I just got 8 guppies (2 males 6 females)not even 2 days ago and already I have lost 3. I had the tank running for at least 6 months, Had a gourami in it for 3 and then I had minos for a couple weeks until yesterday. 2 of the females died with injuries so I figured they were fighting. I had extra minos I had to get out of the tank and afterwards I lost another female so I was thinking maybe it was the stressed from that. But now there all at the top which I know isnt normal. Whats going on? How can I fix this I dont want to lose the rest.
Guppy Deaths
- Thread starter Ritingyou
- Start date
We need to know a bit about your tank's water and the nature of your minnows.
A guppy is defined by most books as a "top minnow" so minnow is not much description. There are minnows that cannot be kept with guppies because they are known to be very aggressive to them. If you are keeping wild minnows, you may not be keeping the fish in a temperature or mineral content range where guppies can survive and thrive. Guppies in general need somewhat hard water that is over 20C but less than 26C. Anywhere within that range will work with them as far as water conditions are concerned.
A guppy is defined by most books as a "top minnow" so minnow is not much description. There are minnows that cannot be kept with guppies because they are known to be very aggressive to them. If you are keeping wild minnows, you may not be keeping the fish in a temperature or mineral content range where guppies can survive and thrive. Guppies in general need somewhat hard water that is over 20C but less than 26C. Anywhere within that range will work with them as far as water conditions are concerned.
The minos were only feeder fish (rosy red minos)from the store. The guppies were sick fish, I went back to the petstore and others had the same complaints. But the tank was specifically set up for the guppies and I tested the water before I got them so I knew that wasnt the problem.
Rosy barbs are feeders, as you well know.
Sick fish is something I never seem to find in my tanks. Whenever I see any fish showing signs of distress I look for water parameters not ideal for the specific species involved. What are your actual water parameters in terms of pH, GH, KH, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia? For guppies, the nitrogen cycle components need to be near zero with the exception of the nitrates. The pH should be 7.0 to 7.8 and the GH and KH should show what I might consider fairly hard water of a GH over 10 degrees and a KH that will support a stable pH, meaning at least 5 degrees.
If your water is much softer than I have given and your fish shop also has low GH water, it is no surprise that guppies do not thrive. It is not a problem with the fish per se, instead it is a problem of trying to keep fish in water that is really not best for them. I happen to live with tap water that measures 10 to 15 degrees of hardness and has a pH of around 7.8. For me a typical livebearer is a no-brainer but many tetras are hard to care for. There are other people here on TFF who have softer water than I do and can keep tetras without a care but have a hard time maintaining livebearers. It is always best to choose your tank stocking based on the water that you have available than trying to make fish with a reputation for hardiness try to live in unsuitable water. Guppies are just such fish. They have a well deserved reputation for being tough as nails, but if you do not have livebearer type water you would be better off trying out tetras and similar "hard to keep" fish. They would actually do better for you than the "easy" livebearers.
Sick fish is something I never seem to find in my tanks. Whenever I see any fish showing signs of distress I look for water parameters not ideal for the specific species involved. What are your actual water parameters in terms of pH, GH, KH, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia? For guppies, the nitrogen cycle components need to be near zero with the exception of the nitrates. The pH should be 7.0 to 7.8 and the GH and KH should show what I might consider fairly hard water of a GH over 10 degrees and a KH that will support a stable pH, meaning at least 5 degrees.
If your water is much softer than I have given and your fish shop also has low GH water, it is no surprise that guppies do not thrive. It is not a problem with the fish per se, instead it is a problem of trying to keep fish in water that is really not best for them. I happen to live with tap water that measures 10 to 15 degrees of hardness and has a pH of around 7.8. For me a typical livebearer is a no-brainer but many tetras are hard to care for. There are other people here on TFF who have softer water than I do and can keep tetras without a care but have a hard time maintaining livebearers. It is always best to choose your tank stocking based on the water that you have available than trying to make fish with a reputation for hardiness try to live in unsuitable water. Guppies are just such fish. They have a well deserved reputation for being tough as nails, but if you do not have livebearer type water you would be better off trying out tetras and similar "hard to keep" fish. They would actually do better for you than the "easy" livebearers.
Good information, OM. I fall into the soft water, easy-to-keep-Tetras/cichlids category. But since I REALLY love guppies, I made some changes to try and strike a balance. I added crushed coral to my filter, and after a couple weeks my pH adjusted from 6.0 to 6.8 and seemed stable with weekly water changes.. I know I'm taking a chance, but so far so good. I added two male Guppies and they seem okay so far for 3 weeks.
