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Please Help - My Guppies keep dying

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GuppyMamma91

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Okay, so I have absolutely no clue what to do.
Tank - 29 gallon
Filter - MarineLand Penguin 200 Power FIlter (for 30-50 Gallon) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009IODZG/?tag=ff0d01-20
Two additional bubblers and plenty of aggitation at the top
A very small current runs at the bottom of the tank
Ammonia & Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 8.0 (but it's consistently that and only .2 higher than the local pet stores)
Nitrate - usually stay around 10, but sometimes get close to 40. Been doing more frequent water changes so been pretty steady at 10)
temp - 77/78 F (Use a Aqueon 150W preset heater)
Tank Stock - 1 butterfly loach, 2 cory cats, 1 glofish danio, 1 black platy, 4 female guppies, plats - water sprite and some other small foreground plant)

PROBLEM:
My tank is cycled and has been for several months. My water parameters stay steady. I do water changes at least weekly of 10-25% (how big of a change depends on nitrate levels.) I check my water parameters almost daily (but at least 3 times a week) using a API freshwater master test kit (API KH/GH test kit on the way.) I keep getting guppies and they keep dying. I don't understand. I try not to overfeed and the other fish seem to stay perfectly happy and healthy. I had a small bout of fin rot, but that has been cleared up. Now they just keep dying. I have no clue what to do. I'm so tired of killing the guppies. My water seems fine. There are no spots on them, no visible abnormalities or coloring. The three you see in the picture died within a week of bringing them home. This exact scenario keeps happening, but seems to only be the guppies so I don't understand. None of the diseases I read about or see pictures of seem to fit the case. (The closest thing that compares to my situation is a swim bladder disorder or inflammation, but I'm not convinced. I'd also think Tuberculosis, but there's no kind of ulcers or apparent issues.) They just kind of seem to get weak, start swimming erratically (like a last push for life), then the next day they'll start weakly swimming at the top and soon be dead.

I thought the Platy or the danio was the problem and stressing the guppies out, but I separated them and the same thing kept happening.

I don't know what else to do. Please offer suggestions. I can only assume it must have something to do with stress, but I just don't see anything stressful. About 10 guppies have died over the last month and my heart breaks with each one. I just cant figure out what's going wrong. (and I always make sure if I have a male there's AT LEAST 2 or 3 females to accompany him so he doesn't harrass)

IMG_1600.jpg
 
What is your gh? Also, I recommend you get more danios and cory cats because they need schools to thrive
 
I accidentally had tremendous success with guppies and ended up giving them ALL away due to my inability to control their breeding/numbers. My tank was not heavily planted but had SOME plants. Had duckweed as well. I used Seachem Equibrium since my tap water has zero GH. I used nothing else. Maybe your source is the issue. It may be stress. I had only guppies and a LONE rasbora.


This was the last video I took of my guppy horror tank before I gave away the entire setup to a lady who could properly separate them and control their numbers. And this was AFTER giving away many of them!!

This all bloomed from 15 tiny little fry I bought off eBay. ALL the guppies were born freely in this tank. I do not separate pregnant females or protect fry at all. I think more plants/hiding spaces may help with stress.
 
Rocky998 said:
What is your gh? Also, I recommend you get more danios and cory cats because they need schools to thrive
Click to expand...
I have no clue about the gh; I have that test kit on the way but it wont be here until Monday. I cant find any place local that sells them. As far as the danio goes, I don't think I plan on replacing it after it dies (heading towards an all guppy/ bottom-feeder tank) I have considered re-homing him though to someone who has more. I will definitely look into getting more cory cats, just want to make sure my tank is safe first.
 
mjfromga said:
I accidentally had tremendous success with guppies and ended up giving them ALL away due to my inability to control their breeding/numbers. My tank was not heavily planted but had SOME plants. Had duckweed as well. I used Seachem Equibrium since my tap water has zero GH. I used nothing else. Maybe your source is the issue. It may be stress. I had only guppies and a LONE rasbora.


This was the last video I took of my guppy horror tank before I gave away the entire setup to a lady who could properly separate them and control their numbers. And this was AFTER giving away many of them!!

This all bloomed from 15 tiny little fry I bought off eBay. ALL the guppies were born freely in this tank. I do not separate pregnant females or protect fry at all. I think more plants/hiding spaces may help with stress.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I have some of the equilibrium, but I'm weary of adding too many chemicals. I already add prime and stress zyme+ with my water changes. Maybe I should try switching the stress zyme out.
 
mjfromga said:
I accidentally had tremendous success with guppies and ended up giving them ALL away due to my inability to control their breeding/numbers. My tank was not heavily planted but had SOME plants. Had duckweed as well. I used Seachem Equibrium since my tap water has zero GH. I used nothing else. Maybe your source is the issue. It may be stress. I had only guppies and a LONE rasbora.


