"pregnant?"

[Chanmeir]

Hi all,

Please help.. What do I do?

 

[fluttermoth]

I've never heard of a guppy being 'overpregnant'

i need to ask you all our standard questions before I can really help.

How big is your tank, what filter do you have, how long has the tank been set up, what fish (and how many) are in there and when did you last water change?

 

[Chanmeir]

100litre tank, undergravel filter, estimated 30-40 guppies, 4 angels, 4 gouramis, 3 ghost catfish, 8 neon tetras, 6 head and tail light tetra, 6 silvertip tetras, 2 cory. I have a few pregnant guppies, but this one is really big and looks like she should have given birth a long time ago. She was in a much smaller tank amongst almost double the amount of guppies - half of those guppies were given to me and her new home (my tank) she's been in for over two weeks. Lots of hiding places, no fish seem to be bothering her.. Last water change was Sunday (24/07) Sorry, couldn't really think of a better word - doesn't even look normal she's so big!

 

[the_lock_man]

100litre tank, undergravel filter, estimated 30-40 guppies, 4 angels, 4 gouramis, 3 ghost catfish, 8 neon tetras, 6 head and tail light tetra, 6 silvertip tetras, 2 cory. I have a few pregnant guppies, but this one is really big and looks like she should have given birth a long time ago. She was in a much smaller tank amongst almost double the amount of guppies - half of those guppies were given to me and her new home (my tank) she's been in for over two weeks. Lots of hiding places, no fish seem to be bothering her.. Last water change was Sunday (24/07) Sorry, couldn't really think of a better word - doesn't even look normal she's so big!

That's an awful lot of fish in a 100litre tank.

 

[Chanmeir]

Really? Gees the tank almost seems more empty than full of fish.

Really? Gees the tank almost seems more empty than full of fish.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, that is terribly overstocked I'm afraid, which could be causing a build up of unpleasant substances in the water that's making your guppy feel sick.

I'd recommend a large (50 or 60%) water change, with warm dechlorinated water as an emergencey remedy.

You should really consider re-homing some of those fish; epsecially the angels (can get to a foot tall, so are far too big for a 100l), the ghost catfish (which also grow quite large and need to in a shoal of 8 or 10 in a very quiet, well planted tank), and the corydoras (also need to be in a larger shoal, of 6+, and shouldn't be kept on gravel; they need sand).

Sorry to be the bearer of not-such-good news...

 

[Chanmeir]

I want to put only angels in one tank and definitely re-home a lot of those guppies. I don't really want so many guppies. I actually only have them because of someone else wanting to get rid of them. Will that also be better? Thank you very much for the advice - will certainly try it out.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, guppies are like that, I'm afraid; their other name is 'millions fish'!

You may be able to take them to one of your local fish shops; they often take in unwanted fish.

 

[Chanmeir]

I definitely will.. The other day I gave away about 30 guppies but it looked like only 10 or 15.. So if I remove the guppies and angels will it still be overstocked? I'd like to get more Neon Tetras. Are Silvertip Tetras aggressive? I looked them up and the web says they're very peaceful but they seem to be chasing some of the other fish.

 

[the_lock_man]

Really? Gees the tank almost seems more empty than full of fish.

Really? Gees the tank almost seems more empty than full of fish.

It is 100 LITRES, not 100 GALLONS, is it? I can't see how anyone would describe that many fish in that little volume as "more empty"

 

[Chanmeir]

Sorry, 120 litres apparently

 

[fluttermoth]

Silvertips are very nippy towards other fish, especially in a small group. They should not be kept with angels.

 

[Chanmeir]

Noted - thank you!

 

[fluttermoth]

You're welcome; I had 18 silvertips in with an angel, as I was told they wouldn't nip in a larger shoal, but I had to take them out the same day!

 

[Chanmeir]

That's my problem. I've downloaded a lot of info off the net and almost all of the fish are supposed to be 'peaceful'. I have a mean angel and almost all my silvertips are nippy. I checked the compatibility too - said they're all fine together and the petshops also said they're good.