Guppy rescue mission complete! 1 Question though...

Kim

I finally finished my Guppy rescue mission :D !! So, now I really have multiple tank syndrome. I started out with one 5.5 gallon, then got a 15 that is cycling, and now my brother's old 10 gallon is in there as well. And all this in my tiny bedroom (which is starting to look like a fish store)!

Well, it was a good day to move/clean the tank because it is horribly hot outside, so the guppies did not experience a temp. swing while they were waiting in a bucket to get into their newly cleaned home. I'm pretty proud of myself, because I kept all of the benificial bacteria wet, and did not change the pH even though our tap water has a different pH than the tank. All in all I think it is a success, and I have noticed some of the fish breathing easier already (literally, that water was pretty bad). I just wish I had tanken some before and after photos.

I have noticed over the years, when I was not allowed to take the tank, that some of the female guppies seem to get really skinny and sickly looking, start breathing hard, and then die. I really have no clue what this is, or what caused it. There is one in there like that now, but I noticed that she was breathing easier once I put her in her new tank. I am assuming that this is because the water is cleaner, but why would they loose weight?? I was also wondering if it was from stress because there are only 2 healthy adult females and one sickly looking one, and there are 2 adult males (who don't seem to bother the sick one anymore). I know that the ideal ratio is 2 females to every male, but I don't want to add any more fish right now because 1)I want to wait until the tank is stable, and 2)There are several young fish which I don't know the sex of yet. The males constantly harass the females though (even though they are already pregnant), and I think that they are stressing them out. Any ideas about why some fish would start wasting away??

PDXfishy

Beware! Tank addiction comes faster than you think. Things get critical when you consider heating your room to 78 so you don't need heaters anymore. ;)

Regarding your question: a healthy female can withstand the male harrasing, though it's definitely a good idea to have 1.5 or 2 ladies for one guy to give them a break from time to time. What causes your losses is very hard to tell. If your water really is okay, I would suspect some kind of disease.

Kim

Well, like I said the tank was neglected for some time. There has also been a lot of inbreeding. I suspect that some of the fish were sickly from the beginning, and some probably didn't do well because of the previously poor water quality. Not any more though now that I am in charge. I guess I will just wait and see if their health improves now that they are being taken care of properly. Thanks, it's good to know that there are others with mts out there too! My mother thinks that I am absolutely crazy !

Little-Fizz

Does this Guppy eat? I'm thinking, starvation, maybe she was smaller and the others pigged out preventing her from getting her fair share, internal parasites, or as you said, inbreeding is a very real possibility.

Are there other symptoms beside being skinny? white stringy poo? Is she active?

Kim

These guppies certainly are odd ! Everything that I have read about guppies says that they are mid to top level fish. The young fish in this tank are active and eat readily at the top of the tank. The 5 older ones however seem to hang out at the bottom and only eat when some food floats down to them. The really thin one seems to be doing a little better. She is breathing better and swimming around more. Also, when I fed them this morning she ate some flakes that floated near her. I tried to get her to eat some more by sticking a retractable match holder (cleaned of course) into the tank with a small blood worm on the tip. She was afraid of it though, so that didn't do any good. I also tried putting some bloodworms at the top of the tank for the others. Well, the adult fish didn't even look up, but the babies swam around with a few sticking out of their mouths and finally managed to eat them! This was not really what I had in mind...but I guess it did them no harm. Should I try to get some food that floats a little lower in the tank?? Has anyone experienced anything like this before? I just want these little guys to be happy, but I can't figure out what is wrong with them :( .

Kim

Update: I think that the thin fish is starving, not diseased. Like I said before, she is doing a little better, but I don't think that she has the energy to help herself. She tries to get some of the food that floats down to the bottom of the tank, however the other 2 females are staying down there too. They are faster and she is very timid so she might make a grab at it but the other fish get there first. Unfortunately, the tank that I am going to use as a hospital tank is still housing my male betta until my 15 gallon is done cycling which will be at least 1 week. I have a very old and dirty 5 gallon though and I might be able to go buy some gravel and a plant or 2 along with a fake castle that I have to put in it. I do not have a filter and heater though, but my tanks are staying 78 degrees even without the heaters because it is so hot here. If I were to move her into there for a week maybe, do you think that this would help her, or just stress her out further? Also, would she be ok without a filter if I do frequent water changes. Ahhh... the great thing about summer vacation is that I actually have time for this. I have also read that some guppies like vegetables. If I were to put a slice of cucumper or some peas down there do you think that she would pick at it? Would this help at all, even if it just gave her enough energy to swim up and get some real food? Any advice would be appreciated :) . Thanks.

okiemavis

Why not put her in a breeder net in the main tank? Most pet stores sell them for less than $5. You can put a bunch of plants and stuff in there so she had somewhere to hide and isn't stressed. That way she'll still be in the same water, and there won't be issues with filtration, heating, etc. It's not really necessary to QT her as it sounds like she's not got anything contagious, she just needs a place to chill by herself for a while.

Kim

I totally didn't even think of that. See, that is why I asked here :) . That is what I will do. tomorrow morning I will try to convince my mom to bring me to buy a nice big one for her and some plants to make her feel more secure. Thanks.

okiemavis

Have fun :D

It's nice that guppies are small, so creating a little area for one fish to chill isn't very difficult. You could even make your own out of needlepoint canvas if you're feeling crafty

Kim

Thanks, it looks like I'm not even going to have too though :D . I think that the clean water and tank has really done wonders for these little guys. All are much more active and the older ones have been spending more time at the top of the tank, still waiting for two of the females though. The really thin female has been doing much better. She is more active and now swims up to the top of the tank during feeding time. I'm hoping that she will start to look better soon if she keeps eating like she is now. They look so happy now that they are being taken care of . And I didn't loose any of them during the process! Just thought that I should share the good news.