Dead Guppy Please Help...

[Steph P]

My husband and I inherited a fish tank we clean it thoroughly and cycled the tank before adding any fish. The first fish were 3 guppies the following week we got the water tested again and added 3 platies again a week later we got the water tested and added 4 phantom tetra. All the fish seemed very happy the guppies are very giddy most of the time, they especially love swimming against the strong current from the filter.

I got up this morning and all fish were happy but this afternoon I looked in the tank and could only see 2 of the guppies. Eventually I found the third guppy between the weeds and the filter (im not sure if he had got stuck or was just floating there) I moved the weed and he swam away some what limply. For the next hour he swam very little and kept hiding behind things and swimming into the weed (it looked like it was to support him and stop him floating around the tank). He seemed to get weaker and weaker until he died

I spoke to the aquatics centre that we got the fish from and they said it could be velvet? Non of the other fish seem to be having problems. What would you suggest I do next? Do I leave the other fish and see what happens or should I treat the fish? I still have the fish and he isn’t bloated there seems to be no discoloration, the fins and tale seem fine and there are no lumps or bumps etc?


Any information/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[the_lock_man]

Sorry to hear of your problems.

When you say you cycled the tank, how exactly did you do that? Was this just leaving the filter running for a few days/weeks without adding any source of ammonia?

From what you posted, it appears that you don't have a test kit?

It sounds to me like an uncycled filter that is not processing the ammonia produced by the fish.

But if you could describe fully how you cycled the tank, that would be a great start.

 

[Steph P]

Hi,

Thanks for your help.

We ended up going through the process twice as the first time round we had the wrong types of plants and the sent the nitrite/nitrate levels sky high so we started again. We declorinated the water and left it with the filter running for a week or so and then added bacteria life (made by water life) to kick start the process (it says it activates filters) a few days before adding our first fish (this was the process recommended by our local aquatics centre the owner has be breeding angel fish for the last 35 years so hopefully what he told us is ok). We have been told to add bacterial life once a week during the set up process until the tank has matured.

We don’t have our own test kit but we have had the water tested every week, Saturday was the last time we had it tested and it was fine?

Thanks

 

[-FighterFishh]

Sorry, but that isn't how you cycle a tank properly! If you can get hold of a liquid test kit, then you can keep an eye on your levels yourself. Since the tank wasn't cycled properly, it's probably quite high in ammonia. You'll need to be doing water changes every day to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down until it's cycled. If you need more info on a cycle, you can find it here!

Hope that helps!

 

[Steph P]

Thanks for your help.

That’s a bit worrying I really don’t want to loose our fish! When they tested the water on Saturday they did test for ammonia though and it came back ok could the levels have changed that quickly?

 

[Guppy-keeper]

My husband and I inherited a fish tank we clean it thoroughly and cycled the tank before adding any fish. The first fish were 3 guppies the following week we got the water tested again and added 3 platies again a week later we got the water tested and added 4 phantom tetra. All the fish seemed very happy the guppies are very giddy most of the time, they especially love swimming against the strong current from the filter.

I got up this morning and all fish were happy but this afternoon I looked in the tank and could only see 2 of the guppies. Eventually I found the third guppy between the weeds and the filter (im not sure if he had got stuck or was just floating there) I moved the weed and he swam away some what limply. For the next hour he swam very little and kept hiding behind things and swimming into the weed (it looked like it was to support him and stop him floating around the tank). He seemed to get weaker and weaker until he died

I spoke to the aquatics centre that we got the fish from and they said it could be velvet? Non of the other fish seem to be having problems. What would you suggest I do next? Do I leave the other fish and see what happens or should I treat the fish? I still have the fish and he isn’t bloated there seems to be no discoloration, the fins and tale seem fine and there are no lumps or bumps etc?


Any information/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I think that your fish may died because of the stressful transport from the store or the company that transports to the store. I hope i'm right .

