my guppies are dying

[guppiegirl]

My guppies are dying and i don't know why. There seems to be nothing wrong with them and then all of a sudden they seem to stay at the top and stay almost vertical. I've lost 2 up to now and i think another is going the same way.

Anyone with any advise I would be grateful.
I'm reasonably new to fish keeping and I tend to get a bit worried when they start dying on me.

 

[Joby]

sorry to hear about your guppies

Am also new to this fishkeeping lark but have you tested your water? Have found out the hard way with my coldwater tank and now my tropical tank that water conditions are usually the answer to most fishy problems

I'm sure someone will come along with some better advice for you soon

 

[guppiegirl]

Yeah, tested my water and everything is fine thats whats puzzling me. I hope someone can help me. The guppy that died this morning was my my 4yr old daughters fish (tigger) and shes a bit upset.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

What other fish do you have in the tank with them? you could also try adding a little aquarium salt, if your fish are compatable with salt that is. Other than that, with no signs of disease i dont know what you could do.

 

[guppiegirl]

I have 5 zebra danios, 4 neons, platy, 3 other guppies, 2 cloud minnows and a bumble bee gobie. I had heard about aquarium salt do you think i should get some.


THANKS

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Yea, i would recommend getting some, your fish will be ok with it aswell..and your gobie should really be kept in water with salt in anyway

 

[littleme1969]

How long have you had the guppies?
Have you had any new arrivals in the past 2 weeks?
By the sounds of it, I would say with no outward symptoms you should treat for a bacterial infection to be on the safe side. I had a guppy do that too but it was new to my tank and came in with the problem. The salt is also a good idea, but dilute with water changes after the problem has past. Its like anything you have it there all the time there bodies become acustomed to it, so when you need it for problems you can't use it.
A quarentine tank is always a good idea..that way your not messing with the tanks balance and the fish are cheaper to treat. Plus if it does die at night or when your not there you dont have the worry of the other fish nibbling at it and picking something up too.

Hope your fish pulls through

 

[David]

How big is your tank, and how long has it been cycling? I find it strange that the guppies are the first to go.. usually they are the toughest and stick out any disease that would literally wipe out neons and gobies. Speaking of gobies, that bumblebee would really be more suited to a species tank. Usually it's specialists that keep them, not people interested in community aquariums. Oh and they are brackish water fish, meaning that they need some salt in the aquarium to thrive. The salt won't hurt your livebearers either, many of them thrive in brackish environments. Anyway, about the disease, try melafix. It will usually cure most minor injuries and early stages of bacterial infections.