Well unfortunately, I woke up this morning and Mr. platy went to the big fish tank in the sky. My guess is bad stock, as the store had a lot of dead fish when I got him. Today I got my cash back from the store, and went to a different, mom and pop pet store with very healthy/active looking stock and picked up a balloon molly... Thank you all for the help, but I guess it was just to late for him...

Well heres a interesting update... That suposidly male platy did die, but today i noticed something strange in my low grass, two tiny fry with black fins... Theres a good chance they will be eaten, but im going to go with the wait and see method, the grass is dense enough where they might be safe...

Yasher. In my experience I find the small stores as well as the big store chains get deseased fish from their suppliers.

I know a small store that has horrible tanks for most of their fish, and there's dead and diseased fish as well. The tank with the cardinal tetras is the only one they seem to really kep up. I've seen the same fish in the same tank for months and they're healthy and happy.

Today I went in and there was a new kind of tetra called a Gold tetra. Stunningly gorgious white gold look. I bought 10 and can't wait to get them pH shifted. The pH of the water they were in was very low, like 6.0, and my tank is very high, like 7.5, so I think it's going to take maybe a day before I can put them in.

They all look healthy too, and they're in that same tank.

My point is that I agree with you in principal, but there's allways exceptions.

Prdoring: Those bamboo plants are going to eventually die if they can't reach air.

I'd get some true aquatic plants. Tank looks nice though.