# My female platy dies and did I do the right thing?



## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

Now my tank looks vey empty because my platy died today and I took back all of the danios to the pet store because they were getting on my nervous and causing trouble in the tank. Now poor hyper the last platy is stress and he's going crazy...I'm going to get more platies for him next week so that he won't be so crazy..


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2010)

Well is this a new tank? Did you cycle the tank? Do you have a filter on it?


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

^No. I had that since august. Here are my current readings

Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5

The tank was stable (Ammonia 0. Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 5) for a long time and now this test results the ammonia went up. obviously


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

question is'Why did the ammonia go up?'Did you just do a water change? Sometimes the water out of the tap shows a low reading until the bio filter eats it up. it should be normal by the morning however.
I don't blame you for getting rid of the danios. I think they are nasty little sods-- they really tend to harass other fish. I find white cloud minnows the same way. They are probably ok with only their own kind.
Check your ammonia level again and if it is ok add a couple more platies. I don't remember what size your tank is, but add a couple of fish at a time so as not to throw it into another big ammonia spike.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

^ Its a 10 gallon. Someone reconmend me to do is wait for about a month before add more fish along with like you said the ammonia down.

So should I do a 50% water change?


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2010)

.25 of ammonia is not deadly usually...
Maybe the Nitrate, idk the value of nitrate that is usually fatal.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

below 20 is ok for nitrates. As I said if the ammonia is from the water supply there is not much to do except test it in 24 hours and see if it is 0. If it is elevated because something is dead in the tank or uncleaned gravel etc then do a  water change and wait until everything except nitrate is 0.
You can also get hold of some STABILITY and add to the tank to speed up the process.
it all depends on why the ammonia level is up.
Certainly if you wait a month everything should be leveled out but it sounds a lot like recycling to me which is just not something that should need to be done if the tank was set up in August.
At any rate when adding new fish, go slowly a couple at a time.That 10 gallon tank will only hold about 6 platies as they are big poopers.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

Well I got good new. I tested for ammonia today and its 0! But I'm still going to wait for a couple or so to see if it stay 0. I just change the filter cartrige today because it was starting to clog up and some brown things are in the filter and where the water goes to get filtered out.

So is it okay if I just do my weekly water change or do one more today and then do my normal weekly water change.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

since you changed the whole cartridge you may find you have an ammonia spike again. You have thrown out some of the bacteria you need.
When you do your water change, rinse the cartridge off in the old water and then put it back into the filter.
It is a huge waste of money to change them completely. Most of us just rinse them out and use them for quite a few months.
If you are going to actually throw out the cartridge, do not vaccuum the gravel as much as you would usually so as to maintain some of the good bacteria.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Are you feeding the tank? Giving it something to continue to produce ammonia? Even just flake food will do this. I am not sure if you still actually have fish in there so that is why I ask. If you are not feeding the tank then the ammonia will go down because there is nothing to create it. As you go through this let your filter get nice and dirty. When you are all done with the cycle you can then rinse the filter material out in the dirty water of a water change. Do not rinse it under a faucet and do not just replace it. Very few filters need changing as often as they say and a new tank filter should definitely wait longer than recommended so the bacteria can establish.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

What do you mean by "feeding the tank?"

Actually I chaged the cartridges after I tested the ammonia. And for some reason after I do water changes a week after I place a new one, it always remain 0.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

It means putting some form of ammonia source in it. Are there any fish in the tank? If so that is fine then. I am just unclear on current inhabitants. If there are not any fish in it then you need to add food the same as if you did have fish in the tank. This will maintain your ammonia source.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

They're are fish in there lol.  My tank was setup since August actually but anyway. :3


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I wasn't sure since you had said they were all given back and that then another one died. I wasn't sure if there were any left LOL


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

I have 3 now. A platy, a cory and Gary the Apple snail I think... I don't know can you tell what kind of snail he is? Heres a picture:


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Yup that is an apple snail. Beautiful


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

Aw!! I nkew it he was one of those. I don't know how to tell a male a female Apple snail.

But anyway. Do I have to rinse the cartridge though because my has carbon in it.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

get rid of the carbon in it.
Cut the cartridge open and dump it out. Carbon has a life span of only a couple of weeks. After that it releases stuff back into the water that it previously absorbed.
The fiber part of the filter pad will last for a great many months and thus save you money.
Save the carbon( unused) for when you need to remove something toxic from the water like medications.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

Um.. So I have to take it out right now? I can't do anything to it right now because it might have some bacteria in it right now..


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

just wait til your next maintenance on the tank to remove the charcoal.


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

^Oh okay. Thanks.


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## smark (Dec 2, 2008)

Platy and Cory are a schooling fish that like to be in groups of around 5 or more. I would recommend having the same kind of fish together in small groups if possible.
This will make them more comfortable with they’re surroundings.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

konstargirl said:


> Aw!! I nkew it he was one of those. I don't know how to tell a male a female Apple snail.


*
How can I see if a have a male or a female apple snail?*
A: A relative easy (?) way to determine the sex of an apple snail is by taking the snail out of the water, keep it on it's back and wait until the animal comes out of its shell. At that moment you have to take a look at the upper part of the right mantle cavity. Close to the edge of the shell, you can see the penis sheath starting (take a look at the anatomy to get an idea where to look for).
Some experience might be needed for this, but once you have seen the difference between the male and the female snail you'll find it less difficult to determine the sex of an apple in the future.
Another option is to wait until the snail copulate. When they're mating, the male snail creeps on the shell of the female and puts his penis in her. At that point you know that the one on top is the male and the other is the female.
The third way to differentiate the sexes is based on the fact that male snail have a rounder shell opening (aperture). In the case you are the lucky owner of several apple snails, you can compare the aperture height/width to determine the sexes of your snails.
There also is a fourth way: killing the animal and having a look at the inside. But I guess you prefer to keep your snails alive.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

there is no such thing as a male/female snail LOLOL. They reproduce asexually.


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