View Full Version : Mysterious guppy deaths
Hey guys,
Just a quick question. I had 13 guppies in a 40L planted tank. Over the last week ive lost 3. One I havent found hes just MIA, one I found covered in a white slime coat and the last one just died after swimming erratically, he was hiding in the plants and I found him stuck to the filter intake.
After the two died, I did a 50% water change yesterday with a gravel vac. Today this one just started acting oddly at about 1ish and he's dead now. Its not Ick, dont think its velvet - I couldnt see the golden cover that they get (altho have never seen it before).
Ive boosted the temp to 28 up from 25. The only thing Ive started adding was 1ml excel 2 times a week with the flourish for the plants.
Just frustrated about what ever this is since its happening so fast. Any ideas and what I can do?
(saw my spelling error in the heading Mysterious)
Okay so you have boosted the temp. The reason you do this is to fasten their system thats why the guppies are going down hill so fast after catching the illness. So get a general aid do 25% WC each and everyday. Beware the results couldn't be what you expected to be. What filtration are you running? What is your PH and what WC did you do usually?
I bought 18 guppies at one stage and it had the some effects yours has needless to say one week later only had one left. Did you add any new fish?
Added 2 new ones after QT of a week. So do I keep the temp up as well?? And the general aid will Aquadene work? I normally do a 25% change once a week. Should I remove my plants before I treat the tank or can I treat the fish with the plants in? Ive got the Jebo 338 - 400L/h cant remember my ph.
Okay keep the temp up so that you can kill off the illness. Keep the plants. Use the general aid as a immune booster for the fish. Do 25% WC a day. Check if the general aid is plant friendly, all this worked for me. Other people might disagree all of this is based IMO. Good luck bud, in future play it save and QT the fish http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?7602-Quarantine-guppies/page2
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?6189-Proper-use-of-Quarantine-facility/page4
This will help you with QT fish in future
Thanks - will this affect other fish as well? What is it exactly? My QT tank is currently a grow out tank for 2 betta fry I got from Rooivlerkie
Just a quick question. I had 13 guppies in a 40L planted tank
Hi Waveren
When did you setup this tank and when did you add the guppies?
What do you feed?
Are they all fine or do they look funny in general?
Hai Vis -
Tank has been running about 2 months, no issues before that when it used to house goldfish (did clean and disinfect the tank before changing to guppies). Added the guppies about 2 months ago. I feed them Tetra Prima granules - 1 small pinch in the morning and one small one at night.
all of them are acting normal, but then again the one that died today was fine this morning and dead this afternoon.
Hi Wyvren
Any new activities? Improvements or deaths?
Hey hein24, just got back from checking up on them, all the survivors are doing well, looking healthy and eating as well. I have a sneaky suspicion I know what the culprit might have been. I think I might have overdoses on excel - since Ive only recently started using it in the tank and ironically after thinking about it - the deaths happened a day after I dosed.
So will stop the excel for now. My brother has the same plants in his 60L tank and they are thriving without the excel.
Ive only been adding 1ml into the new water when I do water changes. Suspect it might have been just enough to cause some kind of imbalance in the tank.
I will keep up with the meds and water changes for a week? Or how long do you suggest?
Well at the back of the excel it has dosing instructions, if you compare that to what you have dosed, and you did overdose I suggest do a 25%WC and then go back to your normal WC's.
On initial use or after a major (> 40%) water change, use 1 capful (5 mL) for every 40 L (10 gallons*). Thereafter use 1 capful for every 200 L (50 gallons*) daily or every other day. Dosing may be slowly increased in high-growth aquariums. For smaller dosing please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL.
That is the directions. Ive worked out since my tank is 40L, I use 1ml every other day. But I will reduce it to half of that and see what happens. Its the only thing I could think of since the other guppies didnt show any signs of illness, and I know this one (last one that died) loved being under the newly added water - he plays with the stream it creates when I add the water. But I will keep an eye on the others and keep the temp and water changes up for a week just incase.
thats funny, as i used 1 cap full every 2nd day on my nano (1ft) with some endler babies in, and they all are fine? what type of gravel do you have?
Just a rough gravel that I got from my LFS. Looks like a coarse river sand but bigger.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q1PztpuT3D4/TgYAwdmPOjI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/FtV6T7-ZTNM/IMG_7763.JPG
There you can see the gravel.
Ok so quick update.
It seemed that all was going well, when this morning I saw one of the boys hanging in the same spot that I saw him last nite. Kept my on him as I got ready for work, he wasnt moving much and ignored the others as they swam around him. He was hovering at the bottom of the tank, looking very swollen/bloated. As I didnt have much time I left him as is and checked again at lunch. He was still in the same spot, and since the previous fish who died did the same, I decided to get him out of the tank and into a QT bottle (Think big mayo bottle since it was all that I had that I could put into the fry tank to keep it warm.) Added fresh water and a little bit of epsom salt for the bloat. Had to come back to work so will check when I get home.
He was very active when I tried to net him, but got him fast enough tho so he wasnt to stressed.
He was also very pale this morning. Got a pic of him, strangely in the jar he was all over the show (and yes the water was treated, I have a 4L juice bottle that is always standing with water treated with Prime for just incase)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_qwvjbgNNWY/ThcEvznRqrI/AAAAAAAAAZA/2ACYPlkbGFs/s512/IMG_20110708_124927.jpg
Wyvren ... glad to hear fish are doing OK. I saw the picture of your tank. You might want to look at adding either a HOB or adding a filter sponge to the intake of the powerhead. Adding a filter sponge to intakes helps to save fry and provides extra filtration even maybe some extra growth for bacteria. Don't stress to much with guppy deaths (yes I know they are sometimes expensive - saw some selling for R26 yesterday) but truth is if we have a female or two and a male you will be overrun in no-time.
Thanks :) At the moment there are only males in the tank, but Ive decided to leave them be, since what ever is killing them gets them fast. They all seem ok and then the next day I will have a death. So Ive lost one more so far, but after triple checking my water I know its not that. The tank has a trickle tray which Ive filled with ceramic rings and a sponge. Before these deaths Ive had the goldfish in there and they where thriving (gave them away to someone with a bigger tank since the tank was getting to small for them). But I will have a look and see if I cant get a filter sponge for the intake. For now the filter seems to be doing its job very nicely, and I have the established gravel in the tank as well.
What Im doing tho is waiting for my LFS to get some female betta's in, I will make the tank a sorority with just 4- 5 girls in it. I seem to have better luck with them :P Once I have the girls I will see if I want to add the guppies again or not.
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