Symptoms Of Dropsy In Guppies!

[slipperysucker]

Hi all.....Ive had a couple of my female Guppies bloat...get a little red around fins...and also anul passage swells I havnt allowed any to get to the stage of protruding sclaes like a pine cone...But have noticed that its always the female guppies that suffer this...it seems they get close to dropping fry then...over a few days later she gets bigger and slower and does long white stringy poos...she almost seems constipated....Does this sound like dropsy? I have just culled the fish in question...but due to so many different fish diseases I would like to diagnose as best as I can so to prevent illness to my other fish...Please Help....Im learning fast but seems not fast enough when iot comes to my little pretty guppies!!! Cheers All. I look forward to all your imput.

Sydney Australia

 

[mommyof2bettas]

white poo sound like internal parasites, that might even be why it is bloated.
We need more info though....
Have you just got any live plants/rocks/wood?
What fish are in the tank?
What size is the tank?
What are the water stats?

 

[slipperysucker]

white poo sound like internal parasites, that might even be why it is bloated.
We need more info though....
Have you just got any live plants/rocks/wood?
What fish are in the tank?
What size is the tank?
What are the water stats?

I have live plants, drift wood with a plant attached and gravel only no rocks.
I have all guppies and one suckerfish...I just purchased 3 little cat fish yesterday & the lingering few snails. These are the only fish I tend on getting as I am trying to get established to breed healthy guppies for my lfs - We are both going to start breeding in order to keep supplies local and disease low through less travel. Fingers crossed.
My tank is 78litres with gravel filter air pump and spnge filter- Tank has been set up 3 weeks - water was given to me from my lfs so bacteria would already be in part water.

Ph = 7.2
Nitrite & Nitrate = 0
Not sure on amonia
Water temp is 27 - 28 degrees was less yesterday @ 24-26 I have now added a heater.

P.S. My guppy fry - 3 weeks old - 2.5 months old are doing fine...seem strong!

I hope this is enough - Im planning on buying a kit on pay day so as I can test water levels when needed in future. It has all tests inside- so should come in handy. Thanks for your reply

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

You can't cycle a tank alone with some water from an established tank, the benneficial bacterial in such water is pretty much minimal (as it primarily grows on surfaces) and will make hardly a different to the cycling process of the tank. The tank is cycling due to 0 nitrates at this stage, but it is vital you find out your ammonia stats- to instantly cycle a tank, you need some established filter media/sponge, otherwise you will just have to cycle it the old fashioned way with fish (which will take quite some time).
For more info on understanding how the water quality in your tank works and more, read this article in the link below;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

Do you know what type of sucker fish or catfish you have?
Your fish have internal parasites, so you really need to get a med that treats such parasites as otherwise the internal parasites will only spread to every other fish in your tank and kill them all. Anti internal parasite meds contain copper, so they will kill off your snails though unless you remove them from the tank and put them somewhere else.
Does the tank have a filter and do you have dechlorinator/water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals from the water etc?

 

[slipperysucker]

You can't cycle a tank alone with some water from an established tank, the benneficial bacterial in such water is pretty much minimal (as it primarily grows on surfaces) and will make hardly a different to the cycling process of the tank. The tank is cycling due to 0 nitrates at this stage, but it is vital you find out your ammonia stats- to instantly cycle a tank, you need some established filter media/sponge, otherwise you will just have to cycle it the old fashioned way with fish (which will take quite some time).
For more info on understanding how the water quality in your tank works and more, read this article in the link below;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

Do you know what type of sucker fish or catfish you have?
Your fish have internal parasites, so you really need to get a med that treats such parasites as otherwise the internal parasites will only spread to every other fish in your tank and kill them all. Anti internal parasite meds contain copper, so they will kill off your snails though unless you remove them from the tank and put them somewhere else.
Does the tank have a filter and do you have dechlorinator/water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals from the water etc?

Hi. I think the catfish are Pink Corydoras Catfish. Not sure about sucker...I know he is long and skinny orange in colour. Also I had treated some of my fish for parasites with sterazin a 10 day course. The ones that are sick have come from mlfs. Even one of the originals I had treated for intestinal worm died with the same symptoms I listed in a previous post. I just culled another female, as it only seems to be affecting them. She has fungus around her mouth and her bottom was swollen, she was also developing red spots on her. I had her isolated in a breeding box within the tank for 3 days befor culling her. She had lost appetite also. I have sterazin left...should I treat the tank? yes I do have dechlorinator/water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals from the water etc? I also check ph every few days...and its always around the same reading 7.2. My lfs was going to check amonia levels but had no solution left. Im planning on buying a kit to check everything some time later in the week.


Will find out suckerfish breed and also my amonia levels asap and reply to you. Thanks for your excellent help. Treatment asap but my poor little snails,. Oh well I will have to set up a tank for them. Also my guppy fry? will they be ok with treatment?

