Guppie hanging by heater and tail down

Gazio

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I have a 10L tank with 3 guppies and 1 patty all male. and a sail. I am new to fish I got them for my kid who wanted a pet. I do regular water changes about ones every 2 weeks. I have live pants. Lately my guppies have been hanging by the heater my tank is at 76° and one has been swimming with his tail down. I ordered a water test kit so I will check levels ones it gets here. I just want to make sure they are healthy and doing good. I attached a picture of what my fish is doing
 

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Maybe he is being bullied… in that case he is stressed
 
I would say the tank is too small ( just my personal opinion) and I’d be doing weekly water changes, I’d introduce some floating plants maybe a couple mini water lettuce might help the fish feel more secure , I’d also do a water change now without testing see if his behaviour changes fresh water is never bad and being only 10 litres it would take seconds
 
I would say the tank is too small ( just my personal opinion) and I’d be doing weekly water changes, I’d introduce some floating plants maybe a couple mini water lettuce might help the fish feel more secure , I’d also do a water change now without testing see if his behaviour changes fresh water is never bad and being only 10 litres it would take seconds
It might be 10 gallons I not 100% I just know it’s 10 something it’s small but not that small of a tank. I have plants(Hawthorne). that give lots of hiding spaces. I changed water yesterday as I noticed it yesterday that guppy was acting different and it did not change behaviour.
 
It might be 10 gallons I not 100% I just know it’s 10 something it’s small but not that small of a tank. I have plants(Hawthorne). that give lots of hiding spaces. I changed water yesterday as I noticed it yesterday that guppy was acting different and it did not change behaviour.
10g sounds a lot healthier than 10l and would be a good size for a few guppies, maybe there is just an issue with the fish itself , live bearers are bred on huge amounts and some quality issues can pop up
 
Is there anything I should do or could do to help him?
 
Is there anything I should do or could do to help him?
What test kit are you using and what did were the results of the test? Also, what brand of heater is that? You can get an off brand filter and if it goes out fish wont be affected TOO much but if the heater is an off brand it could decide to go haywire, it may shock all the fish and kill them. I am very careful about what heater I am using and I trust only one thermostat heater for aquariums... The fish could be stressed and is trying to find his territory which could be the corner by the heater... Its not a good idea to house ALL males. All females is good because they dont normally fight.
 
What test kit are you using and what did were the results of the test? Also, what brand of heater is that? You can get an off brand filter and if it goes out fish wont be affected TOO much but if the heater is an off brand it could decide to go haywire, it may shock all the fish and kill them. I am very careful about what heater I am using and I trust only one thermostat heater for aquariums... The fish could be stressed and is trying to find his territory which could be the corner by the heater... Its not a good idea to house ALL males. All females is good because they dont normally fight.
I don’t have a test kit I ordered api freshwater test kit. Will be here later today. I have a separate thermostat on the other side of tank from the heater. That keeps a good steady temp.
 
I don’t have a test kit I ordered api freshwater test kit. Will be here later today. I have a separate thermostat on the other side of tank from the heater. That keeps a good steady temp.
Thats good to know! How long have you had the heater?
 
The guppy in the picture looks reasonably healthy. However, it has a piece of its tail missing (on the bottom of the tail) and this looks like a bite.

Assuming the water quality is good (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 20ppm nitrate) and the pH is above 7.0, I would say the fish is being picked on and is hiding.

A bigger tank might help but the other 2 male guppies might just hate this one and will continue to pick on it until it is removed or dies.

You can try adding more plants to the tank. It will help break up the line of sight between the fish. A picture on the back of the tank will help reduce the stress a bit. But ideally you want a bigger tank.
 
It might be 10 gallons I not 100% I just know it’s 10 something it’s small but not that small of a tank. I have plants(Hawthorne). that give lots of hiding spaces. I changed water yesterday as I noticed it yesterday that guppy was acting different and it did not change behaviour.
do you have a full pic of the tank? that will surely settle the topic
 

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