Normal guppy behavior?

[Scotlind99]

Yesterday I purchased 4 female guppies for my 20 gal. One of them was dead within an hour of introducing them to the tank and the remaining 3 are huddled together in the top back corner of the tank next to the filter. My males do not seem to be particularly interested and the females really aren't moving about the tank, although they do occasionally switch corners. At least one of them has had fry since yesterday...the only reason I know that is because I caught my danios eating them. I'm just curious if this isolation is at all normal behavior...I'm a little concerned because of the one that died. If they are sick I dont want to infect the rest of my fish. (Oh, and all the water levels are normal...no ammonia, no nitrite, ph 7.6, temp 76)

[Mgamer20o0]

what about nitrates?

it takes time to get used to a new tank. i really wouldnt worry much right now.

[Scotlind99]

The nitrates are between 10 and 15. And I lost another 2 while I was at work last night.

[jm1212]

how did you acclimate them?

[Scotlind99]

By floating their bag so the water temperatures would equalize and then releasing them into the tank. The first one was looking pretty bad almost immediately, listing to one side and having difficulty swimming, but the other 2 fatalities looked physically healthy when I left for work.

So far everything else in the tank (4 zebra danios, 4 male guppies, 2 cories, 2 platies) looks ok, but I'm pretty concerned that I've infected my tank with something. Although I talked to the LFS and they said they havent been loosing any of theirs. Is there any point in isolating my last remaining female at this point or is the damage already done if she's sick?

[Featherfin]

it might be just the shock of new water parameters that slowly kills them. all of that inbreeding..sometimes, the fish just dont acclimate to a new tank. i wouldnt assume to much right now..just keep your eyes open

[Scotlind99]

Looks like my last one is about to shuffle off as well. She's not really swimming anymore, just floating. She's also doing the listing to one side thing. I imagine she'll pass on before tomorrow. My plan at this point is to get my money back, wait a couple of weeks, and try again. Only I think I'll go to the other LFS this time just in case.

I feel like I teased my males...

[iamgroovy]

This kind of off topic but, have you had any trouble with your zebra danios harrassing your guppies? I only ask because I recently got some guppies and had to remove my danios because they were harrassing the guppies mercilessly...Fortunately, the guppies seem fine (and the danios are settled in temporary housing).

I'm sorry for your loss.:(

[Scotlind99]

Thanks for the sympathy.

My danios dont bother my guppies much. They do ocassionally do a high speed swim by, but its not consistent harassment and they dont nip fins. I've only got 4 and they seem quite content to chase each other!

[Scotlind99]

Well, that last female guppy has gone to the big fish tank in the sky :(

Everyone else seems to be doing fine, although now one of my male guppies is harassing one of my platies. There's always something!

I just wish I knew why my girls all died, and within 24 hours of each other. They werent the only fish I bought that day...the male guppies I brought home seem to be just fine. Here's hoping I have better luck with the next batch of girls.

[FeatherDuster]

I am sorry for such a dramatic loss in such a short period of time. I wish you the best of luck next time.

I sometimes feel so bad for female guppies. They usually have such a short life span compared to the males. I went through a very similar experience when I first started fish keeping. I just recently tried to add females again. I took extra precautions. I added more plant coverage, used a high female to male ratio, avoided buying any females that look like they are ready to pop with babies (the stress of moving to a new home, being harassed by males and getting ready to give birth isn't a healthy combo).

As a small note, it is common for some females to group together. It reduces the chances of one female getting harassed by several males at a time. I actually noticed one of my female guppies following my female platy around. My female platy lets no species of male within 3 inches of herself. She will nip the males away. They all know to stay away from her.

[Rbishop]

I'd recommend getting a small 1 or 2 gal tank for a QT period.

Also, besides doing a temp acclimation, add a little bit of the tank water evry 15 minutes or so, to help the adjustment.