Fancy Guppy Sinking

[Fancyfins12]

Hello everyone. I adopted a couple of fancy guppies about 2 months ago from a previous owner and added them to my community of Mollie and platties. One of them always had an engorged stomach that I thought might have been pregnancy until I learned to identify that it's a male. On a previous post someone mentioned that it could be a parasite, so I kept an eye on everyone in the tank, but no one else has had the same issue. Just a few days ago, I found him sunk at the bottom of the tank (20gal tall) gasping. I moved him to a quarantine tank with salt and fasted him for 3 days thinking it might be a swim bladder issue but he's still not swimming. Does anyone know what I should do next?

 

[UnknownFishies]

Did you try feeding him a pea? Maybe he’s constapated?

 

[Fancyfins12]

Did you try feeding him a pea? Maybe he’s constapated?

Not yet! It needs to be boiled and skinned, right? Will it sink down where he can get to it?

 

[UnknownFishies]

Not yet! It needs to be boiled and skinned, right? Will it sink down where he can get to it?

Yes boiled and skinned. Make sure they are organic and don’t use hormones or anything like that. I think it will sink in its own but if it doesn’t you can get it wet and then it should sink.

 

[Colin_T]

video of the fish swimming and sinking?
put it on youtube then copy & paste the link here.

 

[Fancyfins12]

video of the fish swimming and sinking?
put it on youtube then copy & paste the link here.

He isn't getting off the bottom at all

 

[Abaddon]

Are the scales sticking out? Could be dropsy.

 

[Fancyfins12]

Are the scales sticking out? Could be dropsy.

No they weren't. He didn't make it it was so weird though, he didn't even float when he died. He was on his side at the bottom.

 

[UnknownFishies]

I’m sorry for you’re loss.

 

[Fancyfins12]

Does the fact that he stayed sunk when he passed mean he had a parasite weighing him down? I want to make sure I don't need to worry about the community tank.

 

[Fancyfins12]

Does the fact that he stayed sunk when he passed mean he had a parasite weighing him down? I want to make sure I don't need to worry about the community tank.

 

[Abaddon]

Does the fact that he stayed sunk when he passed mean he had a parasite weighing him down? I want to make sure I don't need to worry about the community tank.

Not necessarily, that's not really how it works ?. He could've suffered from swim bladder disease, severe constipation/impaction, possibly an acute bacterial infection. Internal parasites usually cause abnormal/stringy feces or redness around the abdominal/rectal area, as well as changes in appetite. If he didn't have any other symptoms, there probably isn't any reason to worry, but it's still a good idea to keep a close eye on the other fish. If you want to be extra careful you can add some garlic to their food (look online for instructions), or buy a ready mix, as garlic has the ability to kill internal parasites, plus it's an appetite booster.