What's wrong with my guppies?

[aquarius]

Hi, a few days ago I noticed a white spot on the tail of one of my guppies. So I assumed that it was ich and began treating the tank. Soon after my other guppies started acting weird, some are lying on the rocks, their fins clamped close and breathing heavily. Others keep rubbing against the gravel. I raised the temp to 81 degrees and gave them a secound dose of meds yesterday. Today, when I looked in on them, the guppy with the white spot had a little chunk of the tail missing, possibly bitten off? right where the white spot is. So now I don't know what's going on. If it was ich, wouldn't the fish be better after three day being treated? I also have a swordtail in the same tank with the guppies and I'm afraid that he will get sick. The tank is 10 gallons. Anyone know what can be going on? Thanks

 

[KimmyFishy89]

An entire ich treatment should last 14 days. And the medicine doesn't treat whats on the fish's body. Raising the temp, helps spead up the parasite's life cycle so the medicine kills them when the little buggers hatch. Ich is really common, I have had it and all of my fish survive

Are the fins lined with white (Where the pieces are missing?) it could be fin rot than.

 

[aquarius]

Thanks for replying. Only one fish has the white spot on the tail where the piece is now missing. The rest seem to be ok physically, just acting strange. So then I should continue the treatment for 14 days cause it says to do it for 4 days on the bottle?

 

[platypus]

So then I should continue the treatment for 14 days cause it says to do it for 4 days on the bottle?

Hrm difficult to say as it's not definitely whitespot. Was the spot like a grain of salt? Or was it more cottony? Or was it just like the colour had faded from the fin before it disappeared? As KimmyFishy says it could be finrot or something else. There's a description of common fish diseases here - hope it helps!

 

[suemack]

hi Aquarius

how long has your tank been set up for? and have you tested your water to see if your pH, ammonia, nitrite etc is ok. My guppies acted wierd when I had a nitrite spike and also when I had a pH drop

regards sue