Guppy In Bad Shape....neeed Help!

Hi everyone, Im new to this forum, since i got a new guppy last week
I've read most of the problem other members have had with their pin sized pets..but I can't seem to find any solutions to my problem.
Here is my situation...

This weekend, I had to leave my guppy behind because I had to go out of town. So i fed him (my guppy is a male btw ) on a friday nite, and got bak on a monday and fed him then. I know it sounds horrible for not feeding your pets like this but i actually read up some of the specs of guppy and it indicated that a fish is fine without food for ~2 days. Before i left, it was still as energetic as ever....but.......

now i have a problem, because when i got bak, i found my guppy hiding at the bottom of the tank, just staying there and it looks like its sick. It tries to swim up but then it just ends up at the bottom of the tank again. When i give him food, it tries to swim up, but its like it couldn't stay up and ends up at the bottom of the tank. So, I thought maybe its cuz it didn't have the energy to swim because of the lack of food, so i scooped him up and put him in another container where the water is more shallow so he can quickly eat without making so much effort to swim to it. But even iso, he only touches its food, but not really eating it.

Now, this morning, i see my guppy swimming around slowly, but the most heartbreaking is, he looks worse than last nite . His tail is drooping, like his whole entire body is sorta bent downwards. I've tried looking up on the internet for what might be bothering my guppy, but I've only found something about constipation and indigestion due to over feeding, and how i should just starve it for 2 days and feed it some shrimp or something. But i really dun think thats the problem since its been starved for 2 days over the weekend, how is it possible to overfeed? I'm such a newbie in this, can all you experts please enlighten! Thanks!! And sorry for the long post!

Well, whatever has caused his problems you can be sure it won't have been leaving him without food for a couple of days, so you can stop feeling guilty about that. The first question is always about water parameters. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? If there is nothing obviously wrong there, I'd suspect a bacterial infection.

water quality looks alrite!

I read somehwere about vitamin D deficiency. I've put near sunlight the past 2 days, and it still loks like its an a very bad shape.
i noticed something green hanging off his bottom fins, but the pictures couldn't catch it.
And again, bent spine..which i duno why or how...=/ Also, its hardly eating, he doesn't get as excited as before at the sight of food... wat is wrong.. please please please advise![/font]

To be honest I would end his misery he not a well fish at all.
Bent spine yes can be diet, also fish tb to internal parasites, and even old age.
What does it look like when the fish goes to the toilet.

i don't remember seeing him going to the toilet the past couple days. He hasn't been eating properly, which is one of the reasons i guess..

Which is the most painless way to end his misery?.....>< if things dun turn up well tmr, i think i rather stop his suffering...cuz i know he is terribly sick, but i just duno how to fix it... and make him feel better.......

wait, im guessing it has been pooing, i just read somewhere..there was something hanging off his ..fin...and its stringy, and kinda green...
im guessing thats the poop. =/ i actually duno what it looks like, because i really just got the fish 1 weeks ago from a frd, and i haven't paid much attention to it, since got skool and work, but now its too late..even when i finally wanna pay attention

I'm guessing your tank's not cycled and he could be suffering from amonia or nitrite poisoning!

When did you last do a water change?

How long have you had your tank set up for?

What size is the tank?

What are your water stat's, amonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph?

What is the water temperature?

How many guppies do you have?

Do you have any other fish in the tank with him? If so, what?

Do/did you de-chlorinate the water before adding it?

Jozlyn said:

I'm guessing your tank's not cycled and he could be suffering from amonia or nitrite poisoning!

When did you last do a water change?

How long have you had your tank set up for?

What size is the tank?

What are your water stat's, amonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph?

What is the water temperature?

How many guppies do you have?

Do you have any other fish in the tank with him? If so, what?

Do/did you de-chlorinate the water before adding it?

Click to expand...

I just did a water change
I actually don't know its water stat's because i adopted the guppy from someone who does not have all the equipment available for me
When i first got it, it was totally fine, it was only over the weekend that things turned upside down.

And im not sure about de-cholorinating the water, but i did use a water conditioner before putting new water into the tank.
The tank holds 1.77 gallons U.S. He is the only fish in the tank, and he has been alone like this according to the previous owner, for a couple of months now.

