Platys and low pH problem? (too long)
 

I want to apologize in advance for the length of this, but I'm just worried
about the first fish I've ever owned, a group of 5 'sunset' platys. Beginning
about a week ago, all of the platys are showing varying degrees of
roughed-up-edness. *shrug* Slightly lighter tones in random spots of their
body. Body shape's the same, eating well, moving through all areas of the
tank. I noticed today that it appeared as if there was a tiny bit of loose
scale or something hanging off of two of them. The smallest male's been a bit
beaten up in this manner since he came home(without noticing the scale thing),
and I put it off to bullying. I have some ideas as to what's going on which
I'll get to in a sec.

Since adding a lovely chunk of driftwood to the tank, the pH took a nosedive
from 7.2 to about 6.5 within the span of a day. While a decline in pH was
expected, a sudden crash was not... and I think the platys hated it. Here's my
tank specs, which I'll most likely follow up with a nervous ramble and some
hare-brained theory.

39 gal
100W hangey-type heater
Millenium 2000 power filter ( w/new floss and carbon insert)
dark inert gravel
20W light
lotsa falsie plants and a genuine bunch of Java Moss
driftwood from reputable store (washed at home as well)

pH = 6.5
NH3 = 0
NO2 = 0
NO3 = no idea
KH = 1 dKH
GH = 9 dGH
temp hovers around 76

in order of appearance:
5 'sunset' platys (3M/2F fully grown)
7 zebra danios (no idea of the ratio. they never stay still!)
1 'pleco' pl*co ;) bout 3 1/2" now
3 blue paradise (supposedly juvie F, bought same day as wood)

I do a 10% water change once a week, but sometimes my life's a bit dull so I do
a little less water more frequently throughout. Did my first partial gravel
vac today. They're fed freeze dried daphnia (Hikari), frozen bloodworms once a
week, Nutrafin and Aquarian flakes, and the remnants of Vlad's BettaMin. I
gave them their first meal of bloodworms recently so my first theory would be
food-borne yuckies. Maybe? But everyone else seems fine.

I brought home the driftwood and the PF's the same day, which is why I'm having
trouble discerning between my next two theories: bully-stress and pH crash.
The PF's stake out an area of wherever they're digging for food and defend it
with the evil eye and a short chase. I haven't seen them run down anyone yet
and rough them up, although the platys have been swimming pretty tightly
together so deviating from their normal pattern of hanging out by themselves
might be self-explanatory.

If it's bullying, I don't know what to do. It's REALLY planted in there and
they have the driftwood to hide in as well so I can't reasonably add more. I
don't like the thought of a divider as I'm stubbornly concerned about even
water flow/filtration, but perhaps if I have to get rid of them it could be a
temporary recovery place. I mean, who's going to want scuffed up fish? The
other option is to put them in the 10gal with the boyfriend's new juvie betta
till they recover, but I worry about stressing another of his fish to the point
of croaking with that.

Anyway, I can't decide whether the platys hate the pH or the pF's.

1) Anyone had their fish react like this with ONLY the pH nosediving?
2) Can anyone think of any disease which would cause the flaking off?
3) Does anyone in central Ohio want some adorable but abused platys? Or
perhaps after they've recovered if it's bullying? I'm willing to drive.

Couldn't resist that last one.

Happy Trails and thanks to all you posters who care :)

Jessica






Guess who just added her first plant. ;)