swordtails & Platties

For anyone who has experience with fresh water sword tails & platties, I don't know what I am doing wrong. My angels, guppies & various tetras are doing well, but my swords & platties almost always get that disease where they wag back & forth & eventually die. I'm beginning to think I would just be better off sticking with the tetras. I don't want many fish anyway , as I am trying to set up a plant tank. Any suggestions ?

[baugherb]

Been a while salty. I had good luck with mine. My tetras are what gave me trouble. Everyone's different. I had alot of live plants in mine. I don't know. I wish I had an answer or at least a good suggestion...

[Tangster]

Well you have fish that require totaly different water what do you keep the P.H level at ? also may want to add 1 tsp of uniodized table salt per 5 gallons of tank water .. Planted tank you say are you feeding CO'2 to it ? if so may need to add a degasser..

[sweetriden76]

hmm...never had trouble with any platies, had some tetras that were prone to illness...checked my one tropical handbook and it suggested adding 1 teaspoon per 2 gallons of water, I have used the specially made salt for freshwater aquariums before with success, I would get the specially made stuff and follow the directions on the package...or just do what I did and switch over to african cichlids for the FW stuff...