1 by 1 my guppies keep dyng...i found a guppy with ich the other day but i took it out and i havent seen any signs on other fish since, all my guppies are dying, 1 by 1 they go into the corner of the tank just hovering there not doing much, occassionally moves round the tank, nbut they dont eat or nothing and then a few days after they die, with no signs of any disease that i know off..
??? whats wrong with them?
Hi
I too have lost about 20 guppies to this mystery disease. Same symptoms as you. They just hover in the corner or lay on the bottom then die. However for the past few days I have noticed that some of the remaining guppies have developed what is called "Saddleback". A white patch develops on the body, somewhere near the dorsal fin or tail. Within 24 hours the patch spreads right round the body, giving the appearence of a saddle. After a bit of googling and some very good advice on forums I have learned that it is because of a bacteria called columnaris.
Apparantly it can infect fish and kill them without any outward signs, however if the tank is left untreated hardier fish may just get the "Skin problem" hence the Saddke appearence. If this is left untreated it eventually spreads and will kill the fish, albeit slower than the internal infection. Obviously we can't know for sure that your fish have columnaris, but what I would suggest is that you do a water test and post your results here, for some of the more experienced forumites to give their opinions.
Also if it does turn out to be columnaris you need to get some treatments!! I am using a medicine called Myxazin made by waterlife and melafix. However depending on which country you live in you may be able to get some stronger antibiotics, but I would use these with caution as they can harm you nitrifying bacteria.
Hope this helps
Andy
