Guppies dying everyday

[Milkyway]

I went away on Wednesday and left my Swordfish, Adult male guppy, and about 10 teenage guppies with a fish block (they're still very small). I came back and all of my fish with at the surface of the tank pointing upwards (diagnoly) and crowded around together. I noticed as they got worse, they lie on the bottom moving their fins. The heater and filter are working fine, I removed the fish block and cleaned the tank (removed 50% of the water) but everyday more of them die, please help, thank you so much.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Have you tested the water for ammonia? I hate those holiday blocks, they do nothing but pollute the water in my opinion and you can't control how much the fish eat and therefore poop and mess up the chemistry.

If it was me I'd be doing massive water changes, 75% or so, every day.

Just for future reference, fish can go days and days without food and be absolutely fine. So next time you go away leave those horrible blocks out the tank and either ask someone to feed an already premeasured amount or just wait until you get back

 

[Milkyway]

yeah, i agree but i was worried about the babies cz they're still growing. next time will ask a friend to help. I'm going to try and test the water today (have to buy a testing kit). thanks for the help!!

 

[Colin_T]

As CaptainBarnicles suggested, test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Post the results in numbers here.

You can take a glass of tank water to a pet shop and ask them to test it for you. Write the results down in numbers at the time they do the testing. If they say the water is fine, ask them for numbers.

If you are going to buy a test kit, try to get a liquid test kit and check the expiry date. The liquid ones are a little more accurate than the paper strip tests.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until we know what is going on.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post pictures and video of the fish. Upload videos to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here. If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally (landscape mode) so the footage fills the entire screen and doesn't leave black bars on the sides.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

yeah, i agree but i was worried about the babies cz they're still growing. next time will ask a friend to help. I'm going to try and test the water today (have to buy a testing kit). thanks for the help!!

I hear ya, it's difficult to know what to do sometimes. I like to keep lots of live plants in my tanks, tiny little organisms and things live in them and provide food for fry. Maybe that's something you could think about if you don't already have plants?

Your test kit is your most important tool regarding fish keeping, it's vital to maintain a healthy tank. The liquid test kit Colin_T is referring to is pricey but a necessary investment and you can get many many tests out of it so overall money well spent.