2 Female Guppies Hiding

[Lavinder]

Tank size: 25L

tank temp: 24c

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): 2 Female fishes that appear to be pregnant, dark gravid spot and thier anus area is getting larger, about 2 weeks pregnant. Staying in the corner of the tank towards the top 'eating' air bubbles and being very inactive. Have not eaten for about 3 days, totally uninterested in flakes or peas.

Neon tetra seem to have white tears to their fins and one tetra has a slightly enlarged lips.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 25% every week

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Tapsafe

Tank inhabitants: 4 Neon Tetras, 2 golden apple snails, about 20+ apple snail babies.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): None

Exposure to chemicals: None

Could anyone give me some advice?

 

[Akasha72]

have you taken a test of your water parameters? What is the level of ammonia and nitrite?

So far it's sounding a bit like ammonia poisoning but unless you have done a test it's impossible to say for sure

 

[Lavinder]

Don't have my own water testing kit as I'm unemployed at the moment and trying to save as much money as I can, so I can take it to the local fish shop and get it tested for 50p which I'm planning on doing on monday when it is open.

What would be the cause of this spike?

 

[Akasha72]

Lots of things can cause ammonia to rise: over feeding, over stocking, not changing water (which you say you are doing so it's not that)

How do you clean your filter? Do you use tank water to clean the sponges? If you are using tap water the chlorine will kill the good bacteria which then sets ammonia to start to rise, the fish get sick and start displaying the kind of behaviour you've mentioned.

If it was me in your situation (I completely understand, I'm pretty much in a similar situation regarding money myself) I'd change around 50-70% of the water - making sure you temp match and de-chlorinate - and see if the fish change their behaviour. If they stop gasping at the top it could well be ammonia causing them to do this. If they carry on it may be another cause. Until you can get the water checked you won't know for definite.

You can also cut down on food and make sure there's good flow of water (the top needs to ripple at the least).

That's the best I can say for now. I'm no expert but I have been through ammonia poisoning in my own tank and I'm more or less repeating everything I was told here by the more experienced members.

Good luck and keep us posted with how you get on

Best wishes Akasha

 

[Lavinder]

Lots of things can cause ammonia to rise: over feeding, over stocking, not changing water (which you say you are doing so it's not that)

How do you clean your filter? Do you use tank water to clean the sponges? If you are using tap water the chlorine will kill the good bacteria which then sets ammonia to start to rise, the fish get sick and start displaying the kind of behaviour you've mentioned.

If it was me in your situation (I completely understand, I'm pretty much in a similar situation regarding money myself) I'd change around 50-70% of the water - making sure you temp match and de-chlorinate - and see if the fish change their behaviour. If they stop gasping at the top it could well be ammonia causing them to do this. If they carry on it may be another cause. Until you can get the water checked you won't know for definite.

You can also cut down on food and make sure there's good flow of water (the top needs to ripple at the least).

That's the best I can say for now. I'm no expert but I have been through ammonia poisoning in my own tank and I'm more or less repeating everything I was told here by the more experienced members.

Good luck and keep us posted with how you get on

Best wishes Akasha

Yes I clean the filter in the tank water I've taken out when I do a water change

Woke up this morning to find one of the female guppies had died so I took her out and I have done a 50% water change - the female guppy seems to have perked up slightly but no longer appears to be pregnant and looks quite thin.

As I mentioned earlier about my tetris having patches of damaged white fins and one with a slightly deformed mouth - I was wondering if I would need any medication for this, something I can get in the UK?

Also would this testing kid be ok to use? http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-6-1-WATER-TEST-KIT-AMMONIA-A99-/150554446817?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item230dbe8be1

 

[Akasha72]

oh no, sorry for your loss

I wouldn't medicate unless you know what your treating. It could be white spot, it could be just poor water conditions ... difficult to say without a picture and even then I may not be experienced enough to help you.

Okay, regarding your filter: I would leave it be unless it appears to be blocked. If it is blocked it will reduce flow or start to splutter. The instructions that come with the filters are pretty much useless. They tell you to clean the filter when it doesn't need cleaning and tell you to replace sponges when they don't need replacing. The best thing to do is to only clean the filter now and then, leave the sponges alone unless they are falling to bits. I know that seems like the opposite of what we should do but the gunkier that filter gets the better for the fish it is as it means the bacteria they need is building up.

If the remaining guppy is looking thin then she probably has either given birth or aborted the pregnancy due to stress. If she has had some fry you may not see them as they are very good at hiding but they are also very good at getting eaten by the adult fish.

The test you refer to is pretty much a waste of your cash. Strips are notoriously inaccurate. It would be better to save up and get a liquid drop test. API do a very good one and you can get that on ebay for around £20 (it's nearer £30+ in the shops) I know that sounds like a lot of money but they do last ages - around 800 tests I think.

So from today forward: Keep changing water - daily if you can. Get the water checked for ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte and PH as soon as you are able. If you have a syphon for doing the water changes try and dig it right into the gravel to suck up any food that has sunk down into it - that sat rotting will add to the ammonia.
Cut down on food - they can go 3 or 4 days with no food at all so feeding every other day (lightly) won't harm them. Only give them enough food that they can consume in around 30 seconds.

Everything now is basic common sense. If they look stressed and are either at the top of the water gasping or layed on the gravel looking sick it's probably ammonia and the best thing is to dilute it with a water change - remember to temp match and de-chlorinate. Also look out for them clamping their fins to their bodies - that's another sign of ammonia poisoning.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[Lavinder]

Thankyou for the advice - I think I'm going to get an API testing kit.

 

[Lavinder]

Here are some photos of the tetras - not easiest because they're fast but you may notice the whitening on the fins ?

 

[Akasha72]

hmm interesting. Someone else may say different but I have the odd fish with similar marks and I've never worried about it. It doesn't look like whitespot to me but again, the more experienced my say it is.

I would see what the water checks look like tomorrow and keep an eye on the marks for now. There is a picture on here of a neon tetra with whitespot on a thread I started when I suspected it in my tank. It might be worth spending a little time and see if you can find it. Maybe put in a search (box- top right) for whitespot

 

[Lavinder]

When I first started up my tank my tetras caught whitespot so I know that what they have now is not the same thing - I treated them and nothing has come back since so I don't know if these marks are just battle wounds

 

[Akasha72]

they could well be 'battle wounds' as you put it. My gut feeling says it's nothing to worry about but I'd be more confident if someone more experienced would back that up

 

[Lavinder]

Went to the LFS and the guy tested the water for me, he told me that it was perfectly fine but that might have just been the 50% water change - I've also removed my old plants which were getting brown leaves and replaced them with new ones. I also bought some fin rot and fungus solution which I have added today.

The female guppy has perked up a little bit but she is still staying at the top of the tank.

UPDATE:

Female guppy is now floating on it's side occasionally trying to swim at the top of the tank - don't know what to do now really

 

[Akasha72]

could it be a swim bladder problem? anyone more experienced? help please

 

[Lavinder]

Female guppy has offically died - going to leave the tank with the tetras in till I get the water testing kit in the post and wait for the water to be 'perfect'.

Could anyone suggest what type of fish I keep because I've have not had any luck with guppied as one after another they have all died. I'm thinking of platys?

 

[Akasha72]

I have 5 platies and they are my favourites (+13 babies!). They're very easy laid back little fish. I think you'd find them good beginner fish