New Guppies In Iso....update- They Both Died. Why?

[trianglekitty]

I just bought two male guppies today and put them a 5 gallon isolation tank. On all my tanks I have floss rubberbanded to the filter outlet (because I have fish types that don't like strong currents, like sparkling gouramis and bettas). I just naturally did it with this tank too.

I check on the fish about five hours after purchasing them, and both look dead. They're very lethargic and one is resting on a silk plant, the other is sitting on the bottom.

It hit me that unlike my other tanks this one has no bubble wand or stone. With the floss, the filter wasn't making any kind of splash. I pulled the floss and both fish are now swimming about and seem much more lively.

So was I just accidentally suffocating them, or should I treat them for anything?

Update- they both died overnight. I've only ever had one new fish die before, so I'm shocked and upset. Any idea why BOTH would die?

 

[creeker]

I just bought two male guppies today and put them a 5 gallon isolation tank. On all my tanks I have floss rubberbanded to the filter outlet (because I have fish types that don't like strong currents, like sparkling gouramis and bettas). I just naturally did it with this tank too.

I check on the fish about five hours after purchasing them, and both look dead. They're very lethargic and one is resting on a silk plant, the other is sitting on the bottom.

It hit me that unlike my other tanks this one has no bubble wand or stone. With the floss, the filter wasn't making any kind of splash. I pulled the floss and both fish are now swimming about and seem much more lively.

So was I just accidentally suffocating them, or should I treat them for anything?

Do not treat, and I also don't think they were suffocating in that size tank so fast. Maybe it is dark in that tank and they were resting? Suffocating fish would be hanging/gasping at the surface, but there should be plenty of oxygen in that tank for them, even without aeration.

 

[trianglekitty]

Do not treat, and I also don't think they were suffocating in that size tank so fast. Maybe it is dark in that tank and they were resting? Suffocating fish would be hanging/gasping at the surface, but there should be plenty of oxygen in that tank for them, even without aeration.

That's what I would expect (that suffocating fish would hang at the top, not at the bottom). But I've seen my guppies rest, and they don't look quite as dead as these two appeared.

I'm just glad I didn't put them into the main tank, just in case. One of them just arrived at the LFS today, the other has been there for a week (and looked fine in the tank.)

 

[creeker]

Do not treat, and I also don't think they were suffocating in that size tank so fast. Maybe it is dark in that tank and they were resting? Suffocating fish would be hanging/gasping at the surface, but there should be plenty of oxygen in that tank for them, even without aeration.

That's what I would expect (that suffocating fish would hang at the top, not at the bottom). But I've seen my guppies rest, and they don't look quite as dead as these two appeared.

I'm just glad I didn't put them into the main tank, just in case. One of them just arrived at the LFS today, the other has been there for a week (and looked fine in the tank.)

Ooh yeah, I don't like buying fish the day they come in. I like them to acclimate to the local water conditions in the dealer's tank first. I go so far as to only fish shop on the day of their delivery, before the new ones arrive, so the ones I buy have been there at least a week. I have seen too many new arrivals go belly up, including guppies.

 

[trianglekitty]

Do not treat, and I also don't think they were suffocating in that size tank so fast. Maybe it is dark in that tank and they were resting? Suffocating fish would be hanging/gasping at the surface, but there should be plenty of oxygen in that tank for them, even without aeration.

That's what I would expect (that suffocating fish would hang at the top, not at the bottom). But I've seen my guppies rest, and they don't look quite as dead as these two appeared.

I'm just glad I didn't put them into the main tank, just in case. One of them just arrived at the LFS today, the other has been there for a week (and looked fine in the tank.)

Ooh yeah, I don't like buying fish the day they come in. I like them to acclimate to the local water conditions in the dealer's tank first. I go so far as to only fish shop on the day of their delivery, before the new ones arrive, so the ones I buy have been there at least a week. I have seen too many new arrivals go belly up, including guppies.

Yeah...I usually leave them in the LFS for a week to 2 weeks before I buy, and if someone else purchases them before then I just shrug and let it go. This particular one was really unique though (a really nice gold tail and head with a blue body) so I thought I'd give it a go. I guess I should use your trick and try not to see the newcomers so I'm not tempted.

They're still both looking pretty good, though the filter is pushing them around a bit. I moved the plants to break up the flow a little better.

 

[the_lock_man]

I would go further and say that the LFS was somewhat irresponsible in selling them on without quarantining them themselves.

 

[trianglekitty]

I would go further and say that the LFS was somewhat irresponsible in selling them on without quarantining them themselves.

And they both died overnight. The water tests perfect. I really don't understand...the black tuxedo especially. I have better luck when I just throw them in the main tank (not saying that's what I plan to do in the future or should have done).

Any ideas what killed them both?

 

[snazy]

Sudden Ph change, temperature. Did you properly acclimate them?
What did you keep in that 5G isolatin tank before hand?

 

[This Old Spouse]

+1

I'm curious how you acclimated them. Guppies seem to me to be kind of an all or nothing kind of fish ... they either live through everything or drop dead on a sneeze.

 

[trianglekitty]

Sudden Ph change, temperature. Did you properly acclimate them?
What did you keep in that 5G isolatin tank before hand?

