Guppies Ill

Tank size: Around 9-10 Gallon I think...
pH: unknown
ammonia: I had a water sample tested 2-3 days after it was changed at a pet store - they said the water condition was perfect.
nitrite: unknown
nitrate: unknown
kH: "
gH: "
tank temp: 78-80

Fish Symptoms: first guppie was blue, then around 2 weeks ago he lost his colour, now he's a pale yellow colour and his tail forms a 'point' rather than being flared like a healthy guppie should.
now the second guppy started looking ill 3-4 days ago, first I noticed the top lip of his mouth was gone, and then red gills...the gills seem to be more open as every day passes...and ive noticed today it sorta has some strange white film over his body (similar to what it looks like when they've been dead for a while)

Volume and Frequency of water changes: tank was cleaned around 3-4 weeks ago, no water change as of yet (waiting for the cycle to complete)

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: stress solution, anti-chlorine, anti-bacteria

Tank inhabitants: guppies, neons, sucking loach, 1 angel

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 2 living plants, 1 angel that was picked on in the downstairs tank




Now, i'm not sure what I should do. I have an angel in the tank which was bullied downstairs, and I personally don't think these 2 guppies are doing the tank any good - they are still swimming around with the other guppie and not 'seeming' too bad, even though the one looks like he's been dead for days!
But my worry is that they'll give the infection to the Angel - i've been trying to rehabilate him because his partner in the downstairs tank turned on him and started biting at him, only now his tail and fin have started to heal up and the last thing I want is for him to get this disease - it isn't nice to watch

A coating of wispy threads sounds like columnaris. Its a bacterial condition and if your angel isnt showing any signs I would move it to another tank on its own and see how it does.

We need actual numbers for the tests so i would go back and test it again, and ask for them to write them down.
You need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. Do this before a water change though.

Usually for columnaris to get a hold the tank is high on the temperature side. Your tank is at 25c so that should be low enough.

Can you get a pic of the sick fish?

In the meantime do more water changes and use a gravel vac. You may need a med for bacterial diseases.

black angel said:

A coating of wispy threads sounds like columnaris. Its a bacterial condition and if your angel isnt showing any signs I would move it to another tank on its own and see how it does.

We need actual numbers for the tests so i would go back and test it again, and ask for them to write them down.
You need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. Do this before a water change though.

Usually for columnaris to get a hold the tank is high on the temperature side. Your tank is at 25c so that should be low enough.

Can you get a pic of the sick fish?

In the meantime do more water changes and use a gravel vac. You may need a med for bacterial diseases.

Click to expand...

Only the orange one has the wispy threads, and it's only on the top of him - I was thinking it could be because he's at the top of the tank alot...i think he finds it hard to get air with the top of his mouth gone and all

I have a little dilemma about putting the angel back in the other tank - won't the other angel go back to bullying him?

I took a photo, but its with my camera phone so it's blurry and focuses on the background. You can sort of make out the redness around the gills though, and the ones pointed tail (he used to be blue). Also the Orange one was fully orange before, but now you can make out his white underside and red gills.

Dont put the angel in the other tank and get new equipment for the other tank. Its really important that you dont use your nets etc between tanks or move anything between them or you will cross contaminate.
If you cant move the angel to a tank on its own then you will have to keep it where it is.
As youve said the pic isnt that great so maybe stand further away and trry using your camera software to focus in on the problem areas.
Can you get any meds for them?

i've just phoned my parents now - the test kits are something like £7-8 and my parents can't really grasp the fact diseases spread like wildfire in tanks so they'd probably just prefer to wait for those 2 fish to die than get a kit (but as a result it could take out my whole tank)

i think they are going to get meds though, my mum read out what they have in the pet store over the phone, and treatment for mouth-rot/fin-rot seems the wise choice?

I do have a container for pregnant fish, so maybe I should put those 2 ill ones in that? and leave it in the tank?

I will replace 1/4 of the water now and clean the stones with the gravel vac. Next time i'll get sand in my tank for sure, stones seems to accumulate alot of crap

Its probably in the water now so no point segregating the sick ones. Have you any aquarium salt? If so you could try a salt dip on the most affected.
As long as the med treats bacterial diseases then it should help though keeping your tank pristine is the better way to go long term.

black angel said:

Its probably in the water now so no point segregating the sick ones. Have you any aquarium salt? If so you could try a salt dip on the most affected.
As long as the med treats bacterial diseases then it should help though keeping your tank pristine is the better way to go long term.

Click to expand...

no aquarium salt no, but i do have sea salt/rock salt in the cupboard downstairs. i heard plants don't go too well with salt though? neither do guppies supposedly? i'll put the 2 ill ones in the container for pregnant fish and add about 1 spoonfull of salt, would that be okay?

Guppies take salt really well. If the container doesnt let water go through it then you can salt it but dont use salt if it can get into the main tank.
Break the salt up so you can measure it in teaspoons.
maybe better to do a dip rather than a bath for them. Add 3 teaspoons of predissolved salt into a gallon of water. You can use a bucket for this and using a net dip the guppies in it for a few seconds then return to the tank. You can do this three times a day using the same bucket of water.