Guppies bunching up and staring at corner

[Mite]

Ammonia and nitrites are 0.

I added 2 guppies to the tank today for a total of 5. Swimming around as usual until I left them for a bit and came back to this (Links attached are photos of fish and tank).

https://gyazo.com/51bfe26326949f379e9fed47f2020845
https://gyazo.com/b078b6c549fa458b2cde6bbd6e808648
https://gyazo.com/84c5c7c35b4e2b6e797157aa28a25dab

It's a 37 gallon tank housing five guppies and two ghost shrimp.

They haven't moved for a couple hours now. Is it normal behavior for guppies to do this?

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

no it is not normal

increase aeration/ surface turbulence.

check your water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day until you know what is going on. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

the following link has info about what to do if your fish get sick. It's worth reading.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/

 

[Mite]

Hi and welcome to the forum

no it is not normal

increase aeration/ surface turbulence.

check your water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day until you know what is going on. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

the following link has info about what to do if your fish get sick. It's worth reading.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/

I have my HOB filter on max right now. Does that provide adequate aeration for the tank?

I have completed the water change and gravel clean and it seems the fish have become more active.

Do you think the guppies are perhaps attracted to the light?

 

[Colin_T]

light has nothing to do with this issue. There was something wrong with the water, possibly ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, low pH or low oxygen levels and doing a water change appears to have helped.

Continue doing daily water changes until you get the water tested and post the results (in numbers) here.

Keep the feeding down too. Only feed them once every couple of days until we know what's going on.

HOB filters do help with aeration but they don't work as well as an air pump blowing bubbles into the tank via an airstone. However, since the fish appear better after the water change, just monitor them and do another water change tomorrow.

 

[Mite]

light has nothing to do with this issue. There was something wrong with the water, possibly ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, low pH or low oxygen levels and doing a water change appears to have helped.

Continue doing daily water changes until you get the water tested and post the results (in numbers) here.

Keep the feeding down too. Only feed them once every couple of days until we know what's going on.

HOB filters do help with aeration but they don't work as well as an air pump blowing bubbles into the tank via an airstone. However, since the fish appear better after the water change, just monitor them and do another water change tomorrow.

pH 7.1 Nitrite 0 Ammonia 0 GH ~42 KH ~92 Nitrates ~6
Are these numbers okay?

After installing the bubble wall I feel the guppies have become much better. Perhaps it was an issue with aeration.

Thanks so much for your help.

https://gyazo.com/770d90ad9ba3923e8d5727f8a09c8b18

 

[Colin_T]

What are the water test results measured in for the GH and KH? (eg: ppm, dGH or something else)

If the GH is 42ppm, then the water is too soft for guppies and other livebearers and you need to increase the hardness. The best way to do this is to add a Rift Lake Water conditioner at about half dose. You will have to add this every time you do a water change.

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The rest of the water test results are fine.

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You should put a picture or something on the back of the tank. You can buy aquarium backings from pet shops or use a plastic bin liner, coloured cardboard, newspaper, anything basically. Having something on the back of the tank helps the fish feel more secure.

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You should put a sponge over the intake strainer of your filter. You can buy round/ cylindrical sponges for some brands of internal power filter. These sponges have a hole through the centre and they fit over the intake strainer of most external power filter. The sponge gives extra filtration area and prevents gunk getting into the motor/ impellor assembly. It also helps prevent fish being sucked onto the strainer.

You can also get extension tubes for the filter intake. They are just a plastic tube that allows the filter intake to go further down in the tank so you draw up gunk from the bottom, instead of near the surface.

You want the filter intake to draw water from the bottom half of the tank rather than the top half. It's not essential but it provides better filtration if you can get the intake a bit lower down. Don't have it sitting on the gravel tho because it will suck the gravel up.

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I would move the bubble curtain/ wall to the left side of the tank so you can see into the tank. Have it against the glass on the left side and it will allow you to see inside the tank without the bubbles blocking the view.