What Just Happened To My Guppy?

[Proud Pastry]

Something terribly shocking just happened to my guppy a few minutes ago I'm still in tears...
My guppy just started swimming around the tank like mad, then started swimming upside-down, then stopped swimming all together and sunk to the bottom of my tank... he hasn't moved since (put him in a small fish bowl for now) I think he's dead... :'(
Everything was normal, I did a water test today and everything was perfect, the tank is clean (I change 25% of the water once a week), I fed them just like any other day, none of my fish are stressed, what happened to him? :'(

He's never shown any strange behavior before, this is totally out of the blue and I am so confused... all of my other fish are fine and swimming around normally... Could anyone tell me what might have happened to him?

Thank you for reading <3

 

[PrairieSunflower]

How long has your tank been running and what were your water test results?

 

[animals970]

I'm really sorry, cause I've had the same problem. My molly was like that, and before I could find an answer she died . I'm not saying your guppy is gonna die but that just dosen't sound good. Hope you find an answer.

 

[Proud Pastry]

How long has your tank been running and what were your water test results?

My tank has been running for over a month now, and we let the tank run for a week or so before getting any fish. Each time I test my water it always comes out ideal. I've never had a problem

I'm really sorry, cause I've had the same problem. My molly was like that, and before I could find an answer she died . I'm not saying your guppy is gonna die but that just dosen't sound good. Hope you find an answer.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you too D:
It was the same way with me, I tried researching what might be wrong but he died before I could find an answer and I still don't have an answer @__@

 

[fluttermoth]

What were the actual numbers from your tests, Proud Pastry?

What species of fish do you have, and how many of each?

 

[Proud Pastry]

What were the actual numbers from your tests, Proud Pastry?

What species of fish do you have, and how many of each?

He was a fancy guppy, I had 5 guppies and 4 platies.
The test read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate, 0 chlorine, pH 7.5-8.0, alkalinity 250, hardness 100-150

 

[fluttermoth]

No nitrite reading? Are you using test strips? Do you know how old the guppy was?

I'm afraid sometimes fish do just die, for what seems like no reason

Just to be on the safe side do a large (and by 'large' I mean at least 75%) water change. There's always a possibility that something we can't/don't test for has got into your tank and that only that one fish was sensitive to.

 

[Proud Pastry]

No nitrite reading? Are you using test strips? Do you know how old the guppy was?

I'm afraid sometimes fish do just die, for what seems like no reason

Just to be on the safe side do a large (and by 'large' I mean at least 75%) water change. There's always a possibility that something we can't/don't test for has got into your tank and that only that one fish was sensitive to.

Oh sorry @.@ I thought I forgot something, there was 0 nitrite as well. : ) (so many different things!)

Yeah it seems like it could have just have happened for some odd reason that I'll never know, because all of my other fish are acting completely normal. I'm not sure of his age, he could have been old, or maybe he had some sort of problem with him. It just looked like all of a sudden his body was malfunctioning and just stopped working... it was really shocking. .__.

Thanks! I'll do that

 

[fluttermoth]

I have to admit, I'm rather concerned that you've got a zero nitrate reading as well.

That would indicate that your tank's not cycled, as the bacteria in your filter should be producing nitrate as the end product of the biological filtration process, so it should be gradually climbing all the time.

Anyway, I hope nothing else happens and that everything else in your tank stays safe and well.

 

[Proud Pastry]

I have to admit, I'm rather concerned that you've got a zero nitrate reading as well.

That would indicate that your tank's not cycled, as the bacteria in your filter should be producing nitrate as the end product of the biological filtration process, so it should be gradually climbing all the time.

Anyway, I hope nothing else happens and that everything else in your tank stays safe and well.

Hmm... Yeah, I agree that is a little odd now that I think about it.. I'll have a look at my filter and do another test today
Thank you for your help!

 

[snazy]

What brand is the test you are using? If it's the API liquid test, you really need to shake bottle 2 of the nitrAte test for a minute very well, otherwise it shows false results. In a cycled tank is just almost impossible to have 0 nitrAtes unless it's really heavily planted or you are using chemically treated filter sponges for that purpose.

If the guppy was used to cycle the tank as well, then it's normal for them to die later as ammonia and nitrItes cause internal damage and not many of the fish used for a cycle will live happily ever after.
Also, with a death like that, make sure that there's enough of oxygen. Is the water surface rippled by the filter.

 

[Proud Pastry]

What brand is the test you are using? If it's the API liquid test, you really need to shake bottle 2 of the nitrAte test for a minute very well, otherwise it shows false results. In a cycled tank is just almost impossible to have 0 nitrAtes unless it's really heavily planted or you are using chemically treated filter sponges for that purpose.

If the guppy was used to cycle the tank as well, then it's normal for them to die later as ammonia and nitrItes cause internal damage and not many of the fish used for a cycle will live happily ever after.
Also, with a death like that, make sure that there's enough of oxygen. Is the water surface rippled by the filter.

I used the Sentry test strips
I did another test and it turns out I do have some nitrites, it's pretty low though.
And the guppy wasn't used to cycle the tank, I let the tank cycle first without fish : )

Also... turns out my test was wrong.. either I did it wrong, or the test just didn't work but I have a reading of 0.2 - 1.0 (can't really tell... the colour of the test looks like it could be either or) of ammonia D:
I did a 50% water change (since I changed the water 2 days ago) and added in some ammonia remover. The remover told me to retest again in 2 hours, but it still hasn't changed.
I vacuumed the gravel just the other day and did a water change, I'm also not over feeding them... what could be causing the ammonia? And what more should I do to help get rid of it?

I'd appreciate any help or advice anyone has to offer!

Edit: I also have a bubble stone and the filter does ripple the surface, so they have plenty of oxygen

 

[slimeneo]

Hmm.. Well a reading of ammonia means your tank isn't fully cycled. Have you added any new fish lately? How long did you fish less cycle for? Have you treated the tank recently with any meds or other chemicals? ... I wouldn't put any "ammonia remover" in the tank, water changes easily remove the ammonia.

Do a 90% water change, if the results are the same. I would recommend getting a more reliable test kit, like the API master kit. Liquid tests are more accurate than strips. I would skip feeding for a day, to get ammonia to 0.

 

[Proud Pastry]

Hmm.. Well a reading of ammonia means your tank isn't fully cycled. Have you added any new fish lately? How long did you fish less cycle for? Have you treated the tank recently with any meds or other chemicals? ... I wouldn't put any "ammonia remover" in the tank, water changes easily remove the ammonia.

Do a 90% water change, if the results are the same. I would recommend getting a more reliable test kit, like the API master kit. Liquid tests are more accurate than strips. I would skip feeding for a day, to get ammonia to 0.

I haven't added any new fish as of late, and I let the tank cycle for over a week without fish : ) I haven't treated the water with anything besides the Stress Zyme and Stress Coat.

Alright I'll do that! Thank you very much!
Will my fishies be alright? I don't want them to get ammonia poisoning D:

 

[snazy]

How did you cycle the tank for a week only? Any fishless cycle takes anything between 4-8 weeks, sometimes more and this is done by using ammonia from a bottle. It appears you are going through a fish-in cycle now. The elevated levels of ammonia and nitrItes are what's killing your fish. You need to do 80-90% water changes every day until your tank cycles and ammonia and nitrIte read 0 at all times. Have a read here:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/