Why Do My Guppies Hate Me?

[jemmyw]

don't know if anyone can help me here, but any ideas on why i just can't keep guppies alive?

 

[big mick]

If your guppies keep dying there must be a reason, what are your water stats first of all?

How big is your tank and do you have other fish in with them?.....if so do they keep dying?

 

[osteoporoosi]

Usually the answer is too soft and acidid water. But there can be hundreds of reasons, water stats would help a lot.

 

[jemmyw]

all my stats are fine, and my fighter and lamp eyes are fine too. i just don't understand it! my other tank has no problems. the guppy tank is a 10litre, with 1 plant, 1 fighter, 2 lamp eyes and now only 2 guppies.

 

[big mick]

what are your water stats though, if yoyu are saying they are fine you must have tested the water, just saying they are fine doesnt really help

 

[jemmyw]

right, sorry. ph is 7.5, ammonia 0, nitrite <113 (it doesn't go any lower on the chart, but there's very little colour change), ditto nitrate.

i think this is silly, but coud the filter be too strong?

 

[emma12321]

Hi,

If you tank is only 10 litres thats only 2.5 gallons which is suitable for a single betta. As the tank is so small and bettas generally attack guppies as they have bright colours, theres a good chance they are being killed by the betta. Or as the tank is so over crowded it could be ammonia poisoning thats killing them. You should upgrede to a bigger tank as soon as you can and the general guideline is to have an inch of adult fish per gallon.

Emma

 

[dwarfgourami]

It is hardly likely to be a case of soft and acidic water in Surrey (the white cliffs of England, surely they taught you that in geography Osteoporoosi, they are made of chalk).

But are you sure that tank is only 10 ltrs, not 10 gallons? If so, it is way too small for keeping even a single guppy in and this will be your problem. Guppies should not be kept in a tank under 10 gallons (c. 40 ltrs).

I don't understand your nitrite reading at all. Usually nitrites are measured in ppm, and any reading over 0.5 would be a cause for concern. Nitrates are not really dangerous until they go well over 40, but a reading over 100 would be worrying. What test kit do you have? Sounds like your first step should be to invest in a proper liquid kit. No, I take that back- your first step should be to check the size of your tank.

Are your guppies showing any symptoms at all? Torn or ragged tails? Gasping at the surface? Dropsy? Listless and moody?

 

[jemmyw]

my apologies - i'm tired and not very well! it's a 10 gallon tank, sorry. i'll just check my test kit.


ok, it's a nutrafin test kit, and the nitrate is <5 and the nitrite is <0.3.

no symptoms, the just die. 2 just vanished (never found one, the other got sucked into the filter and shredded, very horrible), and one we found on the bottom of the tank.

we've been watching the betta very carefully - he's ever so peaceful, we were a bit worried at first, but now we've got used to him i guess he's just a peaceful one? still seems odd to me.

 

[lavapeanut]

I learnt my lesson on here, if a fish got stuck on filter, it means it's either too weak to swim against the water current or it's already dead....

I had 2 zebra danio dead bodies which were found at filter side and filter top suction part... Were told they maybe they maybe already dead when it's got stuck in there... Another reason I can think of is - other fish were chasing one of your guppy, then it bang on the filter...

That's all I share my opinion with you, filter seems shouldn't be a problem, sounds like...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=115013

 

[jemmyw]

i'm almost definite he died then got sucked in. i don't think the filter is too strong, it was just a thought. i think i'm going to give up on the guppies, maybe move over my tetras and then get some more loach in my other tank.

 

[OrkyBetta]

Guppies are severely, severely inbred. They can up and die randomly, and it is very frusterating. I have found that Delta guppies are the hardiest by far, as well as sunrise guppies. Try buying from a different lfs, and experiment around as to which store has the strongest guppies.

good luck, i gave up on guppies for a while, then started back up, with the right fish from the right store, and I haven't lost one in a while now. I have 15 gorgeous guppies and counting, as some are pregnant. Once you can find a nice crop of guppies, they are extremely hardy.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Sounds like there is something wrong with the guppies, not with your tank. I've had similar problems, my male more or less laid and died for no apparent reason. But his offspring seem a lot tougher, I am hoping for better luck with the generation born in my tank. As Orkybetta says, they are inbred, also you don't know what they've been through before they got to you.