This was the last video I took of my guppy horror tank before I gave away the entire setup to a lady who could properly separate them and control their numbers. And this was AFTER giving away many of them!!

This all bloomed from 15 tiny little fry I bought off eBay. ALL the guppies were born freely in this tank. I do not separate pregnant females or protect fry at all. I think more plants/hiding spaces may help with stress.
Click to expand...
It could be the source though I guess. hopefully the GH / KH test I have coming in will provide some answers. Not sure what else to test for (other than those and the nitrite, pH, nitrate, and ammonia that I already do)
 
GuppyMamma91 said:
It could be the source though I guess. hopefully the GH / KH test I have coming in will provide some answers. Not sure what else to test for (other than those and the nitrite, pH, nitrate, and ammonia that I already do)
Click to expand...
I think your guppies dying may have something to do with your gh just because a lot of water people have is soft water and guppies enjoy harder water (although they sgould be able to survive in soft warer). How long does it take for your guppies to start dying?
 
I'd look into the GH issue for sure, it might be contributing/causing, and it's best to know what GH your water is anyway, so you know what type of fish to get it the future.

Can you snag some photos of the cories please so we can make sure of the species? We'd also want to know the GH and the species before recommending getting anymore, since not all cories can handle hard water, and livebearers like guppies and platies need hard water.

There is some overlap in terms of GH with some species of cory though, so we can give better advice once we know those things :)

As for guppies - where are you getting them from? I started with guppies myself, and going to copy/paste something I wrote to someone else here the other day;


"They seem to be a weaker fish in general (Bettas) - like guppies, the ones I used to keep. They broke my heart a lot too, because no matter what I did, the first trios and pairs of pet store guppies just kept dying. Perfect tank parameters, lots of live plants and doing everything I could to save them... it was only when I came here I learned that pet store guppies are no longer the robust, hardy, easy beginner fish they always had the reputation for being. Now being mass produced in fish farms abroad, often using sea water to save money, so the fish were raised in brackish water and had to adapt to freshwater when shipped here - frequently infested with various diseases and carrying heavy worm burdens... not being bred with health and longevity in mind. I was warned about pet store guppies, that if I got them, to worm them in quarantine, and not to expect too much, no matter how much I tried. That if you could get some fry from them before they died, at least the fry would be hardier.

Stuff I wish I had known before I lost many guppies, feeling like a fish murderer and that I shouldn't be in the hobby!"

Pet store mutt guppies are often weak, diseased and unhealthy long before you get hold of them. Always quarantine!! Especially livebearers. Be careful of the source too. Check the whole tank when you're looking for guppies, any that have damaged fins, look skinny and listless, washed out and pale, gasping at the surface, fungus or white spot, or any deaths - don't buy any from that tank. Try to discreetly find out whether the store also keeps the tanks on a shared water filtration system, because those allow disease to spread like wildfire.

If you rule out a problem with your GH, and it turns out to be suitable for livebearers, with all other water conditions good (zero ammonia or nitrites, low nitrates) then the problem is likely to the guppies themselves I'm afraid. For decades they had a reputation for being a hardy, almost unkillable beginner fish. But they're not any more I'm afraid.
 
Rocky998 said:
I think your guppies dying may have something to do with your gh just because a lot of water people have is soft water and guppies enjoy harder water (although they sgould be able to survive in soft warer). How long does it take for your guppies to start dying?
Click to expand...
Generally about 3 or 4 days, but there are a couple that have lasted. I really hope it's a simple fix like that. I want to get some pretty more expensive ones, but certainly not going to do that yet. I do know that higher pH is generally harder water, so I kind of assumed my water was on the harder side. I didn't realize the API 5 in 1 test strips have a GH & KH reading included. Those I can pick up this afternoon and at least get an idea while I wait on the liquid test to get here. Thanks!
 
Do you have any more pics of the tank and any other pics of the previous guppies that passed away? Or the current females you have? Wondering if I'll be able to spot anything that looks off.
GuppyMamma91 said:
Generally about 3 or 4 days, but there are a couple that have lasted. I really hope it's a simple fix like that. I want to get some pretty more expensive ones, but certainly not going to do that yet. I do know that higher pH is generally harder water, so I kind of assumed my water was on the harder side. I didn't realize the API 5 in 1 test strips have a GH & KH reading included. Those I can pick up this afternoon and at least get an idea while I wait on the liquid test to get here. Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you're going to a fish store, take a tank water and tap water sample with you, and ask them to test the GH and KH of both. They should be able to test it for you, and save you buying another kit, since the GH and KH shouldn't vary much, like the other water parameters. Most stores will be able to test for both.
 
