Should I put bloated guppy in an uncycled QT tank

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Joy9

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The last few days Iā€™ve noticed my male guppyā€™s belly is very bloated. I know this could be dropsy or constipation but there isnā€™t really any way of telling. I donā€™t know if I should leave him in the main tank with his shoal and take the risk that itā€™s just constipation or move him to my second tank for quarantine. The second tank is currently on week 2 of its cycle. Iā€™m aware this is not an ideal option but if I use media from my cycled tank and do regular water changes could this alleviate the issue of water quality for my guppy? I really want to save him but not sure whatā€™s the best option. Thank you in advance for any help :)
8A3C3C8B-BC8D-4670-A525-E64620672C22.png
 
Last edited:
Hi! I wouldn't move him just yet - not just because of the cycling issue, but also because if you find out he's bloated because of something like worms, you'll now have to treat two tanks instead of one! So with more info we can hopefully pin down whether it's best to isolate him, or if it could be a problem where the whole tank needs to be treated.

Can you get some photos of him, the whole tank, and perhaps some of the other fish too please?

If you can copy/paste the template below and fill in as much as you can, it can really help folks figure out what the issue might be. Since we can't see the tank and fish ourselves, we can only work with the info you share with us, so the more detail the better :)

Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):
 
Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 Ā°C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:
 
Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 Ā°C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:
Thank you for getting back to me, here are the details, as many as I know
 
Thank you for getting back to me, here are the details, as many as I know
Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i
 
Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 Ā°C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:
Tank size: 64 litres
tank age: 6 months
pH: 8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26 Ā°C


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): frantic swimming back and forth, bloated belly, no change in colour, staying in mid-top of the aquarium

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% every 4-5 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 7 guppies, 6 glowlights

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): N/A

Exposure to chemicals:
Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i
Hiya! Sorry I was racing out this morning and didnā€™t properly take note, it was 0.2 for nitrates
 
Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i
I always wash the filter media/filter in tank water. Iā€™ll try and get some photos of the tank aswell
 
Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i
E79EB2EC-02E8-4F72-8A28-0ACBD2E9912F.png
 
Thank you, that should help. Photos of the fish?

There's a problem with the water testing or something. What test kit are you using?

What filter is on the tank, and when you clean it do you rinse the media in old tank water, or under the tap?

A cycled tank should have nitrAtes. If a tank is reading 0/0/0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, then it's not cycled. But yours has been running for six months with fish still living in it, so there must be beneficial bacteria in there. Since you're only changing 20% of the volume once a month or so, there DEFINITELY should be nitrates in there. So it's likely a water testing error, and not all test kits are that accurate I'm afraid. But we're going to need accurate results to eliminate whether it's a water quality problem.

i
 

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Hi! I wouldn't move him just yet - not just because of the cycling issue, but also because if you find out he's bloated because of something like worms, you'll now have to treat two tanks instead of one! So with more info we can hopefully pin down whether it's best to isolate him, or if it could be a problem where the whole tank needs to be treated.

Can you get some photos of him, the whole tank, and perhaps some of the other fish too please?

If you can copy/paste the template below and fill in as much as you can, it can really help folks figure out what the issue might be. Since we can't see the tank and fish ourselves, we can only work with the info you share with us, so the more detail the better :)

Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):
Hi! Has that info helped give any ideas? I feel so sorry for the little guy with his bloated abdomen but no clue what to došŸ„ŗ
 
Hi! Has that info helped give any ideas? I feel so sorry for the little guy with his bloated abdomen but no clue what to došŸ„ŗ

I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a Ā£3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks :)


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/
 
I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a Ā£3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks :)


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/
Than you so much!
The water test kit I use is the NT labs chemical testing kit, never used the strips as Iā€™m aware theyā€™re not great.
I was always told that doing too many water changes is bad for the fish, so slightly alarmed by the suggestion of every dayā€¦have I been given wrong info in the past?
My tank is also very heavily planted which makes it difficult to move the gravel about too much, any suggestions for this?
Thank you for your help so far and for the link :)
 
I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a Ā£3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks :)


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/
Also none of the fish do white stringy poo. I was always conscious of checking for that but all seems normal! I only feed 3-4 times a week at the moment . Is this an issue ?
 
I'm so sorry, I missed this earlier, thank you for the reminder!

Which test kit are you using? Because the results aren't adding up I'm afraid.
Have you seen any of the fish doing white, stringy poops?

I ask because i suspect he's likely carrying worms. Bloating like that usually indicates either worms, a bacterial infection, or organ failure. The fact he's still alive suggests it's likely worms, and it's incredibly common for livebearers like guppies to be carrying worms when you get them - I went through it too! If it is, then you'll need specific meds, so don't rush off and buy a generic wormer just yet... answer those questions and read the thread I've linked below first, which says the active ingredients needed to kill worms.

Now disclaimer: I am not an authority! On fish disease, or anything else for that matter! This is just my suspicion and best guess. It's tricky to diagnose illness in fish and none of us are aquatic vets, but it's not really reasonable to take a Ā£3 guppy to a vet and pay for expensive lab tests, and a non-specialised vet likely wouldn't know either. So we have to flail around a bit in this hobby, and do the best we cna based on research, personal experience, and eliminating the most obvious suspects first.
For first aid, especially since you haven't been doing water changes too regularly, please step those up. At first, change 20-25% of the total water volume daily, making sure to give the substrate a good clean at the same time, and get your hands on an API Freshwater Master test kit- the liquid testing kit, not the dip strips. It might seem expensive, but it's much more accurate, and we need accuracy when testing those numbers, and dip strips just aren't as reliable as liquid test kits. You also get a lot more tests out of the kit, dip strips wind up more expensive per test. My API master test kit has lasted more than two years, and I have 3-4 tanks :)


Once you've done those daily for 2-3 days, increase the volume so you're changing 50, 60, then 70% of the water for each daily change. This won't be forever, it's to improve the water quality which boosts fishes immune system, and helps them battle any illness they're fighting. Try to feed the fish up by feeding little and often, a variety of foods if possible - without over feeding the tank and leaving uneaten food in there. Would be best to give the main meal shortly before the daily water change so you can clean up any uneaten food. But the small daily feedings and variety of foods should help give them enough nutrition so the worms aren't taking all of it.


After this water change schedule and after you've treated them for worms, you want to aim for a routine of changing 50-70% of the water a week, usually. That really depends on how heavily stocked the tank is, and whether it has a lot of live plants or not, but you can use the accurate water tests to determine if 50-70% is enough for your tank, or whether you need to do more. But can work that out later. For now, the daily changes, starting slower/smaller volume changes since you've been doing smaller less regular water changes and you need to give them time to adjust to changing parameters.

Here's the thread with more info about worms, and which meds are effective. I'd treat for both round and flat worms, since they can carry both.https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-has-stringy-white-poop.466276/
Hiya! This morning the little guy has something hanging out of him. Canā€™t tell if itā€™s where he poos from but itā€™s definitely near. Is this likely to be worms? Also do you know if heā€™s likely to survive long in this condition?
 

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