He is hiding at the bottom of the tank, and his bent spine seems to be getting worse.

Thank you all of you for helping. i really appreciate it...

He probably wont make it, which is a shame.

A water test kit (liquid based) is essential for fish keeping, otherwise you wont know what's going on with your water and people on here can't diagnose problems without that information. Also, when you're asked questions please answer all of them, even if it's "I don't know", we ask those questions as an aide to diagnosing the problem. You missed 2 of mine, about how long your tank has been set up for (this gives us an indication as to whether or not it might be cycled) and what the water temperature is, if your heater is set too high or too low this can also cause problems to the fish and the water.

Also, guppies shouldn't be kept by themselves they're very social little fish and do well in a goup, 5 males together is usually a good number. Or alternatively 1 male to 3 to 4 females if you're interested in breeding. Unfortunately your tank is too small for that amount of fish.

I'm guessing that you have water problems which are making his condition even worse. Change the water, all of the water, add water conditioner and heat it up before you put it back in the tank (that way you wont have to wait for the heater to do it for you) this may help to make him more comfortable.

What sort of filter do you have?

Here's some threads you need to read before you decide to get any more fish and may help the fish you have.

http/www.fishforums.net/Fishless-Cycling-t113861.html

http/www.fishforums.net/Step-by-step-Gui...ce-t171045.html

http/www.fishforums.net/Beginner-Resouce...ere-t88643.html

Good luck

TBH, I can't think of any fish I'd keep in a tank that small, apart from a single Betta. You really need something bigger. Most fish need to be in groups of 5-6.

Jozlyn said:

He probably wont make it, which is a shame.

A water test kit (liquid based) is essential for fish keeping, otherwise you wont know what's going on with your water and people on here can't diagnose problems without that information. Also, when you're asked questions please answer all of them, even if it's "I don't know", we ask those questions as an aide to diagnosing the problem. You missed 2 of mine, about how long your tank has been set up for (this gives us an indication as to whether or not it might be cycled) and what the water temperature is, if your heater is set too high or too low this can also cause problems to the fish and the water.

Also, guppies shouldn't be kept by themselves they're very social little fish and do well in a goup, 5 males together is usually a good number. Or alternatively 1 male to 3 to 4 females if you're interested in breeding. Unfortunately your tank is too small for that amount of fish.

I'm guessing that you have water problems which are making his condition even worse. Change the water, all of the water, add water conditioner and heat it up before you put it back in the tank (that way you wont have to wait for the heater to do it for you) this may help to make him more comfortable.

What sort of filter do you have?

Here's some threads you need to read before you decide to get any more fish and may help the fish you have.

http/www.fishforums.net/Fishless-Cycling-t113861.html

http/www.fishforums.net/Step-by-step-Gui...ce-t171045.html

http/www.fishforums.net/Beginner-Resouce...ere-t88643.html

Good luck

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the info. Yea, i do see how its really lonely by itself.
Sorry bout that, i missed those two questions you asked. Yea well, 'how long has the tank been set up for' and 'what is the water temp' to be honest i don't know. The only really knew about all the necessary equipment that accompanies into taking care of a fish was after joining this forum. I have no experience in taking care of a fish and the reason i took this lil guy in was cuz it was either going to be flushed down the toilet, or live-in with me, so i took it in. And now i realized the minimal equipment i was provided with...

Anyway, all i know is that its previous owner told me they cleaned the entire tank, a couple weeks ago.
And as for the filter its a ELITE mini A-130, AC120V, if that means anything? im just reading the specs off the filter..

Its tail is gradually changing colour with hints of red. Its getting sicker by the day.

And i can do nothing about it... this is horrible.

There IS something you can do about it, but some people are reluctant to do so.

vinylman said:

There IS something you can do about it, but some people are reluctant to do so.

Click to expand...

I gather you're talking about euthenasia? In situations like this, it is a valid option.

I didn't read any of the replies, but my take is that you need to post the water quality levels. You say they are alright, but someone who is new to the fish hobby may have a different definition of "alright".

Also fish can techically live for a week without food if there is an emergency, but I would never reccomend doing this, it's just a knowledge for emergencies, like a huge snowfall that keeps you locked in etc.