 

[Steph P]

Also on a side question our filter pushes water in several jets across the surface of the water it seems great for oxygenating the water and the fish spend most of there time swimming against the strongest section of current (particularly the guppies). Can this stress the fish or would they just enjoy it (there are areas where there is little current that they can go to as well).

 

[Aqua Tom]

Wecome to the forum Steph.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

It sounds to me like you have an uncycled tank so the fish are swimming in their own waste which will eventualy kill them.

You local LFS may have been breeding Angelfish for the last 35 years but he is still in the bussness of selling fish, I bet he tried to sell you a replacement guppy.

How did they test your water sample? If it was a test strip then its probably wrong.

Buy yourself a liquid based kit & do the tests yourslef, this will help you understand what is happening in your tank.

Tom

 

[CezzaXV]

I also say it's because of your uncycled tank.

It's unlikely the plants you had were the cause of high nitrite/nitrate. If anything, the plants would have helped the situation, not harmed it. It's likely that the nitrite/nitrate may have come from your tapwater, given that you won't have the bacteria in your tank yet which convert ammonia to these things.

 

[HayzH]

I also say it's because of your uncycled tank.

It's unlikely the plants you had were the cause of high nitrite/nitrate. If anything, the plants would have helped the situation, not harmed it. It's likely that the nitrite/nitrate may have come from your tapwater, given that you won't have the bacteria in your tank yet which convert ammonia to these things.

i agree (+1)... this is the advice my LFS gave us...we lost our 3 Mollies the same way..all these LFS (local fish Shops) want to do is sell you their products and livestock they dont care what happens to then...as you will return for more fish...wouldnt you???
So many on here have made that mistake..me included...i am now 4 weeks in to cycling my fissLESS tanks.
Lots of water changes ahead for you.....and get a water testing kit....API master kit, nutrafin or Salifert seems to be the recommended ones on here ATM xxx
OH and dont buy ANY more fish yet!!
good luck xx

 

[Steph P]

Thanks for all the advice guys I really appreciate it. I have ordered the API master kit so should have that soon.

 

[Miles_hot]

in the mean time I woudl suggest that you do daily water changes - maybe 50% to be on the safe side. If you temp match the water going in it will not be stressfull for the fish.

 

[willowstwin]

I think that your fish may died because of the stressful transport from the store or the company that transports to the store. I hope i'm right .

Not after that length of time. Guppies (as with all fish) die of stress within a matter of days, never weeks, after being moved from store to home.

Do you know anyone with a mature fishtank? maybe you could get some mature filter media from them to help your tank along...

Also, it's all well and good fish store owners saying "I've kept/bred fish for X amount of years" making you think oooooh an expert.. however, they also have enough mature media to seed their tanks and therefore never needing to set up a tank completely from scratch.

*sigh* I wish I could afford to buy the fish store in town that is being sold. I'd help people properly, not pushing a sale.

 

[Miles_hot]

*sigh* I wish I could afford to buy the fish store in town that is being sold. I'd help people properly, not pushing a sale.

and I fear you'd go bust The stores need to be able to gratify people in an instant age. "Mummy I want a fish":
Shop A: Certainly - here fill this and come back in 5 days to get your fish next weekend....
Shop B: Certaihnly - first you need to spend 4 - 10 weeks growing bacteria....

In most cases you wouldn't even make the initial sale, let alone the follow on, repeat business as the suiside squad do their job....

Harsh but I fear an economic truth.

Miles

 

[the_lock_man]

in the mean time I woudl suggest that you do daily water changes - maybe 50% to be on the safe side. If you temp match the water going in it will not be stressfull for the fish.

Absolutely - you need to make sure that levels of ammonia and nitrite stay below 0.25ppm at all times - not just when you've recently changed the water. There is more detail on the process in the Beginners Resource Centre, there is a link at the top of this section of the forum.

It'll be interesting to see what your test results are when you get your own kit in. Anything other than 0 is bad, but in practical terms, in your situation, 0.25ppm is considered the safe level.

Hope it all goes well for you.

Oh, and I also disagree with the poster who suggested the death was to do with the stress of being moved.