RIP Lemony – What IS that lump?

Lemony the female Platy is dead. Sorry if this post is a bit too gruesome for some, it’s not THAT bad but be warned! She spent a night in a hospital tank with a first dose of Myxazin and her behaviour seemed fine last night. Today the plant was holding her up but I looked closer and realised she was a goner. Such a pretty fish and she helped to fend off the advances of Randy the male Platy along with the other two ladies, so I’m sure they will miss her.

She had a small white lump sticking out of her underside and it got noticeably bigger after a day. I have taken a few photos of her to give an idea of the condition. The lump was soft and oozed away from her body when I wiped it gently with tissue. Having taken the outer lump away, more white ‘stuff’ came out of the same place. Could it be fish pus?

Big Boi, the dwarf gourami, is a regular bubblenest builder and defends them keenly. My theory is that he bit one of her scales off and the injury got infected. I observed him sucking in and spitting out a scale so maybe that was Lemony’s.

If it seems obvious to you what the problem was then do let me know. It would be good to know what may have been the problem if I could spot it earlier next time or prevent it happening, or perhaps it’s just one of those things. She is now wrapped up in the recycling bin. I haven’t buried any of my fish but they will contribute to good compost.

Handy Hospital Tank and an Eggy Belly

Lemony the female Platy was looking a bit rough yesterday and today she has a definite lump near her rear end so it was time to set up the little 12.5 litre tank. She is now on her own with a plant and a flowerpot for company but I do talk to her now and then as she’s on a side table next to the sofa – maybe talking therapy will help?!?

I’ve added a dose of Myxazin, the first of a five day course, which is suppose to help with a range of bacterial problems so I can but try.

The good news is that Stephen the bristlenose is settling in nicely and tours the sides of the tank a lot so we can see him. Good boy. Well he’s got a small moustache so I’m guessing boy…

The prawn still has a belly full of eggs. They look darker now than the whitish colour they have been. It looks weird. Maybe it’ll put me off eating prawns?

While taking pictures, although Stephen was buried in bogwood, a Pygmy sparkling gourami popped its tiny head up. I haven’t seen one for weeks and weeks so perhaps this is the last survivor.

The female betta (who I have not named for some reason) has been particularly enjoying the tv tonight. So mostly all is well.
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New Bristlenose and a Shy Sore-Bellied Platy

I was lured into buying a new bristlenose catfish today by the LFS – how dare they! He/she is about half the size of Nancy, with a similar colouring and tiny white tips to its tail. I might call it Peta/Peter or Victor/Victoria?! Or Steven. Nancy seems ok so far although I did watch her chase the new one away from the underside of the planted bogwood. There are two pieces of it and lots of room but she isn’t used to sharing. I also bought a lovely piece of mopani root (£4.99 bargain!) which is soaking in a bucket so I can see how much it tints the water; the tannins leached are supposed to deter algae but I don’t want a big imbalance of the stuff nor do I want brown water! I’ll keep it soaking a while. Also, I bought a small fern-like plant; no clue what it is but I’ll try and look it up online.

I had a good 50-60 litre water change today and replaced the white wooly top layer of the external filter with a new one. I bought some non-branded ones on eBay and had to snip a tiny bit with scissors for it to fit perfectly so I hope they will be effective. Big Boi the male Dwarf Gourami is very miffed with me as I have destroyed his nest of dead plant matter. He is determined number 7 will prove irresistible to Betty. He expressed his feelings towards me in the photo.

I’m a bit worried about Lemony the yellow female Platy as she has been hiding out in a flower pot lately. She is getting so skilled at camouflage that the other night I thought she had been eaten as I couldn’t find her! I assumed she was either hiding or guarding. Unfortunately, I think she has been hiding as her abdomen looks like someone has taken a nibble at it – her undercarriage looks a bit frayed! And a bit pink. You can just about see it in the fifth photo with Mr C the cichlid (it looks like he’s having a close look at it!) I’ll keep watching and (hopefully) learning!

Bubblenest Number 6 and an Egg-Filled Shrimp

Big Boi has a new nest…looking back I make it number 6! There’s no sign of anything but his bubbles but still I know he is happy enough to keep building.

I noticed one of the three algae-eating shrimps has a belly full of what looks like many tiny eggs. I read that they can carry their eggs for about 5 weeks before larvae hatch but I imagine they would be far too tiny for me to see. They need phytoplankton to feed on which would probably be present in a mature tank. My tank is never short of algae. I am not going to try putting the shrimp in a breeding tank; as usual I will let aquarium nature take its course.

No Fish Young ‘Uns to Report…

I’m afraid that the dwarf gouramis Big Boi and Betty haven’t made use of the recent nests, even though he had two going at one time! The dwarf ciclids Mr & Mrs C produced another batch of eggs recently but they were gone within a couple of days. No sign of any young tiddlers. At least they are happy enough to try!

I had a huge clean up this week and hacked away at the plants as some leaves get quite fuzzy with algae.

I love my fish!