Newly added Fancy Guppie might be sick

[connorlindeman]

So I have a 20 gallon fishtank with plastic plants and aquarium rocks for substrate.
I havent had good success with fish in the past year. I cycle the tank, wait for everything to go to the right levels. Then, I purchase maybe 5 fish (hardy fish like guppies or goldfish) acclimate them and then add them. Withing 48 hours they are all dead.

This time I am trying a acclimation method that I found online.

I add the water dechlorinate it and wait 24 hours to make sure the chlorine is gone.

Then I add 8.45 oz of tetra safestart plus within 2 hours of adding fish.

I added 2 fancy guppies (of course I acclimated them for temp and ph and kept the lights off for about 16 hours.)

The next morning I checked them and they looked good. Swimming around.

The next night the female guppy was acting kind of strange. Hanging around the top and occasionally laying on the bottom and breathing sort of fast. Sometimes swimming around with the male.

The male is acting completely normal.

One thing I noticed is that both of their rear fins are kind of shaggy looking.

Its been 3 days since I added them and thats whats happening.

I just dont really know if I should be worried or what?

Let me know and sorry for the longggg post

 

[connorlindeman]

Also I am treating the tank with melafix for the first three days. Just in case.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Hi there!
It would be useful if you could post your actual readings from your test so that some of the more experienced hobbyists here may have a look at spot something.

Just to add, please don't medicate for no reason...you wouldn't just take cold and flu medicine just incase without actually having a cold or flu would you

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Can you post some pictures of the fish?

Do you use anything hand creams or disinfectant wipes?
If yes, these can leave a residue on your skin and poison the fish.

If you use any buckets, make sure they are free of chemicals and are only used for the fish.

Make sure nobody uses perfume, hair spray, deodorants, smoke, paint or do anything in the room that releases fumes.

------------------
Guppies are not tough fish. They are regularly infected with external bacteria and protozoan parasites, as well as intestinal worms.

If you have some live plants in the tank and let it run for a week before adding fish, it might help. Plants can use up some of the things in the water and might help make it safer for fish. they might not make any difference either, but it could be worth a try.

 

[connorlindeman]

Hi there!
It would be useful if you could post your actual readings from your test so that some of the more experienced hobbyists here may have a look at spot something.

Just to add, please don't medicate for no reason...you wouldn't just take cold and flu medicine just incase without actually having a cold or flu would you

i will take readings tonight and post here. I was adding melefix because the bottle said to add when adding new fish. idk

 

[connorlindeman]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Can you post some pictures of the fish?

Do you use anything hand creams or disinfectant wipes?
If yes, these can leave a residue on your skin and poison the fish.

If you use any buckets, make sure they are free of chemicals and are only used for the fish.

Make sure nobody uses perfume, hair spray, deodorants, smoke, paint or do anything in the room that releases fumes.

------------------
Guppies are not tough fish. They are regularly infected with external bacteria and protozoan parasites, as well as intestinal worms.

If you have some live plants in the tank and let it run for a week before adding fish, it might help. Plants can use up some of the things in the water and might help make it safer for fish. they might not make any difference either, but it could be worth a try.

sure ill post some pics in a bit. No i always ware gloves when working on the tank. I do have one pathos cutting thats in the tank

 

[connorlindeman]

Hi there!
It would be useful if you could post your actual readings from your test so that some of the more experienced hobbyists here may have a look at spot something.

Just to add, please don't medicate for no reason...you wouldn't just take cold and flu medicine just incase without actually having a cold or flu would you

I tested the water just now
PH = 7.2 ppm
Ammonia = 0.0 ppm (my tap water is 1 ppm so that bio filter must be working)
Nitrite = 0.0 ppm
Nitrate = 5 ppm

 

[connorlindeman]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Can you post some pictures of the fish?

Do you use anything hand creams or disinfectant wipes?
If yes, these can leave a residue on your skin and poison the fish.

If you use any buckets, make sure they are free of chemicals and are only used for the fish.

Make sure nobody uses perfume, hair spray, deodorants, smoke, paint or do anything in the room that releases fumes.

------------------
Guppies are not tough fish. They are regularly infected with external bacteria and protozoan parasites, as well as intestinal worms.

If you have some live plants in the tank and let it run for a week before adding fish, it might help. Plants can use up some of the things in the water and might help make it safer for fish. they might not make any difference either, but it could be worth a try.

heres a picture. They are acting a bit more normal now.

Females on the left male on the right

 

[Colin_T]

Both guppies in the picture are males.

They look fine from a health perspective. If guppies get sick or act unusually, do a water change and add some salt. It usually helps.

-------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea 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.

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. 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.

 

[connorlindeman]

Both guppies in the picture are males.

They look fine from a health perspective. If guppies get sick or act unusually, do a water change and add some salt. It usually helps.

-------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea 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.

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. 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.

no really?!? I specifically asked the guy at the store to give me a male and a female.

If they do get sick I will def try the salt

 

[Sgooosh]

no really?!? I specifically asked the guy at the store to give me a male and a female.

If they do get sick I will def try the salt

that is strange
those are two very male-y males

guppies love salt

 

[Colin_T]

Male guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies have a modified anal (bottom) fin called a gonopodium. It is a long straight fin.

Female guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies have a fan or triangle shaped anal fin.

 

[connorlindeman]

Male guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies have a modified anal (bottom) fin called a gonopodium. It is a long straight fin.

Female guppies, mollies, swordtails & platies have a fan or triangle shaped anal fin.

ahhh thank you. now i know