Male Guppies

[Porky p]

Hi, in my aquarium I had a group of guppies (2 males, 7 females) I noticed the other day both males were fading colour and very lethargic.
One has since disapeared and the other is seriously struggling! I've placed him in a breeder pot.
I had white spot, then I treat it with salt and its cleared but the males have struggled!
All the other fish are completely fine I have platies tetras and danios!
I need help

 

[the_lock_man]

There's been a lot of people recently struggling with guppies.

However, to help us to help you, can you tell me please

1) How old is the tank?
2) How did you cycle the filter?
3) What are your current water statistics (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?
4) How big is the tank (dimensions and volume)?
5) Have you added anything recently (Livestock or decoration)?
6) How often do you cahnge water and what volume?
7) Do you add any other chemicals to the tank?

 

[Porky p]

The tank is 3 months old!
I fishless cycled it for a month
The tank is 45gallon, 4ft long 18inch high and 12 inch wide!
Not added anything recently apart from plastic plants.

Nitrite is 0
Ammonia is 0
Nitrate is 0.25
Ph is 7.4

I don't add any chemicals, and I do a water change once every ten days.
More often if needed

 

[the_lock_man]

WHen you say you fishless cycled it, were you adding bottled ammonia to the tank at the time?

 

[Porky p]

Yeah sorry pal, I was dosing ammonia every day

 

[Porky p]

The other one has just died too now!!

 

[the_lock_man]

Nitrate seems very low, whilst this won't have killed the guppies in itself, it may be indicative of something underlying - do you use a liquid test kit or paper strips?

In all honesty, I can't see anything too far wrong with what you're doing - it may just be weak guppies, especially since the other species are fine.

 

[Porky p]

I have the api master test kit!
Yeah I did wonder why my nitrates never go much higher! Yet my ammonia and nitrite are always 0

Even the females look healthy

 

[the_lock_man]

Chances are that it's just the age-old API nitrate test not mixed properly. You have to bang bottle no.2 like you're trying to smash it, in order to mix in the reagent back into the solution. Almost certainly not relevant to why your guppies have died.

I can only put it down to weak guppies.

 

[leighton_87]

As far as remember (will check when I get home) the lowest measurable amount on the API nitrate kit is 5ppm - so is this what your results are or are they 25ppm? I thought 20-40 was a healthy range?

 

[#1 Fish Fan]

Sorry for your loss Porky! Your not the only one with a recently dead guppy! I had a male guppy die yesterday, poor thing got stuck to the filter!

Horrid moments....

R.I.P our fish!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Yeah, when I have guppy trouble its nearly always the males!

 

[#1 Fish Fan]

Me too! Always has to be the beautiful males...