Dead Guppy-please Help

[callumfitz]

Ok, it all started on Friday. I bought my first ever fish; 3 male guppies. My tank had been cycled etc. I put them into the tank and a while later I noticed that one of them had a very lage slit in his tail, all the way back to his body. I don't remember seeing this in the shop but I can't be certain.

The next morning his tail had more missing, around the slit, making a kind of big hole in it.

Later on in the day he was lying helpless on the gravel hardly moving, except for short spurts.

Then this morning I found that sadly, he had died.



I have noticed since though, that one of the fish keeps followng the other one CONSTANTLY, trying to nip his tail, but he always manages to get away from him, so there is no damage.

Could this guppy have caused my fish to die, or was it more likely to be fin rot or something? I didn't notice any white marks or redness, except taht when he was dead the end of his tail looked slightly transparent.

My levels are:

ph 7.6

Kh 6

GH >16d

Nitrite 0

Nitrate: about 20


What should I do because either way the nipping is still a problem right? Should I buy a few more to 'spread the agression' or get some more hiding places for the poor bullied one to escape?

Thankyou in advance

C

 

[rust81]

Ok, it all started on Friday. I bought my first ever fish; 3 male guppies. My tank had been cycled etc. I put them into the tank and a while later I noticed that one of them had a very lage slit in his tail, all the way back to his body. I don't remember seeing this in the shop but I can't be certain.

The next morning his tail had more missing, around the slit, making a kind of big hole in it.

Later on in the day he was lying helpless on the gravel hardly moving, except for short spurts.

Then this morning I found that sadly, he had died.



I have noticed since though, that one of the fish keeps followng the other one CONSTANTLY, trying to nip his tail, but he always manages to get away from him, so there is no damage.

Could this guppy have caused my fish to die, or was it more likely to be fin rot or something? I didn't notice any white marks or redness, except taht when he was dead the end of his tail looked slightly transparent.

My levels are:

ph 7.6

Kh 6

GH >16d

Nitrite 0

Nitrate: about 20


What should I do because either way the nipping is still a problem right? Should I buy a few more to 'spread the agression' or get some more hiding places for the poor bullied one to escape?

Thankyou in advance

C

If there is bullying going on in the tank then you need to spread the aggression. Are there plants and hiding places for the fish to go? What size tank are you running and did you cycle this before adding the guppies?

 

[callumfitz]

I have 2 plants, but the fish never seem to swim into them or behind them really and I have some ornaments, I was thinking of buying a tunnel or cave maybe.

It's around 10g and yes it was cycled

 

[*Fishkies*]

I would try adding a tunnel or cave and a few more plants. You could add like 3 more plants for sure! Also what is your ammonia reading, you didn't include that in your readings. Do you not have a test kit for this? If not you may want to consider getting one.

Also it may be possible that you guppy had fin rot. Are you sure there are not any parasites in your tank?

Do you have live plants or plastic plants?
How long do you leave your light on?
How many times a day do you feed?
How much do you feed?

 

[callumfitz]

I would try adding a tunnel or cave and a few more plants. You could add like 3 more plants for sure! Also what is your ammonia reading, you didn't include that in your readings. Do you not have a test kit for this? If not you may want to consider getting one.

Also it may be possible that you guppy had fin rot. Are you sure there are not any parasites in your tank?

Do you have live plants or plastic plants?
How long do you leave your light on?
How many times a day do you feed?
How much do you feed?

No I don't have an ammonia test kit, I asked the guy at the store; he suggested that I get 5 guppies but I said that I don't want to risk possible death, because I haven't done any ammonia tests, but he just said taht I'd know if I had an ammonia problem because the water would be cloudy and I should probably just test at a later date.

I have live plants
I usually leave my light on for around 12 hours, but I have just turned it off because it seems like it might cool down the agression, so that would make it 9 hours today.
I feed twice a day, a small amount that gets consumed in a couple of minutes.

 

[*Fishkies*]

What is the average temperature that your tank is at?
Do you have a heater?

Higher temperatures could cause aggression, because the guppies may think they should be breeding and they could potentially go after one because there are no females in the tank. How long did you have the guppies before you saw this aggression or before the first guppy died?

I would consider getting an ammonia test kit. Just because to have high ammonia, your water is not always cloudy so this is not a good indicater. Even though your tank is not overstocked. But with out ammonia testing how can you be sure your tank is cycled. Did you get it tested at the pet store?

Trust me with the ammonia thing, i have goldfish, which are major ammonia producers and waste producers, their water is cloudy sometimes but it's not because of ammonia, it's because of high nitrates sometimes...

 

[callumfitz]

What is the average temperature that your tank is at?
Do you have a heater?

Higher temperatures could cause aggression, because the guppies may think they should be breeding and they could potentially go after one because there are no females in the tank. How long did you have the guppies before you saw this aggression or before the first guppy died?

I would consider getting an ammonia test kit. Just because to have high ammonia, your water is not always cloudy so this is not a good indicater. Even though your tank is not overstocked. But with out ammonia testing how can you be sure your tank is cycled. Did you get it tested at the pet store?

Trust me with the ammonia thing, i have goldfish, which are major ammonia producers and waste producers, their water is cloudy sometimes but it's not because of ammonia, it's because of high nitrates sometimes...

The average temp it about 24C, yes I have a heater. I only got the guppies on Friday!

I didn't do a test for ammonia, because another one of my fish stores told me that this wasn't important, as long as the filter was left on and i put dechlorinator in etc and left it for a week, it should be fine, and they told me to put some tetra SafeStart in aswell, so I did!


Have I been badly advised?

 

[*Fishkies*]

Have I been badly advised?

Yes...

Unfortunatly what most pet stores tell you is not true. Your tank has not officially cycled.

Cycling would show test results of nitrites and ammonia at zero (0) and you would have a small number reading for nitrates. To properly cycle a tank you do water changes. Try to PM member rdd1952 he is great with cycling. Also be sure to check out the cycling articles first, and if you have additional questions try sending him a PM.

You also already have fish so guppies are pretty hardy and should be able to make it through the cycling process. Some cycles take longer then others to finish. However for now I would not try adding anymore fish.


Cycling Article Links:
What's Cycling...you've already got fish!!


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