Losing Fish And Odd Behaviour

[stucolls]

Evening all

I have recently (yesterday) changed tanks from a small 70 litre with insufficient filtration to a 120 litre with more than enough filtration.

In the previous tank I couldn't get rid of the ammonia, in the new tank the water params are perfect! However, we have now lost 2 or 3 fish and nearly all my guppies seem to running their sides of the gravel bed?? I think I also saw a Cory doing it?

Another thing i noticed about the guppy I just fishes out was her scales seemed to sticking out a bit, like she was bloated, although I'm sure she was pregnant?

Any thoughts on what te problem could be? Thanks all

 

[mike455555]

did she look like a pine cone? it could be dropsy (google for images)

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

"Old tank syndrome" perhaps, as in the old tank water was not such good quality and the now super quality water of the new tank is a shock to their system?

It sounds like the new tank came with a new filter... Did you "fishless cycle" this new filter, or did you move the old filter across to the new tank, or put the old filter media in the new filter of the new tank?

Did you move the old substrate across to the new tank? Sometimes sizeable populations of bacteria can colonise the sand/gravel, so even if you moved the old filter across, the new tank might still experience a mini-cycle.

 

[stucolls]

The new tank was fro a friend, I left the gravel in and used the existing filter, I also moved the filter from the small tank into it so it's running with 2 filters.

Yes a slight pine cone look to her??

 

[stucolls]

I have what I thought was a pregnant guppy who is massive and over the last 24 hours her belly scales have protruded like a pine cone??? Is that normal I pregnancy or is she I'll to??

 

[MBOU]

If the scales are sticking out, it is dropsy. The scales stay smooth when they are pregnant. There are medications out their for dropsy but once the scales start to stick out, the disease is quite far advanced, its why dropsy has such a high death rate, because you dont really see it until the later stages.

EDIT: As for all your other fish flicking against the substrate etc, ammonia can do serious long term damage, even when moved to new tank they might not all recover and some may die (as you have found out), the flicking might just be because without the constant high ammonia burning them and making them sore all over, its just making them want to itch.

Or there is a possibility of parasites... new tank + old gravel from someone elses settup, you dont know if there was parasites hanging about...

Might be worth treating with a general anti bacterial treatment for the dropsy and hopefully, the base ingredients will also treat parasites to an extent if there are any. Something like Myxazin maybe.

 

[stucolls]

Will it effect the rest of the tank now?

 

[MBOU]

^^ edited my previous post

*I think dropsy is contagious? Whenever I have seen one case, a load more generally follow.

 

[stucolls]

Cool thanks v much