Shimmy Guppies

[Fishrookie12]

Hi guy,
Recently started to see my RREA guppies swimming against the current in the tank, moving using head to tail movement and some scratching against plants. The tank is 200L with sponges filter (400L/Hour). Stocked with 10 adult RREA and their fry along with 100-200 yellow cherry shrimp.

Tank parameter
pH= 7.6
Ammonia = 0.0 ppm
Nitrite = 0.0 ppm
Nitrate = 5.0 ppm

50% Water change every 2 weeks.
The tank is heavily planted.

Ive added 8 teaspons of rock salt to the tank to help with stress, but no improvements seen. Also did a water change 2 days ago, no improvements. However, when i feed them, they are very active.

Anything I can do for them?

Thanks in advance

 

[Colin_T]

Post pics and a short 20 second video of the fish shimmying.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate now and each week from now on.

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Low GH will encourage disease organisms and cause livebearers to shimmy. Guppies, platies & swordtails need a GH around 200ppm, and mollies need a GH around 250ppm.

What is the GH (general hardness) of your water supply. This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

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You need to increase the salt level.

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.

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, 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 will affect some plants. The lower dose rate will not affect plants.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that.

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To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

 

[Fishrookie12]

what type of file can be uploaded? my .mov isnt letting me upload.

I will have to double check on the GH levels. Could it be my substrate? ADA Amazonia soil. Also noticing inflamed gills.

 

[Colin_T]

If the gills look inflamed, do a big water change now. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Upload the movie to YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube.

 

[Fishrookie12]

Heres some pictures

 

[Fishrookie12]

Heres the link to the video

 

[Colin_T]

The fish in the video aren't shimmying, they are just swimming into the current.

They look fine. If they are rubbing on objects then add salt at maximum dose rate and keep it there for 2 weeks. If there's no improvement and they are still rubbing after the salt, then raise the water temperature to 30C and keep it at 30C for 2 weeks.

 

[Fishrookie12]

But they are swinging using their head and tail. Their body going slightly opaque. Would it be normal that they're all swimming into the current when they normally don't do that? Also, have 2 deaths already. I've changed water for 2 days in a row already, no improvements tho. One of the tails on the male has split into as well.. Waiting for the holiday to pass to get some information on GH level.

 

[Colin_T]

Fish will swim into currents. If they are doing it all the time, then there is something in the water that is causing problems and they are hanging out near the filter outlet for more oxygen.
Do a 75% water change using dechlorinated water.

If their bodies are going opaque, then add lots of salt.

 

[Moony42]

GREAT DISCUSSION GUYS!!!