Guppy question
- Thread starter 123abc
- Start date
IovaykInD
Fish Herder
I might not be correct, but from what I've read, that sounds like dropsy. It is also contagious so if any of your guppies aren't like that already, take them out immediately. It might be too late, but you could try Maracyn 2. It MIGHT help, but the chances are slim.
Isaac
Isaac
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
sadly, i think there is something wrong with ur water, clean the tank, remove the clorien from ur water, add doc wellfish aquarium salt asap!
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
one table spoon for every five US gallons.
On the back of doc wellfish's salt it says add one rounded tablespoon per 5 US gallons.
Shine a light on them and make sure it isnt parasites. Look at them from above, do their scales stick out like pinecones?
Shine a light on them and make sure it isnt parasites. Look at them from above, do their scales stick out like pinecones?
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
well, don't most people round them? cause i always do.
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
Hang on a moment 
! Im suprised everyone has jumped to the conclusion that the fish had dropsy or that aquarium salt is going to sort out anything without asking any questions at all- fish rubbing and flicking on tank objects is the most common sign of the fish being in discomfort in the water, and thats basic knolege.
How many gallons does the tank they are in hold and how many fish do you have an what?
How long has the tank been set up for and do you know about ammonia, nitrates and nitrites?
Do you know what dechlorinator is and do you have a tank filter and heater?
You MUST answer these questions if you are to get a correct diagnosis and answer to what is wrong with your fish and how to treat them correctly
! Im suprised everyone has jumped to the conclusion that the fish had dropsy or that aquarium salt is going to sort out anything without asking any questions at all- fish rubbing and flicking on tank objects is the most common sign of the fish being in discomfort in the water, and thats basic knolege.How many gallons does the tank they are in hold and how many fish do you have an what?
How long has the tank been set up for and do you know about ammonia, nitrates and nitrites?
Do you know what dechlorinator is and do you have a tank filter and heater?
You MUST answer these questions if you are to get a correct diagnosis and answer to what is wrong with your fish and how to treat them correctly
10 g
5 preg females. 2males . 2 very young males. just added a live plant last week. tank has been going for a year or so but just put a new underground filter in it. and left my old foam filter going aswell .
my ammonia is .25 i think. i jsut got a testing kit a week ago. and i have a heater
i use to have like 15 fish in it a month ago(took 8 small females out) and they all lived fine but i started a new tank cuz i got really intersted in my fish. had only one die in the last year. i know about nitrates and nirites but what level do i want them at. and what level is bad?
ph is around 7.2 it was alot higher but i brought it down. could that be a reason?
it was around 8 or so.
before i never took really good care of my tank but i never had any problems. now i started to look after them and im getting a few problems.
also how often do i add salt. because it says add one spoon for every 5g. but how often do i do that.
5 preg females. 2males . 2 very young males. just added a live plant last week. tank has been going for a year or so but just put a new underground filter in it. and left my old foam filter going aswell .
my ammonia is .25 i think. i jsut got a testing kit a week ago. and i have a heater
i use to have like 15 fish in it a month ago(took 8 small females out) and they all lived fine but i started a new tank cuz i got really intersted in my fish. had only one die in the last year. i know about nitrates and nirites but what level do i want them at. and what level is bad?
ph is around 7.2 it was alot higher but i brought it down. could that be a reason?
it was around 8 or so.
before i never took really good care of my tank but i never had any problems. now i started to look after them and im getting a few problems.
also how often do i add salt. because it says add one spoon for every 5g. but how often do i do that.
Squishiebabe
Fish Crazy
Lol, I'm the same as you, if I dont worry too much about my tank, then nothing happens, its when I'm worrying and checking them every 2hours and messing around, trying to get everything perfect, they get sick. So I just moderate between the two.
I add salt to my tank once a week, and if i see any shimmying, or signs of sickness, i add a tbs more.
Hope you figure out whats wrong....
Ps...could anything have come from the plant you put in??
I add salt to my tank once a week, and if i see any shimmying, or signs of sickness, i add a tbs more.