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Corydoras will breed, but they're considerably harder then guppies. I wouldn't try breeding them until you get the guppy situation sorted out and the tank is mature, and even then, I just like seeing corys scampering around - trying to raise them is hard for me. ^^"
Could you describe the markings of the suckerfish a bit more, or possibly even take a picture? If it's just a common one the LFS sold you, it may be a Chinese Algae Eater, a fish that'll end up being far too large & aggressive for your guppy breeding tank. If anything, you could try seeing if they'll take him back, and exchange him for something like a discount on the medicines.

I'm not in love with putting the meds in with snails & the fry, either. You could try putting the females that are infected in a diff tank and treating there, or raise the temperature a little bit with the normal tanks.
I'm not all that great with treating fish in general, haha. I'll refrain from going further, I'd probably be wrong.

 

[slipperysucker]

Corydoras will breed, but they're considerably harder then guppies. I wouldn't try breeding them until you get the guppy situation sorted out and the tank is mature, and even then, I just like seeing corys scampering around - trying to raise them is hard for me. ^^"
Could you describe the markings of the suckerfish a bit more, or possibly even take a picture? If it's just a common one the LFS sold you, it may be a Chinese Algae Eater, a fish that'll end up being far too large & aggressive for your guppy breeding tank. If anything, you could try seeing if they'll take him back, and exchange him for something like a discount on the medicines.

I'm not in love with putting the meds in with snails & the fry, either. You could try putting the females that are infected in a diff tank and treating there, or raise the temperature a little bit with the normal tanks.
I'm not all that great with treating fish in general, haha. I'll refrain from going further, I'd probably be wrong.

Hi there...just to let you know the catfish are cool I would love to breed them eventually but hadnt intended on doing so..Perhaps in the future when tank is completely stable. I actually got a breeding pair from lfs and their baby. The baby is called gimpy he looks like a cute little puppy with his cute little eyes.

Ive actually decided not to treat as all fish are doing excellent since I placed a heater in my ank a few days ago. No sickly looking fish and all are active now... Water ph etc are excellent and stable. Tank has been set up 3 weeks so I would like it to cycle alot more before deciding I should treat and what for. If I notice fish becoming ill again I will try and diagnose and then treat. But all good for a few days...Yay! Well appart from the ferals i added yesterday.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

You can't cycle a tank alone with some water from an established tank, the benneficial bacterial in such water is pretty much minimal (as it primarily grows on surfaces) and will make hardly a different to the cycling process of the tank. The tank is cycling due to 0 nitrates at this stage, but it is vital you find out your ammonia stats- to instantly cycle a tank, you need some established filter media/sponge, otherwise you will just have to cycle it the old fashioned way with fish (which will take quite some time).
For more info on understanding how the water quality in your tank works and more, read this article in the link below;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

Do you know what type of sucker fish or catfish you have?
Your fish have internal parasites, so you really need to get a med that treats such parasites as otherwise the internal parasites will only spread to every other fish in your tank and kill them all. Anti internal parasite meds contain copper, so they will kill off your snails though unless you remove them from the tank and put them somewhere else.
Does the tank have a filter and do you have dechlorinator/water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals from the water etc?

Hi. I think the catfish are Pink Corydoras Catfish. Not sure about sucker...I know he is long and skinny orange in colour. Also I had treated some of my fish for parasites with sterazin a 10 day course. The ones that are sick have come from mlfs. Even one of the originals I had treated for intestinal worm died with the same symptoms I listed in a previous post. I just culled another female, as it only seems to be affecting them. She has fungus around her mouth and her bottom was swollen, she was also developing red spots on her. I had her isolated in a breeding box within the tank for 3 days befor culling her. She had lost appetite also. I have sterazin left...should I treat the tank? yes I do have dechlorinator/water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals from the water etc? I also check ph every few days...and its always around the same reading 7.2. My lfs was going to check amonia levels but had no solution left. Im planning on buying a kit to check everything some time later in the week.


Will find out suckerfish breed and also my amonia levels asap and reply to you. Thanks for your excellent help. Treatment asap but my poor little snails,. Oh well I will have to set up a tank for them. Also my guppy fry? will they be ok with treatment?

The suckerfish sounds like a golden chinese algae eater;

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/algeater.htm

Will get particularly agressive as it grows and will need need a much larger tank than you current one as it grows, its best to rehome it as they can suck out the eyeballs of bottom dwelling fish like corys and suck the slimcoats off flat bodied fish and generally terorise every fish in the tank.
No such thing as pink corys, you probably have albino corys (which are often the albino form of bronze corys);

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...p?species_id=51

What brand of med are you using to treat internal parasites exactly? Not all are that effective at treating internal parasites.

 

[kpintheshed]

maybe low the temp i have to 27 is quite hot. the normal temp is 20 -25. maybe if u a glass phoemoniter it has a green box were it should be in