guppy plague and developing deformities

M

missliss96

AC Members
Apr 15, 2010
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i have been keeping fish for a little while now and need help. not to long ago i had a platy whose belly went flat and she could no longer swim up without severe struggle. she died last month and now my youngest guppy (now the only breed of fish in that tank) is displaying similar behaviour.
also, the last 3 young male guppies ive purchased have been found dead and fins eaten within 2 weeks of being brought home. they were all very fancy, ornate males with massive colourful tailfins, and i found them all colourless and finless, floating. recently i bought 3 larger males, who appear to be surviving this "plague"
curious, anyone know whats going on, are my males being picked on? and whats causing my females to get sick, flat bellies? do you think this is connected? i dont, simply because the females are living for months after displayinng these conditions. please give me your best feedback! i'm worried!

edit: all three males were each the only male in the tank at the time they died
 
More info about the tank would help...
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180877

Answering the questions in the link is a good start.

I'm just throwing this out there, but a lot of livebearer deformities nowadays seem to be genetic with all the inbreeding that occurs. This also leads to just weak stock in general so if everything is good with your tank then the males' deaths might just be from that too. I am not sure if that is the case with your fish but if you are getting all of these fish from the same source I would probably find another store to buy livebearers from for now.
 
As J piointed out, it could be genetic as they are mass produced at the farms.

It could also be related to prolonged exposure to Unideal Water Condition as they can also display slow emaciation which will lead to curvature of their spines and death.
Check your water!!

If you can find local clubs/society, you may be able to find genetically stronger gened guppies. It may cost more but worth the try provided that water is in their IDEAL CONDITION range. Besides, you may also gain some PRICELESS information from fellow seasoned hobbyists which you will never find in the book.

I remember Pastel Guppies sold for $30/pair when first introduced to public, about $20 for Half Black(?), etc.

They may cost bit more than what lfs offers but much stronger and will return more as you can sell more of their offsprings locally.

Hope it is not someting contagious and Good Luck!
 
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