Hope you figure out whats wrong....
Ps...could anything have come from the plant you put in??
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
You need to increase the amount of water you take out in water changes and how often, i also advise you get a "proper" filter like a fluval sponge one for the tank as this will help improve water quality. A UGF(under ground filter) can add oxygen to the tank but cannot cycle it- cycling a tank is a very important process in fish keeping and if you are to keep a ammonia and nitrite free tank you need to cycle it- you can read more up on cycling tanks in the beginner section in the pinned articles at the top and i suggest you read them .
Ammonia should be 0 and can be brought down via water changes, nitrites should also be 0 in an established tank but can start to show in a tank that is going through a mini cycle, which you should try to find the cause of asap. Nitrates should be 40 or under and adding live plants to the tank will help lower them as the lower they are, the better.
Do not raise or lower ph, your guppys don't need it as they can live in a very wide range of ph's and it is causing them alot of stress by changing it, it will also be contributing to their discomfort in the water.
The flicking and rubbing is most likely due though to the ammonia in the water, which is a toxin primarily produced by fish poo and waste in the tank like uneaten food or rotting plant leaves and is very poisonus to fish- 0 is the best number and as before mentioned, can be brought down by doing regular water changes. When you cycle a tank, you are basically growing good bacteria in the filters sponge which can break down ammonia and nitrites(which are poisonus, even lethal, to fish)- you cannot have a truly healthy tank until it is cycled.
To cycle a tank you need a proper filter and dechlorinator- dechlorinator removes chlorine and other harmful chemicals in tap water to fish and allows the good bacteria in the filter to grow.
In a cycled tank, you should be doing at least a 30% water change per week with dechlorinator, but due to your ammonia readings i suggest you do a 50% water change now with dechlorinator followed by a 30% one every day after that until ammonia is back to 0.
If your tank is not cycled(i.e it has nitrites) and i suspect it is not, i suggest you do a 100% water change right now with dechlorinator and buy a sponge filter and start to cycle the tank as it will improve your fish's health and life expectancy in the long run alot and make them healthier fish.
Do not add salt to the tank as the guppys don't need it at all and will not improve their condition, the best thing you can do right now is do lots of water changes and buy a proper tank filter and read up on cycling tanks 
.
. Ammonia should be 0 and can be brought down via water changes, nitrites should also be 0 in an established tank but can start to show in a tank that is going through a mini cycle, which you should try to find the cause of asap. Nitrates should be 40 or under and adding live plants to the tank will help lower them as the lower they are, the better.
Do not raise or lower ph, your guppys don't need it as they can live in a very wide range of ph's and it is causing them alot of stress by changing it, it will also be contributing to their discomfort in the water.
The flicking and rubbing is most likely due though to the ammonia in the water, which is a toxin primarily produced by fish poo and waste in the tank like uneaten food or rotting plant leaves and is very poisonus to fish- 0 is the best number and as before mentioned, can be brought down by doing regular water changes. When you cycle a tank, you are basically growing good bacteria in the filters sponge which can break down ammonia and nitrites(which are poisonus, even lethal, to fish)- you cannot have a truly healthy tank until it is cycled.
To cycle a tank you need a proper filter and dechlorinator- dechlorinator removes chlorine and other harmful chemicals in tap water to fish and allows the good bacteria in the filter to grow.
In a cycled tank, you should be doing at least a 30% water change per week with dechlorinator, but due to your ammonia readings i suggest you do a 50% water change now with dechlorinator followed by a 30% one every day after that until ammonia is back to 0.
If your tank is not cycled(i.e it has nitrites) and i suspect it is not, i suggest you do a 100% water change right now with dechlorinator and buy a sponge filter and start to cycle the tank as it will improve your fish's health and life expectancy in the long run alot and make them healthier fish.
Do not add salt to the tank as the guppys don't need it at all and will not improve their condition, the best thing you can do right now is do lots of water changes and buy a proper tank filter and read up on cycling tanks
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