Dying Guppy, Help?

After using Safestart and adding 4 guppies a few days ago, one of them has become ill and I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice and perhaps shed some light on what happened?

Ever since I got them, he's seemed odd and not very well. While the other three were peaceful towards each other, he kept nipping two of the others and his back seemed slightly bent.

Today I noticed his tail was almost spiky looking at the end, almost as though it had rotted? About an hour ago myself and my dad found him floating vertically around the tank, head down, so we used the fish net to leave him floating in the top to pass away without constantly bumping into the heater/filter/walls of the tank.

All the others seems fine, with no damage to their tails (despite one having a slight tear where the ill one nipped him). My dad said that his tail was an odd shape as it was very small and not 'full' like the others, though I thought this was just another tail shape?

Should I do a water change and clean the substrate in case it wasn't genetic and he had a disease? The only thing I'm worried about is killing the bacteria from the SS, as it advised to not do a water change for 1-2 weeks after adding it.

I tested my water a couple days ago and these were the levels:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 15mg/L

How long has the tank actually been running? while it could have been a virus it seems most likely it was bad genetics caused by inbreeding from what you described.

RainyDays said:

After using Safestart and adding 4 guppies a few days ago, one of them has become ill and I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice and perhaps shed some light on what happened?

Ever since I got them, he's seemed odd and not very well. While the other three were peaceful towards each other, he kept nipping two of the others and his back seemed slightly bent.

Today I noticed his tail was almost spiky looking at the end, almost as though it had rotted? About an hour ago myself and my dad found him floating vertically around the tank, head down, so we used the fish net to leave him floating in the top to pass away without constantly bumping into the heater/filter/walls of the tank.

All the others seems fine, with no damage to their tails (despite one having a slight tear where the ill one nipped him). My dad said that his tail was an odd shape as it was very small and not 'full' like the others, though I thought this was just another tail shape?

Should I do a water change and clean the substrate in case it wasn't genetic and he had a disease? The only thing I'm worried about is killing the bacteria from the SS, as it advised to not do a water change for 1-2 weeks after adding it.

I agree with

I tested my water a couple days ago and these were the levels:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 15mg/L

Click to expand...

I agree with the genetic issue snork mentioned, I've seen guppies at my local petsmart that will sometimes have a bent spine and struggle to swim. This is usually a result of inbreeding and genetic defects. If your fish has lived to adulthood with this issue I'm thinking its a combination of his deformity and the stress of your tank that will make him kick the bucket. When they are at the point they are floating listlessly it's pretty much over.

Now to address your tank. Your nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia need to be ZERO. Do a 50% water change of conditioned water that is as close to the tank temperature as possible. Then test again. If the numbers are not in the safe ranges do a water change until they are. Siphon the gravel while you do this, as you don't have an established bacteria colony and any decomposing food or fish waste is adding to your problems. Your fish may seem fine now but when these levels rise they begin to irritate and stress your fish. A stressed fish becomes a sick fish, then a dead fish!

Why don't you have a bacteria colony? Because bacteria in a bottle does not work. I've got a bit of advice for you friend. From this point onward consider everything your local pet store employees tell you is wrong. They are usually interested in making a sale or they don't really know what they are talking about (or repeating the wrong information they were told) and your fish will suffer for it. Always double check what they may tell you on the internet before accepting it as fact. This hobby may seem overwhelming when you get started because it is, but only if you don't take the time to research what you need to do first.


Story time.
When I first started in this hobby I really wanted goldfish. Those funny little bug eyes ones with the black bodies? They were so cute bobbing around the pet store tank. Then I read that they grow to be huge and require other golfish to live happily. I asked the petsmart associate if I could get them even though I was getting a 10 gallon. She told me I could put at least six goldfish in there and wouldn't have to worry about space. She told me that gravel was the best choice of substrate, that they liked a heated tank, and were very "clean fish". I'm glad I listened to my gut, I simply bought the tank and equipment and set it up at home before getting any fish. What I researched confirmed that everything she was todld me was the exact opposite of their proper care requirements. I ended up getting three mollies and a small pleco.
The end.

Thank you both for your help! I'll do a partial water change and siphon my sand at the same time.

@snork6
The tank has been running since last monday so I could test that the heater and filter were working properly. The fish were then added Thursday.

@FroFro
My ammonia and nitrite levels are 0, and I have read that nitrate must be kept under 50ppm with frequent water changes to remove it? I don't mean to challenge your advice or anything like that, but if I've read something wrong then I obviously need to change it.

I used Tetra Safestart because I'd read many good reviews online, and saw it recommended on several different threads. I thought it has worked as my ammonia and nitrite levels are 0 while it has fish in? I wasn't recommended it in my fish shop, as I'd make sure to check any advice online first. I've been researching for several weeks prior to setting my tank up, making sure that my stocking plan would work and I knew how to maintain a tank.

Current thinking is that nitrate should be kept under 20 ppm, which makes it tricky for those people who have over that in their tap water. Nitrate is rarely zero in a cycled tank.

Tetra Safe Start is one of the better products, but if it has got too hot or too cold at any time between manufacture and your tank, it may not do anything. Keep checking those levels till you are sure they are staying at zero.

As snork and FroFro said, the most likely cause is the result of inbreeding. Guppies used to be hardy fish, but not nowadays.

@essjay

Thank you for your help!

I'll try testing my tap water too then to see what its nitrate levels are. I'm going to go out tomorrow and get my water levels tested at two different places, just to make sure they're accurate and nothing is wrong with my tester kit.

If I do find out that the safestart hasn't worked, what would be my best course of action? Should I buy another bottle and add more to the water, or leave it and do a sort of fish in cycle and do frequent water changes?

If you do find ammonia and/or nitrite showing up, I would just continue as a fish-in cycle.


Which kind of test kit do you have, strips or test tubes and bottles? If it's the test tube & bottle type all brands have a reagent in one of the nitrate bottles that settles on the bottom of the bottle. The instructions will say to shake that bottle very hard before using it, and probably to shake the tube after adding it. All this shaking is necessary to get that reagent back into the liquid. You may well know all this, but it is worth saying just to make sure

I bought one of the test strip ones after discovering that my LFS was out of stock of the liquid test kits, though will be ordering the API liquid test kit online today.

Thank you for your help!

Hello,
I think my fish is having the same problem. I have joined the forum purely to find out and be sure if my little mate is okay! Been watching him for about a week now as he only caught my eye because of his shape. He lives in a large tank with a number of other fish who all seem to be fine! Unfortunately I don't know what types of fish they are as the tank was already in my office when I started my job a few weeks ago. I have attached an image of the fish so you can see him and maybe even identify what he is and give advice? He started to swim wonky today hence my urge for diagnosis as I can no longer ignore him guilt free!