Guppy is sick don’t know what to do

[Kusurii]

Hey guys! I’ve had my guppies for about half a year and one of them is just lying on the bottom looking weird, he’s been listless for a couple of days and it’s getting worse. He’s just chilling round the back under a log right now so I had to do some sort of fish tank yoga just to get my phone round there so the photos are blurry.

Got 11 guppies in 120L, do 20-30% water change each week, dose with seachem prime and my tank is fully cycled (almost a year old now) no bad readings re Ammonia etc.
Most noticeable is how his tail is in a point at the moment. There is some kind of weird faint white scale by the top of his head but I can’t get a good picture of it.

If I’m honest I’m getting really discouraged, I’m trying to do everything right, following all the rules but I always seem to lose fish every couple of months. I don’t want to be a bad owner and kill my pets, yknow? I’m trying but it’s just not working

If anyone can give some guidance as to what the problem is and if there is a solution that would be great, I’m just getting more sad with each fish I lose.

 

[Colin_T]

Be easier to tell if the fish was in focus

The fish is skinny and probably has gill flukes and intestinal worms.

Is it still eating?
What does its poop look like?

I would add some salt and see how it goes over the next few days. But chances are it won't survive the night.

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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt) or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

 

[Kusurii]

Be easier to tell if the fish was in focus

The fish is skinny and probably has gill flukes and intestinal worms.

Is it still eating?
What does its poop look like?

I would add some salt and see how it goes over the next few days. But chances are it won't survive the night.

--------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt) or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

Haha yeah, the poor duder was hiding under some logs round the back of the aquarium so even getting those pics was hard D: I’ve got him in a quarantine tank for now and can probably get some better pics soon. I’ve added some salt in the meantime, so I’m glad to see you’ve suggested that too (plus that info is very helpful, I’ve never used it before)


I’m not hugely optimistic he’ll survive either. He’s eating ok and pooping normal fish poop, I’ll just see if the salt makes a difference.

thanks for the help, though.

Edit: died last night.

 

[emeraldking]

Sorry to hear...

 

[carligraceee]

Hey guys! I’ve had my guppies for about half a year and one of them is just lying on the bottom looking weird, he’s been listless for a couple of days and it’s getting worse. He’s just chilling round the back under a log right now so I had to do some sort of fish tank yoga just to get my phone round there so the photos are blurry.

Got 11 guppies in 120L, do 20-30% water change each week, dose with seachem prime and my tank is fully cycled (almost a year old now) no bad readings re Ammonia etc.
Most noticeable is how his tail is in a point at the moment. There is some kind of weird faint white scale by the top of his head but I can’t get a good picture of it.

If I’m honest I’m getting really discouraged, I’m trying to do everything right, following all the rules but I always seem to lose fish every couple of months. I don’t want to be a bad owner and kill my pets, yknow? I’m trying but it’s just not working

If anyone can give some guidance as to what the problem is and if there is a solution that would be great, I’m just getting more sad with each fish I lose.View attachment 136638

View attachment 136640View attachment 136641

I agree with Colin T about the pictures haha-

However, he looks incredibly skinny... are all your guppies that skinny? If not, he could have been starving for a long time and is finally breaking down or has intestinal worms.

Separating the fish was a good idea... you could try feeding him and see how he reacts. What are your water parameters?

If it is intestinal worms, follow what Colin said.. if he starts eating he could have just been bullied during feeding time and just didn't get any food. This is only if your other guppies are also skinny.