Guppies Bite The Dust

[tomsawyer69]

Hi all
ive been a guest reader on this site for almost a year now and i would first like to say that it has been a great help for me and my new tanks..
thing is now i have a problem of my own and i need some advice
my tropical tank last weekend i thought could do with a freshen up,(or so i thought),so i replaced my plastic plants with 2 live ones (not sure what they are but i could find out).then the problems start...but the strange thing is its only with the guppies..their fins started to look a bit frayed so i added some melafix to try and fix them up....then the probs really started.guppies gasping at the surface,lying on my bridge ornament and generally not as lively as usual....they had always been the happiest ones so this was worrying...
now its friday and all 4 of my guppies are dead
all the other fish are the same as usual which is what i cant make out??and the tank it seems is back to normal(minus 4 guppies which were my favs)...
just wondering if any of u would have any idea what might have happened.....i guess the guppies died of a lack of oxygen??but why are the other fish not affected...
tank is 54 litres....almost a year old....water quality is perfect (tested 3 times this week) just a small reading of nitrates..i use a fluval 2 plus filter (up to 90 lts)..
stock
2 black widow tetras...2 serpae tetras...4 guppies (now RIP)..1 clown loach (small atm)..1 black molly..2 lyretail mollies and 2 platies ....i know its alot but i swear they were all happy for 6 months before this week
could the new plants have killed the guppies...and if so why are the other fish not affected ??
should i get rid of the plants or persevere with them...i would like to replace a couple of the guppies but dont want anymore calamities !!
Tnx for any help in advance
Tim

 

[BobRivers]

What sex were the Guppys?

how old do you think they were?

Have they produced any young?

I do not think the plants would be a problem

Is there plenty movement on top of the water?

 

[tomsawyer69]

hi...tx for reply
they were all male maybe one female
all bought in last 6 months but i dont know what they were when i bought them>
no young...prob cause theyre male lol
the filter produces a fair bit of movement at the surface
does that help ??
tnx

 

[BobRivers]

Its very hard to say with no obvious signs, were there any marks on them to Indicate any kind of Disease?

adding to much Melafix can harm the good bacteria I think, someone may be able to confirm this


Hope somebody else may be able to help you.

 

[tomsawyer69]

no.there were no marks..it was all very quick...
i may have added too much melafix....there was a very strong smell of tea tree oil from water when i lifted the lid to remove the fish....so after 3 days i did a fairly large water change to dilute it down and since then only the last guppy has died...he was on his way out anyway.
tnx for your help bob..maybe the guppies were more sensitive than the others to the high dose of melafix..can anyone confirm this?
think i will run a carbon pad for a few days to clear the med and then replace a couple of the guppies and hope for the best..

 

[WILDER]

Your tank was overstocked.
Clown loaches shouldn't be kept in less than a group of three.
Plus they need large tanks of 100 gallons as they get bigger.
How often do you maintain the tank.
Does the filter ripple the surface well.
Can you post your water stats please.

 

[AdAndrews]

Your tank was overstocked.
Clown loaches shouldn't be kept in less than a group of three.
Plus they need large tanks of 100 gallons as they get bigger.
How often do you maintain the tank.
Does the filter ripple the surface well.
Can you post your water stats please.

the tank isnt overstocked!- the only thing i would say is no to the clown loaches not in that small conditions imo
i think maybe its the melafix
not sure

 

[WILDER]

Maybe not to much now the fish have died but if you go by the one inch per gallon rule the tanks is overstocked.
Need to research the fish before you buy at the black widow tetra need larger tanks too.

 

[tomsawyer69]

tnx for the feedback all.
i know the clown will need to be rehomed when he gets bigger but hes still quite small at the moment...
i maintain the tank once a week changing about 25% of the water,removing algae and vacuuming the garavel..the filter i service about once a month as long as its functioning well..
i use a fluval 2 plus filter which is located about 1cm from surface with a steady flow...should i increase the flow ? it looks like a torrent when its on max !!
the water is very hard..180gh ph 7, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 10.
no problems since the last guppy died and no more melafix...the last guppy that died had been in the tank from the start (about 9 mths ago after the tank was cycled for about a month).there was never a problem with him and always looked the happiest of all.
first the plants,then the melafix just seemed to cause havoc with the guppies,but strangely none of the other fish.
i love the guppies and would like to replace a couple of them but i dont want anymore deaths!!i might rehome some of the others as i prefer the guppies..
tnx for any more help all

 

[Piltdownpaul]

If i were you i would have it on full flow- i do with mine but just have it slightly lower under the surface so you still get a disturbance.

 

[WILDER]

Only ever managed to keep one guppy alive over a year they don't seem to last long even in good water quality.
Did the guppys ever look thin.
When I had guppys one would die and a few of the others will follow suit then things will settle down again.
Did you increase aeration with the melafix.

I would rehome the clown loach if you not getting a bigger tank soon. its not fair him being on his own.

Melafix is not good on bacterial finrot its only good once the fins are healing.

 

[tomsawyer69]

tnx again..
no i didn't increase aeration with the melafix.the instructions on the bottle aren't great in my opinion compared to the booklets you get with other meds...
and the guppies always looked very well up to the point that i put the plants in.
the day after the plants went in their fins started to fray and thats when i started with the melafix...
i'm really starting to think it was too much melafix and as you say i shouldnt have been using it anyway for the finrot ... i guess the guppies just couldnt cope with it as well as the others..
i'm going to try the filter on max and a little lower as suggested so this might help things from now on...bit late for the guppies though
the clown was very shy at first but in the last couple of months he joins in with the others alot more although he still retreats inside an ornament i have ....he actually disappears in the rim of the ornament...looks like i'll have to rerturn him as my wife will have a fit if i get a 3rd tank the 2nd is coldwater so thats no good for him...
the tank is settled again so at least the other fish are doing fine
tx again

 

[WILDER]

Gasping at the surface mean lack of 02 in tne tank and meds reduce 02 in the tank.
Bad water quality, parasites, toxins.
Melafix can have a bad reaction on some fish that why its best to half dose first to see if they can handle it, then add the full dose if there ok.
I would put it down to lack of 02 in the water.

 

[tomsawyer69]

tnx for that wilder...i didn't know about meds reducing o2 in the water so i'll have to bear that in mind in the future...
looks like i suffocated the guppies when i was trying to help them