Back stock or bad water?

[Dragonslair]

First real problem that I would like some advice about. I have bought 20 guppies at various times within the last two weeks and they keep dying on me. The others,Neons,Corys,Loaches and even the few swordtails seem to be doing fine. (I tell a lie...I lost one swordtail). It seems that the f/males die first with bacterial infection followed by males with finrot. I have dosed the water so many times and have done partial water changes I can't think what I should do next. The other fishes don't seem to me affected. It is a 30gall tank. ammonia 0 .PH 7.9 nitrate just showing. The filter now has ammo rocks and carbon as well as floss for filtration(internal). It was taken out during treatment.
What else should I be doing? Have I bought a bad stock of fish, they looked healthy, or is it my water. I know pete did say that the cycling would take some time, but would it affect just one species of fish only? Look forward to your opinions.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

The guppies sound the problem. If none of the other fish are infected then the only problem is your guppies. :what:

None of your other fish seem to be the problem either 8)
I could well be a bad batch, or if your like Adeyc you prob just cant keep them

 

[Dragonslair]

You may well be right. I'll give it a few days and try another batch from a different source to se if its me or the batch. They are pretty and I would like to try to keep them.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Hope you have better luck next time.
Not a lover of guppies, because of the after effects. But yes there colours are nice though

 

[Kenliz]

Are you sure your cycle is over. Guppies can be finicky due to inbreeding. What is your Nitrite reading should be zero.

 

[Dragonslair]

My nitrate level is zero, cycle not quite over. The fish seem to contract a bacterial infection within days of being introduced into the tank. Despite cocktails of medication they just seem to disintegrate away. First their tails and then their bodies. As I said earlier none of my other fish apart from a swordtail has suffered like this. I don't understand why this is happening.

 

[adeyc]

How long has the lfs got them in before you get them. Could be they're overly stressed due to transport or they don't come from the cleanest source.

 

[Dragonslair]

Both you questions are valid, and I can't provide an answer at this moment in time. The travel between me and the shop is 18 miles away. However I don't know how long they have been in the shop, although the owner does have a high turnover of fish. His shop is always full and fish are continously going out. Perhaps the constant fishing is over stressing the fish. I dunno the answer. Perhaps its me. Should I invest in a quarinetine tank. I wasn't going into fishkeeping as in breeding houses etc. I just wanted something decorative and therupuetic!! :laugh: lol. It would appear that its becoming addictive, like a drug-and just as expensive.
I keep saying to myself, just one more try and so in goes more fish. Have I been "hooked"?

 

[adeyc]

K. if the lfs has a very high turnover. it sounds like the fish are over stressed. He's probably putting them straight into the for sale tanks. and not giving them a chance to settle down. I'm forgetting though that he's probably getting them wholesale(my lfs imports his own and has a basment set up for quarentining). so it depends how long the'yer there for and how they get treated. usualy a dose of stress coat for the original journey, more at the wholesalers then even more at the lfs. If they've had time to settle at the lfs the 18 mile journey shouldn't trouble them.
To be safe get yerself a quarentine tank, or find try a different lfs.
By the way as soon as you buy your first tank you're hooked although you don't know it at the time.

 

[Dragonslair]

Thanks for the info. adeyc I shall try another source however the next reputable Ifs is 30 miles away. We do have a few garden centres with fish..but its "iffy" and a couple of pet stores.(Emmersons and Petsworld), nut I don't trust them too much. The next specialist Ifs is 30 miles away.
I will give them a try.

 

[adeyc]

Emmersons must be an english thing I aint heard of it. lol.
Have you been back to complain to the lfs? if they're halfway decent they'll offer to replace at least some of the fish. it might also be an idea to have a look at those to places, you may be lucky and have staff that know what they're talking about for a change. Finaly if you end up haveing to go 30 miles keep the lfs for the last visit most Tropical fish will do perfectly ok for a few hours in transit but can get stressed out a bit so you need to give the bag a bit longer in the tank before introducing the fish. If you're planning to just visit the lfs it would be best to phone first to see what they've got in and save you a wasted journey( although most journies to my lfs aren't wasted I always seem to come out with something)

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Drag. Send me your postcode by email or PM and I'll find you some lfs theres loads in durham

 

[Dragonslair]

Adeyc, I think Emmersons is just a north-east thing, but you have heard of petsworld? The info. is much appreciated.
Davy, postcode on its way.
Thanks for the help. I will have another go......
Do you think I should dose the tank with Liquisil first?

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Right got your area.

You go to Fish Alive, so
Theres Horns Garden Centre, on the B1280 Haswell-Wingate Rd

Chilton Aquatics, erm Chilton.

I know a few in South Sheilds as well but it might be a bit far for you. You could also check Aquatics Review
or you could try aquatic Search but its not that good

 

[Dragonslair]

Thanks for the info. Davy, unfortunately I have tried them. Fish alive is where I bought my original fish to start up. That is the Ifs with a high turnover of fish. Chilton Aquatics only have 20 tanks of tropicals, they have mainly cold water. They specialise in cats and plecs.(not the "moggie" kind) and Horns garden centre, I would go near with a bargepole. More dead fish in the tanks than live ones. There is a petsworld in Durham and one in Washington (Tyne and Wear). There is also a Monuments aquatics, their fish are iffy too. There is one locally, but again because the tanks are being scrubbed out constantly the fish don't seem too healthy. I need to find a good Ifs and then patronise it. Unfortunately the swordtails I have are feeling ill too. The only good survivors and they seem to be thriving are my neons and tetras and bristlenose cats and oh my 6 various corys. I do have 8 baby guppies though. I think before the last one died she gave birth to several,if not more babies in the main tank. There are 8 survivors. They are about a centimetre long and take refuge in the java moss which is quite dense. A bugger to retrieve corpses from.
How long would you say I should keep the medication in the water before returning the carbon and ammo rocks, and doing a water change? The ammonia level is just starting to rise after 5 days without carbon. (0.1mg/l) PH is still 7.9 Can't tell you nitrate level as my kit is empty.