good recommendation?

Thank you
Amber


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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

Ohh, she is doing ok now. The little white mark is still there, but she is so active with the others, and her belly is getting bigger now too.. Woot! 

Ohh, and yey, we got a 29 gallon to move them all into in a few days after I cycle. I am going to be adding my zebra's first, then the platy, then pleco. The crab, we are going to be creating a complete environment for him, and we are thinking of getting some other same water dwellers for that tank too.. This is going to be fun and interesting. Since I started the tank, I have read and learned so much already.


Thank you,
Amber


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

By the way, if your fiddler crab doesn't have a way to get out of the water, its going to die.
And your common pleco is going to get HUGE


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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

Tallonebball said:


> By the way, if your fiddler crab doesn't have a way to get out of the water, its going to die.
> And your common pleco is going to get HUGE


Ohh, we already have a branch of drift wood right now for Ms. Crabs, she loves it up there. We have had her for over a month now, and she is alive and kickin, and loving sun dried shrimp. And the pleco wont, its a medium pleco, it will only get to be up to 18 inches to 2 feet as far as what I have read on it. And I have owned a pleco before, they grow and grow, but they are the only one fish that truly grows to your tank size, with the amount it eats. My mom had one when I was a child, and we had it for years till we got rid of that tank, it got big, but by no means nothing that could not be held in the tank. It is going to be moved, in a few days to my 29 gallon tank that we got set up and it is cycling right now, then our 10 gallon is going to be changed to a brackish tank, with a top half layer of ground for the fiddler to go in by herself, and then we will be getting a couple more of them, to try and maybe get them to mate.


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

The whole "fish grows to your tank size" myth is just that, a myth, for every fish. There is no such thing as a "medium common pleco" they all get around 4 feet long. You my stunt him, making it look like he isn't getting bigger, but every fish is going to get the size its supposed to get. Where have you read they get between 18 inches to 2 feet? And even if he only ends up 2 feet long, which he wont, thats still too long for either a 10 gallon or 29 gallon tank.


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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

Actually, I have read it on a few different sites here on the web as well as almost just about any description of the pleco that I have read.. When I was a child, we owned a pleco, it stayed in a 10 gallon tank for all of its life, and I believe it was like 8 years, but IDK, I forget alot of the time when I was younger. And it did not get that big at all.. Also, not all fish get to their max size. There are such things as runts, which I have 1 mickey mouse platy that is just that. He was born in the same group of fry as my other two blue/white platy, and he is way, way smaller but eats just fine. And also not all fish are the exact same size as it is anyways, thats why there is a high and low in the max of their growth.. They are much like humans, in the fact that they are not all the same size. Close, but not all. 


I have also spoke to the aquatic care people at my local zoo, and the Under Water Adventure aquatic people, and they also say the same thing about pleco, and the fact that they grow with the size of a tank, and not always to their max.




Amber


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2009)

kitty,

am sorry but what ur talkin about is known as stunting. any fish that is either forced into staying small due to lack of space to grow or dwarfted by birth will die sooner or later. i had a common that lived for 4 years and stayed under 5 inches in a 15. i HAVE a guppy that is a "runt" and isnt doing all that well. he has his own place, gets fed 4 times a day and gets more attention than my running tanks due to the fact he is stunted.


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## temptresskitty (Aug 8, 2009)

So why would one of the Platy be stunted and not the other two that came from the same place.. Actually, all 5 of my platy came from the same place, 4 of them are all fully the size they should be, two with fry right now.. I have heard of stunting fish, and that they do not do well, and all of my fish are doing fine. They are all happy as can be.


And it is also odd that a person at the zoo would tell me something about pleco, when it is their life work, that is false. Anyways, live and learn. If for some odd reason my information about my pleco is false, thats life, if not well hey thats life too.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2009)

no idea. even my "runt" was born with very healthy siblings. these things are just weird.


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## charking (Aug 12, 2009)

plecos will outgrow tanks.. mine came from a 4 foot tank which was very shallow he could not suck on the glass straight up as he was too big which resulted into damaged fins and swim bladder disorder. he is now in my 4ft tank which is 23 inches deep and his fins have grown back, and is showing signs of better swimming, plecos will outgrow tanks and from experience i had a common pleco with community fish.. mollies guppies and platies, and once it reached around 6 inches it ate most of my mollies. they will grow big unless they are starved from space.. which i think is cruel as it results in a poor life and poor health


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## betta0fish (Feb 16, 2009)

i would get rid of the pleco and get a smaller species that doesnt get that big cuz they grow HUGE!! smaller species:the imperial zebra pleco(Hipancistrus zebura, the smallest) , the Peckoltia vermiculata(second smallest) and the Baryancistrus sp.(gets the bigger than the other 2) but they are pretty expensive


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