TheChards
Fish Fanatic
Hello and merry Christmas everyone!
I am hoping that someone may be able to suggest what may be wrong with some of my fish tank's inhabitants as I've lost two Guppies in the last 3 days and I don't know why. It is a 60-litre tank which currently houses the following:
4 male Dwarf Gouramis,
2 Synos,
2 male Guppies (was 4),
5 Ember Tetras,
4 Assassin Snails
more pest snails than I seem to be able to get rid of
This is slightly over-stocked but I do use an oversized internal filter and levels of Ammonia and Nitrite have been zero ever since it first cycled about 2 and a half months ago and I usually do a 40 – 50% water change and hover any waste out of the gravel every weekend. Nitrates are generally around 10 – 20 ppm, the pH is a steady 8 and I keep the temperature at 25 degrees C. The tank has a couple of living plants in it which are both attached to driftwood and I have positioned the filter so that the water outlet disturbs the surface of the water in order to try and oxygenate the water. I feed flaked food and catfish pellets once a day (in the evening) although I think I may have been overfeeding and so have been cutting back the amount I feed recently.
Nothing has changed in the tank since October when I added the plants and the fish had always looked happy and healthy since I first got them in September. About two weeks ago I noticed that the Gourami were starting to spend more time than usual at the surface although they didn't look particularly stressed or as though they were gasping for air. Then I noticed that one of the Guppy had started doing the same. A few days later, one of the other Guppy disappeared (and I haven't seen him since so I assume he died and has been eaten) and then yesterday I found the Guppy who had been sitting at the surface dead on the bottom of the tank.
The two remaining Guppy and the dead Guppy I removed look as though their fins have been damaged but not extensively. The Gourami look physically fine although occasionally one of them will dart about quite frantically for 20 seconds or so every now and again which I hadn't seen them do before they started behaving strangely and sitting on the surface. Also, none of the Gourami seem to be eating as much as they used to although the remaining Guppy still seem to be eating as much as always.
Does anyone have any idea what may be going on? At the moment it feels like the fish are at risk but I don't know what from or what I can do to help them. My current feeling is that I should get some medication for fin-rot but this is just a gut feeling as I've never had any problems like this before and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has.
Many thanks in advance,
Dan
I am hoping that someone may be able to suggest what may be wrong with some of my fish tank's inhabitants as I've lost two Guppies in the last 3 days and I don't know why. It is a 60-litre tank which currently houses the following:
4 male Dwarf Gouramis,
2 Synos,
2 male Guppies (was 4),
5 Ember Tetras,
4 Assassin Snails
more pest snails than I seem to be able to get rid of
This is slightly over-stocked but I do use an oversized internal filter and levels of Ammonia and Nitrite have been zero ever since it first cycled about 2 and a half months ago and I usually do a 40 – 50% water change and hover any waste out of the gravel every weekend. Nitrates are generally around 10 – 20 ppm, the pH is a steady 8 and I keep the temperature at 25 degrees C. The tank has a couple of living plants in it which are both attached to driftwood and I have positioned the filter so that the water outlet disturbs the surface of the water in order to try and oxygenate the water. I feed flaked food and catfish pellets once a day (in the evening) although I think I may have been overfeeding and so have been cutting back the amount I feed recently.
Nothing has changed in the tank since October when I added the plants and the fish had always looked happy and healthy since I first got them in September. About two weeks ago I noticed that the Gourami were starting to spend more time than usual at the surface although they didn't look particularly stressed or as though they were gasping for air. Then I noticed that one of the Guppy had started doing the same. A few days later, one of the other Guppy disappeared (and I haven't seen him since so I assume he died and has been eaten) and then yesterday I found the Guppy who had been sitting at the surface dead on the bottom of the tank.
The two remaining Guppy and the dead Guppy I removed look as though their fins have been damaged but not extensively. The Gourami look physically fine although occasionally one of them will dart about quite frantically for 20 seconds or so every now and again which I hadn't seen them do before they started behaving strangely and sitting on the surface. Also, none of the Gourami seem to be eating as much as they used to although the remaining Guppy still seem to be eating as much as always.
Does anyone have any idea what may be going on? At the moment it feels like the fish are at risk but I don't know what from or what I can do to help them. My current feeling is that I should get some medication for fin-rot but this is just a gut feeling as I've never had any problems like this before and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has.
Many thanks in advance,
Dan