I did what I always do. Floated the bag for 10 minutes, then moved them to a bucket with a small amount of tank water. Over the course of 45 minutes or so I gradually added more tank water. When I added them to the tank I did not use any of the water from the bucket (so no fish store water went into the tank)

The tank previously held a betta (who got moved to a 10 gallon). Before it was used again it was throughly rinsed and cleaned, but no sponges or cleaning products were used on it.

 

[creeker]

Sudden Ph change, temperature. Did you properly acclimate them?
What did you keep in that 5G isolatin tank before hand?

I did what I always do. Floated the bag for 10 minutes, then moved them to a bucket with a small amount of tank water. Over the course of 45 minutes or so I gradually added more tank water. When I added them to the tank I did not use any of the water from the bucket (so no fish store water went into the tank)

The tank previously held a betta (who got moved to a 10 gallon). Before it was used again it was throughly rinsed and cleaned, but no sponges or cleaning products were used on it.

When I worked for a fish wholesaler, we would occasionally get bad batches of guppies from Singapore. They would look fine in our tanks for a few days, then massive dieoffs. The shippers always seemed to crowd the guppies a little too much, which led to ammonia poisoning in the shipping bags. Your lfs should replace them for you. I'm pretty sure they've seen the same in some of their new guppies before.

 

[willowstwin]

Hmmm, does the bucket you acclimate them in have a heater in? Although you're adding tank water, which will get them used to the water composition of the new tank, the temperature fluctuation, even of a couple of degrees, can shock fish. Guppies especially (as I'm continually told), are not hardly fish anymore. More and more inbreeding to keep certain colours are making them a weaker fish.

Float the bag for 20 - 30 minutes, then add a little tank water. Keep adding a little water every 10 - 15 minutes or so (while still floating the bag), over the course of an hour. Then net the fish and put them in the tank (DON'T add the bag water to the tank). Sorry if you know this already, I'm just saying what I do with mine. I've lost 1 guppy out of 7, and he was fresh in that day also, the rest are fighting fit healthy little fishies which were with the lfs for 2 and a half weeks.

 

[creeker]

Hmmm, does the bucket you acclimate them in have a heater in? Although you're adding tank water, which will get them used to the water composition of the new tank, the temperature fluctuation, even of a couple of degrees, can shock fish. Guppies especially (as I'm continually told), are not hardly fish anymore. More and more inbreeding to keep certain colours are making them a weaker fish.

Float the bag for 20 - 30 minutes, then add a little tank water. Keep adding a little water every 10 - 15 minutes or so (while still floating the bag), over the course of an hour. Then net the fish and put them in the tank (DON'T add the bag water to the tank). Sorry if you know this already, I'm just saying what I do with mine. I've lost 1 guppy out of 7, and he was fresh in that day also, the rest are fighting fit healthy little fishies which were with the lfs for 2 and a half weeks.

I'm thinking if it was temperature drop, they would have started doing the dreaded shimmy, and would not have died so quick.

 

[snazy]

Before it was used again it was throughly rinsed and cleaned, but no sponges or cleaning products were used on it.

How did you rinse and cleaned it? You said the water is fine bar the Ph, but what is the ammonia and nitrite?
Thoroughly rinsed and cleaned could have killed established bacteria. Did you do a 100% water change?

I normally always test the Ph of the water from the shop before I start pouring some from the tank, while the bag is floating. This tells me how slow and how long to acclimate the fish.

 

[trianglekitty]

Before it was used again it was throughly rinsed and cleaned, but no sponges or cleaning products were used on it.

How did you rinse and cleaned it? You said the water is fine bar the Ph, but what is the ammonia and nitrite?
Thoroughly rinsed and cleaned could have killed established bacteria. Did you do a 100% water change?

I normally always test the Ph of the water from the shop before I start pouring some from the tank, while the bag is floating. This tells me how slow and how long to acclimate the fish.

I ran an API test kit several times throughout the night when I saw they weren't look well. Ammonia and nitrite were both 0. I used established media from my other filters for the iso tank's filter.

They started becoming slow within only a few hours of going into the new tank, so I am thinking there must have been SOMETHING bad in there. I cleaned and rinsed with just standard tap water. Previously the tank had been empty for several weeks. I figured with the established media and testing the water it would be okay.

Hmmm, does the bucket you acclimate them in have a heater in? Although you're adding tank water, which will get them used to the water composition of the new tank, the temperature fluctuation, even of a couple of degrees, can shock fish. Guppies especially (as I'm continually told), are not hardly fish anymore. More and more inbreeding to keep certain colours are making them a weaker fish.

Float the bag for 20 - 30 minutes, then add a little tank water. Keep adding a little water every 10 - 15 minutes or so (while still floating the bag), over the course of an hour. Then net the fish and put them in the tank (DON'T add the bag water to the tank). Sorry if you know this already, I'm just saying what I do with mine. I've lost 1 guppy out of 7, and he was fresh in that day also, the rest are fighting fit healthy little fishies which were with the lfs for 2 and a half weeks.

It doesn't have a heater, but I add enough tank water so the temp. isn't likely to drop quickly. I'm basically doing the same as the above method, just in a bucket instead of a bag. I also checked to make sure the tank heater isn't malfunctioning, but the water is holding at 75 degrees.

I've lost only one other fish just after purchase out of dozens, so this is really upsetting me. I know one of the fish was in the store at least a week, so the fact that he died with the other one is really making me think something is wrong with the tank. Now I'm afraid to get any more or use that tank. I might just ditch it and buy a new one.