Guppies Keep Dying

[Dutsey]

Hi

I purchased 7 guppies last Saturday Week, 2 males and 5 females. Unfortunately I have lost 3 of these (2 females and 1 male) but not sure why.

I purchased other fish at the same time and these are happy and ok, touchwood.

So I left it a week and purchased another male and 2 females but the male has died now. I am not sure if he has got trapped down at the filter as that was where the body was.

Has anybody else had a bad experience with guppies?

 

[OldMan47]

Lots of people have both good and bad experiences with virtually every kind of fish.
How long has your tank been set up? How large is the tank? What are the other fish in the tank? Are there any signs of disease on your guppies before they die?

 

[Dutsey]

Woke up this morning and 2 more dead female guppies.

The tank has been up and running for a couple of months. The size of the tank is 125l.

Other fish I have is a BN Plec, 2 dwarf gourami's, red phantom tetras , danios and 2 clown loaches.

This is strange as no other fish have died.

 

[stevensykes]

I had the same problem. I bought 6 guppy females 3 died within a couple of days of buying them. I thought there was something wrong with the tank so took a water sample to a credited fish seller. They tested the water and said it was all good. Told them what had happened, they said they could be imported from Singapore or Thiland where they are kept in complete sterile conditions, and when are imported they are put into tanks with bacteria and there immune systems cant cope with the bacteria. So now i buy locally bred stock. And doing this i have had none that have died.

 

[This Old Spouse]

What are the stats on your tank water? Have you tested for ammonia and nitrites with a professional liquid test kit?

The guppy that was by the filter probably died first then just floated to the filter intake.

Too bad you're not nearby … I'd donate some of my guppies to you!

 

[Dutsey]

Down to 3 guppies now 1 male 2 female. Has been like this for the last week and a half.

Have tested the water

ph = 7.6
ammonia = 0
nitrate = 20

Now I am hoping that my females are pregnant.

Will post pics asap to see if they are

 

[This Old Spouse]

How about nitrites? Are you using a pro test kit, the kind that uses test tubes? If you're using just the strips they can be very inaccurate.

As stevensykes said, some of the guppies at the LFSs are from places that raise them in nearly sterile environments, so when you put them in your tank that has natural bacteria they can't cope. They're so easy to come by from individual breeders I'd go that route from now on. My guppies were all obtained from home-raised environments and are tough as nails.

Also you said your tank has been running for a couple of months. That's not very long and it's possible your tank hasn't cycled quite yet.

 

[Dutsey]

Down to 3 guppies now 1 male 2 female. Has been like this for the last week and a half.

Have tested the water

ph = 7.6
ammonia = 0
nitrate = 20

Now I am hoping that my females are pregnant.

Will post pics asap to see if they are