Keeping Platies and Dwarf Loaches in cold water..

[KEG.77]

Hi..

My Sister has recently went into a pets at home and was sold a Dwarf Loach and 2 platies for her cold water tank which contained 3 mountain minnows. She was told they do fine in cold water.
I was under the impression that they needed a tropical environment to survive. 

anyway; 6 days later the loach is dead and the 2 platies are very pale, lethargic and have developed white spot. 
I tested her water and it is perfect, no nitrite, nitrate or ammonia.

I feel it is a temperature issue, but my sister said the platies were in cold water tank in the pet store.

Are these fish suitable for a cold aquarium?

Thanks

[TropicalFishForums]

[drain_bamaged]

There are cold water Loaches out there and available but without knowing which one she was sold it's not possible to say if it was ok or not, as regards the Platty's they will tolerate 'temperate' tanks 68 degrees providing they are conditioned and acclimatised slowly and carefully but they survive rather than thrive and they certainly would not be happy with night time temperatures in winter when the tank, especially a smaller tank can drop quite considerably.

John

[KEG.77]

Thanks for the reply John

I do know the loach was taken out of a tropical tank in store. But what dwarf loach it is I'm not sure. 
Unfortunately it is a small corner tank. 
I think I will offer them a new home in my community aquarium. It make me really upset to see fish suffer.

[drain_bamaged]

That sounds like a reasonable idea, the White Cloud Mountain Minnows should be fine and there are colour variations of them available ie Gold ones, if she wanted a bit of variaty but i would be tempted to tell her not to buy livestock from Pets @ Home (spit) they have a bit of a reputation for shall we say not being the most reliable with their information.

John

[KEG.77]

The Mickey mouse platy died   before I transferred it into my tank.. The other platy which is a sunset platy is already more active in my tropical tank.. 
WHY are pets at home selling these as cold water fish????   I have also researched the loach which died yesterday.. It was a Chinese algae eater..  not a dwarf loach as the shopkeeper claimed it to be...... 

Pets at home really need to educate their staff..

[plankton]

P@H need to stop selling livestock as far as I can understand, there are so few staff who know anything....

[Adam]

With any knowledgeable employees they'd really lose alot of money - and they wouldn't lose it on wages...

[plankton]

With any knowledgeable employees they'd really lose alot of money - and they wouldn't lose it on wages...

Short term, maybe, but long term with good advice they'd be quids in.....

[Adam]

Short term, maybe, but long term with good advice they'd be quids in.....

True true...I only go to the pet shop with the 'good guy'.