Guppies Swimming At The Top Of The Tank And Not Eating

[GuppyMom32]

Recently my guppies have started to just sit at the top of their tank, not eat, and the seem to have trouble swimming (when I say that, I mean that their tails look like they are drooping down) and sometimes they just at the bottom of their tank in mid day. I don't know why so here's the water conditions etc.
- Did a 50% water change yesterday
- 7 guppies in a 20 gallon (no other fish)
- No new additions for almost 4 months
- Put a new carbon filter pad in yesterday
- Their tank has an air stone
- Just added algaefix to their tank since the algae growth has started to become out of control (followed the instructions)
- Acting the same way they did before I got them the air stone (acting like they have no oxygen), now all of a sudden it's happening again
- 78 degrees in the tank

Can someone please help?? I have no idea what to do!!!!

 

[Colin_T]

Do you have a filter on the tank?

Don't add algicides because they can poison fish. If you have an algae issue, reduce light, add live plants, and do water changes.

Can you test the water for ammonia or nitrite? If you don't have test kits take a glass full of tank water to the local petshop and get them to check the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Write the results down and post them on here.

Do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean using water that is free of chlorine/ chloramine.

 

[GuppyMom32]

Do you have a filter on the tank?

Don't add algicides because they can poison fish. If you have an algae issue, reduce light, add live plants, and do water changes.

Can you test the water for ammonia or nitrite? If you don't have test kits take a glass full of tank water to the local petshop and get them to check the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Write the results down and post them on here.

Do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean using water that is free of chlorine/ chloramine.

For this water change, should I take the fish out of the tank?? because I don't see how I'm supposed to do a 75% water change and somehow take the gravel out and cleaning it without just killing them from stress.

 

[Colin_T]

do you have a gravel cleaner?
Check the following link. It has a picture of a gravel cleaner. These allow you to drain water out of the tank and suck the gunk out of the gravel at the same time. You leave fish plants and everything in the tank and use the gravel cleaner to clean the gunk out.
http://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html

If you don't have a gravel cleaner then just siphon out 50-75% of the tank water with a plastic hose, or use a plastic container to scoop the water out. Again, leave the fish in the tank while you do this.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

 

[GuppyMom32]

do you have a gravel cleaner?
Check the following link. It has a picture of a gravel cleaner. These allow you to drain water out of the tank and suck the gunk out of the gravel at the same time. You leave fish plants and everything in the tank and use the gravel cleaner to clean the gunk out.
http://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html

If you don't have a gravel cleaner then just siphon out 50-75% of the tank water with a plastic hose, or use a plastic container to scoop the water out. Again, leave the fish in the tank while you do this.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

welp I have that gravel cleaner but I didn't realize that I could just do that. So now my guppies are in a separate tank and the water is half way out

 

[Colin_T]

Gravel cleaners are the next best thing to sliced bread

While water is syphoning out of the tank you push the gravel cleaner tube into the gravel and lift it up. The gunk gets drawn out with some water while the gravel sinks back to the bottom. If you find the water is draining out too quickly you can kink the hose a bit to slow the flow rate.

If you have any issues using it check youtube. There are a couple of videos on using them

 

[GuppyMom32]

Gravel cleaners are the next best thing to sliced bread

While water is syphoning out of the tank you push the gravel cleaner tube into the gravel and lift it up. The gunk gets drawn out with some water while the gravel sinks back to the bottom. If you find the water is draining out too quickly you can kink the hose a bit to slow the flow rate.

If you have any issues using it check youtube. There are a couple of videos on using them

I know how r

welp I have that gravel cleaner but I didn't realize that I could just do that. So now my guppies are in a separate tank and the water is half way out

Gravel cleaners are the next best thing to sliced bread

While water is syphoning out of the tank you push the gravel cleaner tube into the gravel and lift it up. The gunk gets drawn out with some water while the gravel sinks back to the bottom. If you find the water is draining out too quickly you can kink the hose a bit to slow the flow rate.

If you have any issues using it check youtube. There are a couple of videos on using them

I know how to use them. I thought you meant to clean the gravel under water in a sink. So that's what I did.