Why Is My Guppy Lying On The Bottom Of The Tank On The Gravel?

[Luke1995]

Lately my guppies have been lying onthe gravel in the tank. Are they sick or do guppies usually do this?

 

[Curiosity101]

It's not normal for guppies to do that so I reckon there is something wrong.

It'll either be your water quality or the fishes health.

What are your water stats? And do you have any pictures of the guppies?

 

[mattlee]

do you have a water testing kit?

if not i would go and buy one like the API freshwater master kit. this will give you tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and high range pH. they can be bought cheapest on ebay for about £17 delivered and should last you ages. avoid the test strips as they are inaccurate and a waste of money. you need liquid based testers.

 

[Luke1995]

Thankyou and sorry I don't have any pictures. I will look for a ph tester. And how hot does their water need to be? Thanks

 

[mattlee]

Thankyou and sorry I don't have any pictures. I will look for a ph tester. And how hot does their water need to be? Thanks

you need the whole kit really not just pH.

temp should be about 25/26 degreesC

 

[OldMan47]

In the absence of a test kit, you need to do a huge water change of at least 75% of the water. Don't forget the dechlorinator and be careful uncovering heaters since that can ruin one that is plugged in.

 

[Luke1995]

Thanks heaps everyone. My temp is about 20 degrees C so I will have to turn it up. And do you dechloronate the water with water Ager becuase that is what I have

 

[mattlee]

Thanks heaps everyone. My temp is about 20 degrees C so I will have to turn it up. And do you dechloronate the water with water Ager becuase that is what I have

not sure what a water ager is but before adding new water to a tank its best to use a dechlorinator to remove chlorine and heavy metals etc from the water making it better for the fish and to prevent the chlorine killing your bacteria in the filter.
if water ager does this then its fine to use, have a read on the bottle

 

[Luke1995]

Ok thanks

 

[OldMan47]

When doing a large water change like you intend to do, you definitely want to use a dechlorinator. Almost all of them are the same basic sodium thiosulphate but it is rare to find that printed anywhere on the bottle.