Should I put bloated guppy in an uncycled QT tank

Joy9 said:

Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 °C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:

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Joy9 said:

Thank you for getting back to me, here are the details, as many as I know

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Joy9 said:

Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 °C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:

Click to expand...

Joy9 said:

Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 °C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i

Click to expand...

Joy9 said:

View attachment 160730

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Hi! I wouldn't move him just yet - not just because of the cycling issue, but also because if you find out he's bloated because of something like worms, you'll now have to treat two tanks instead of one! So with more info we can hopefully pin down whether it's best to isolate him, or if it could be a problem where the whole tank needs to be treated.

Can you get some photos of him, the whole tank, and perhaps some of the other fish too please?

If you can copy/paste the template below and fill in as much as you can, it can really help folks figure out what the issue might be. Since we can't see the tank and fish ourselves, we can only work with the info you share with us, so the more detail the better

Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

Click to expand...

Joy9 said:

Hi! Has that info helped give any ideas? I feel so sorry for the little guy with his bloated abdomen but no clue what to do

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AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a £3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https/www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a £3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https/www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/

Click to expand...

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a £3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https/www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/

Click to expand...