AdoraBelle Dearheart said:
I'd look into the GH issue for sure, it might be contributing/causing, and it's best to know what GH your water is anyway, so you know what type of fish to get it the future.

Can you snag some photos of the cories please so we can make sure of the species? We'd also want to know the GH and the species before recommending getting anymore, since not all cories can handle hard water, and livebearers like guppies and platies need hard water.

There is some overlap in terms of GH with some species of cory though, so we can give better advice once we know those things :)

As for guppies - where are you getting them from? I started with guppies myself, and going to copy/paste something I wrote to someone else here the other day;


"They seem to be a weaker fish in general (Bettas) - like guppies, the ones I used to keep. They broke my heart a lot too, because no matter what I did, the first trios and pairs of pet store guppies just kept dying. Perfect tank parameters, lots of live plants and doing everything I could to save them... it was only when I came here I learned that pet store guppies are no longer the robust, hardy, easy beginner fish they always had the reputation for being. Now being mass produced in fish farms abroad, often using sea water to save money, so the fish were raised in brackish water and had to adapt to freshwater when shipped here - frequently infested with various diseases and carrying heavy worm burdens... not being bred with health and longevity in mind. I was warned about pet store guppies, that if I got them, to worm them in quarantine, and not to expect too much, no matter how much I tried. That if you could get some fry from them before they died, at least the fry would be hardier.

Stuff I wish I had known before I lost many guppies, feeling like a fish murderer and that I shouldn't be in the hobby!"

Pet store mutt guppies are often weak, diseased and unhealthy long before you get hold of them. Always quarantine!! Especially livebearers. Be careful of the source too. Check the whole tank when you're looking for guppies, any that have damaged fins, look skinny and listless, washed out and pale, gasping at the surface, fungus or white spot, or any deaths - don't buy any from that tank. Try to discreetly find out whether the store also keeps the tanks on a shared water filtration system, because those allow disease to spread like wildfire.

If you rule out a problem with your GH, and it turns out to be suitable for livebearers, with all other water conditions good (zero ammonia or nitrites, low nitrates) then the problem is likely to the guppies themselves I'm afraid. For decades they had a reputation for being a hardy, almost unkillable beginner fish. But they're not any more I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
That's really sad :( I've gotten them from Petco primarily, but there is a mom and pop pet store a few towns over I like. I just hate buying fish from there because it's a 40 minute drive back home and I don't want to stress them out with that long of a drive. If they're better quality fish though, it might be worth the risk.
 
Last edited:
AdoraBelle Dearheart said:
Do you have any more pics of the tank and any other pics of the previous guppies that passed away? Or the current females you have? Wondering if I'll be able to spot anything that looks off.


If you're going to a fish store, take a tank water and tap water sample with you, and ask them to test the GH and KH of both. They should be able to test it for you, and save you buying another kit, since the GH and KH shouldn't vary much, like the other water parameters. Most stores will be able to test for both.
Click to expand...
I'll get some pictures after work this afternoon. Thanks!
 
GuppyMamma91 said:
That's really sad :( I've gotten them for Petco primarily, but there is a mom and pop pet store a few towns over I like. I just hat buying fish from there because it's a 40 minute drive back home and I don't want to stress them out with that long of a drive. If they're better quality fish though, it might be worth the risk.
Click to expand...
They'd be fine in a bag for 40 mins, depending on the temp of the car/container etc (I live in the UK, can't wrap my head around Texas heat!

You can use a cooler to store them in, and you can even get USB powered airstones, to set them up in the footwell of the passenger seat.
 
AdoraBelle Dearheart said:
They'd be fine in a bag for 40 mins, depending on the temp of the car/container etc (I live in the UK, can't wrap my head around Texas heat!

You can use a cooler to store them in, and you can even get USB powered airstones, to set them up in the footwell of the passenger seat.
Click to expand...
Actually I found a few pictures I had taken of the aquarium and the cory cats. It's not the best quality, but you can see the general layout. I have a lot more decorations and fake plants, I just took them out because I was trying to rule those out as hurting the fish.
IMG_1587.jpg
IMG_1576.jpg
 
GuppyMamma91 said:
Actually I found a few pictures I had taken of the aquarium and the cory cats. It's not the best quality, but you can see the general layout. I have a lot more decorations and fake plants, I just took them out because I was trying to rule those out as hurting the fish.View attachment 143507View attachment 143506
Click to expand...

Awesome, TY! Would it be okay to give you some feedback/advice about your tank?

The albino cory (are they both the same?) looks like corydoras aeneus to me, @DoubleDutch would you mind double checking that for me please? :D

Also curious! What's in the tank on the left of the big one? :)
 
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