Lost my Platy

Ponyo

My Platy, Spartacus, had been showing extreme signs of distress over the past week and finally she died today. I am heart broken because I know this was likely my fault for moving her out of my old established five-gallon and into a bigger tank almost six weeks ago. I thought I could beat the odds by doing lots of water changes and testing my water every week, but no way. The poor girl was stressed in the new tank from day one for various reasons. For one, I tossed out the coral from the old tank and, without it, our water is too soft for platiies. Plus, even though I've been testing zero for ammonia, I know a spike must've gotten her at some point because her beautiful pectoral fins had become eroded and jagged. Super hot weather that swept through the area last week probably didn't help either because that was when she started hovering near the top and acting really lethargic. This has been a painful lesson about cycling with fish. I also hope that maybe another beginner will see my story and opt not to place a beloved fish into an uncycled aquarium.

Romad

I'm very sorry to hear that you lost your fish. Please don't be too discouraged. We all go through going pains and we ultimately learn from our mistakes.

By sharing your experience (even when the outcome is not rosy), someone else will avoid losing a Platy.

You did what you thought best.

Ponyo

Thank you. I sure do miss her. The other three fish seem okay though, so I'll keep testing and changing the water for them.

Byron

That is sad to hear. But your other fish are depending upon you. As Romad said, we all live and learn from what we do.

Byron.

Ponyo

Thanks you guys. It's been a sad couple of days and your kind words mean a lot.

eileen

So sorry to hear about your loss. I hope you had another female in your tank so that maybe their will be baby platies soon. If not get a female from the petstore.If you decide to replace her and get one that is pregnate with a gravid spot.Once the tank cycles that is. Baby fish always seem to cheer me up in times like these.

Ponyo

Thank you Eileen. I do have a small female Bumble Bee Platy in the tank already. She is absolutely adorable, but I am thinking about adding another, possibly pregnant, female once the tank is cycled. I added some coral and am hoping this will harden our soft water and make it more Platy friendly. Also hoping the PH will go up. Right now it's at 6.6. Only time, tests, and water changes will tell.