Ritingyou - I hope you work out the guppy issues. They are amazing fish if you can find a stable set. I would be curious to see your KH and pH.
Ritingyou - I hope you work out the guppy issues. They are amazing fish if you can find a stable set. I would be curious to see your KH and pH.
I am glad that I could help you GvilleGuy.
My concern is that people too often accept the generic definition of what is ideal fish water. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. Many fish keeping books and pamphlets, even older articles here on TFF are guilty, show that water with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 and a hardness of around 5 or 6 degrees are ideal fish waters. Although such water may work fine for many fish, each fish has its own needs in terms of water. My own fish are those that really appreciate hard to very hard water. Those fish will thrive in my tap water. Other fish, like my cories, greatly prefer soft water and even water that can be expected to show a pH of 6.5 or less. In the case of those fish, I keep them in a totally artificial environment where their water is several parts RO water to a single part of my local tap water. It is a more challenging situation for me, especially when I want to do a water change, but it gives those guys a situation they can thrive in. Instead of trying to hang on in marginal water, they are being provided with water that suits them.
The pH of my mix of water remains at 7.8, just like my tap water, but since the mineral content of the water matches the needs of the "soft water" fish, they thrive even with a pH that does not match text book values but is far higher.
My concern is that people too often accept the generic definition of what is ideal fish water. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. Many fish keeping books and pamphlets, even older articles here on TFF are guilty, show that water with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 and a hardness of around 5 or 6 degrees are ideal fish waters. Although such water may work fine for many fish, each fish has its own needs in terms of water. My own fish are those that really appreciate hard to very hard water. Those fish will thrive in my tap water. Other fish, like my cories, greatly prefer soft water and even water that can be expected to show a pH of 6.5 or less. In the case of those fish, I keep them in a totally artificial environment where their water is several parts RO water to a single part of my local tap water. It is a more challenging situation for me, especially when I want to do a water change, but it gives those guys a situation they can thrive in. Instead of trying to hang on in marginal water, they are being provided with water that suits them.
The pH of my mix of water remains at 7.8, just like my tap water, but since the mineral content of the water matches the needs of the "soft water" fish, they thrive even with a pH that does not match text book values but is far higher.
The ph for my tank was 7.0 it was either nitrites, or nitrates, that was a little high. It was a while ago so I dont exactly remember. Ammonia I do not remember. What is GH and KH?
I tried again with a different tank after cycling for a month. I had bought 3 females and 1 male. One of the females were apperently pregnant but only gave birth to 5 fry, died the next day. Still havent figured out what happen. But today my cat broke my tank so I had to do an emergency tank replacement
last 3 fry because of that and now my guppies are stressed! Very nervous about them surviving this...
I tried again with a different tank after cycling for a month. I had bought 3 females and 1 male. One of the females were apperently pregnant but only gave birth to 5 fry, died the next day. Still havent figured out what happen. But today my cat broke my tank so I had to do an emergency tank replacement
last 3 fry because of that and now my guppies are stressed! Very nervous about them surviving this...
GH is general hardness, you could think of it as a simple indication of how many calcium and magnesium salts are dissolved in the water. It is not the same thing as mineral content but water with a high GH almost always has a high TDS, total dissolved solids.
KH is carbonate hardness. It refers to the buffering capacity of the water. If you water has a high KH, it will hold its pH well regardless of how much nitrates exist in the water. Don't forget that nitrates can cause a serious pH crash in fairly soft water because nitrate + H2O is an acid called nitric acid. Having a high KH means that your water can resist the pH movement that might happen with normal build ups of nitrates in a healthy tank.
After the tank break and subsequent fish move, I would give your fish a short time to adjust and then go back to generous feedings of the fry along with frequent water changes. The frequent feedings mean the fry never go hungry for long but also means that frequent water changes will be needed to keep your water safe for them. After a very few weeks of treating your fish to a frequent feeding and frequent water change, you can expect the fry to be quite large and thriving.
KH is carbonate hardness. It refers to the buffering capacity of the water. If you water has a high KH, it will hold its pH well regardless of how much nitrates exist in the water. Don't forget that nitrates can cause a serious pH crash in fairly soft water because nitrate + H2O is an acid called nitric acid. Having a high KH means that your water can resist the pH movement that might happen with normal build ups of nitrates in a healthy tank.
After the tank break and subsequent fish move, I would give your fish a short time to adjust and then go back to generous feedings of the fry along with frequent water changes. The frequent feedings mean the fry never go hungry for long but also means that frequent water changes will be needed to keep your water safe for them. After a very few weeks of treating your fish to a frequent feeding and frequent water change, you can expect the fry to be quite large and thriving.
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