Guppy Disease-Help! No one has been able to fix!

[spistols]

I have a 55 gallon community tank full of fancy guppies and platys. Some of my guppies have had the front portion of the abdomens growing larger and larger (both males and females) until the point of their intestines coming through, and eventually dying. This may take up to 6-8 weeks. At first, when it started in the females, I thought they were pregnant, but then the males started getting it.

What could this be? It is as if a portion of their intestines keep growing until the bodies can no longer contain the growth. No one in any of the fish facilities I visit can effectively diagnose the problem. Can anyone help?

 

[fishman 1]

have you got any other fish in there aswell?

Have you checked your water with a decent test kit?

 

[ferrikins]

Ok I got round to seaching google, and come up with this

Guppy disease
fighting guppy disease

 

[snowyangel]

I know a medication called tetracyclin was reccomended to me to fight guppy disease(since i could not find ANY of the meds mentioned in the second article ferrikins mentioned). I didn't work extremely quickly with my tank.I found once a guppy got a signof the disease, they couldn't be cured, they only help host the parasite more. What did work was euthanising the victims right away(using clove oil is very humane way) before it spread further. Then i took out all my healthy guppies, put them in a temporary bucket while i cleaned out the WHOLE tank, top to bottom. Gravel, filter, glass everything was cleaned out with hot water. I cycled the tank with some of my used water from other tanks. No signs of it after that for me. Keeping your water clean is the best treatment for preventing any disease.

 

[lady elizabeth]

try to search your LFS for some meds for killing internal parasites, they may have something... but please research about the meds 1st before you try it on your fish (you know how some LFS are) i'm really sorry about your babies...