Guppies keep dying (3 today) a couple over the past week

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PosingOwl

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Apr 26, 2012
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Hey Everyone,

I am having a really difficult time trying to figure out why my guppies are dying. I have had the tank about 2 months now I believe and it is fully cycled....

Stats....

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10 to 20
PH - 7.5
KH - 8
FE- I am not sure, it says its low, but i am using tablets....

Fish....

6 Guppies
6 Small Neon Tetras
2 Mollies
2 Sword Tails
2 Bristlenose Pleco's

Wife went out and bought the 2 Mollies and 2 Guppies yesterday so I know that I am overstocked (which I told her). I also have an Eheim Aquaball that I could and probably should put in there.... So what do you think is the problem....

Thanks,
PosingOwl
 

mykidsmylife

Princess of Peons
Aug 26, 2005
925
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Indiana, U.S.A.
What size is your tank?
What kind of symptoms or behaviors are the guppies showing prior to their deaths? What do they look like and how are they acting? Were these fish in the tank during the cycle? I gather you do not quarantine prior to putting them in your tank? How do you acclimate them to your tank and how long were they in there prior to their deaths?
Sorry about all the questions but we will need more information before we can help you figure it out.


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PosingOwl

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Apr 26, 2012
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I have a 60 liter tank, about 15 gallons or so.... The symptoms are hard to tell because they are most of the time dead when we wake up.... What I have seen is that on some it looks like they are gasping for air and that they are hardly moving.... There was a really fat female that died, but she was pregnant (reason for being fat).... Besides that they are acting fine, they are eating and swimming around the tank.... I do not have a quarantine tank and I acclimate them by putting the bag in the tank for 10 minutes then putting water from the tank into the bag every 10 minutes for about 40 minutes to an hour, is that wrong? Some of the Guppies that we had during the cycle are dead now and some that we just bought within the past 2 weeks are dead.... I had during the cycle some Guppies, the Plecos and the Swordtails....

Also I do a 25% pwc every Sunday with Seacham? Prime.... If that matters any.... The last fish that died was swimming around and just fell to the bottom and died.... My 3 year old daughter is very upset that her fish keep dying.... :-(
 

PosingOwl

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Apr 26, 2012
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When I looked on the dead fish there were no dots on the fish and none of the fish in the tank have dots on them as well.... It looks like another pregnant female is about to give up, breathing really hard and in the plants just swimming still.... I will try to take a pic real quick....
 

mykidsmylife

Princess of Peons
Aug 26, 2005
925
0
0
Indiana, U.S.A.
Your acclimation method is fine just make sure to never add water from the bag into your tank.
Something is certainly up. I would do a 30% water change today. It can only help at this point. Make sure your water temp is as close to the tank temp as you can get it.
If they are gasping at the surface that can be a sign of lack of oxygen in the tank. Do you have plenty of surface movement with your water? Perhaps an airstone?
What is the temperature of your tank water?
What type of test are you using to test your water, a liquid drop kit like API or dip sticks?


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PosingOwl

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Apr 26, 2012
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Its more like the middle of the tank that she is gasping.... I did take a video but having problems attaching it.... I plenty of bubbles coming out of the filter and why would it start now and not during the first month of the cycle? The temp of the tank is 26 degrees Celsius.... I did have an airstone, but it was scarring the fish so we took it out, had it in for like 2 days about a month ago....

I am also using JBL liquid test kits....
 

PosingOwl

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Apr 26, 2012
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The recent fish that have died we bought at a large chain store called the OBI, the other fish are from the lfs.... Maybe that is the problem, but to be on the safe side I will do a pwc and hope for the best

If you anyone thinks of anything else I would greatly appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
PosingOwl
 

pisces70

AC Members
Feb 18, 2012
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This small tank is overstocked so I would keep a small airstone running in the tank for oxygen and water circulation. I can't say I've ever had any fish that were scared of an airstone, they usually love to play in the bubbles. Perhaps the air pump is too powerful for the small tank size or the airstone produces really large bubbles that they don't like? Some bubble wands can produce really large bubbles that could annoy small fish. Find an airstone that says it produces tiny, fine bubbles, these are usually made of silicate or wood. Also, check the rating on your air pump, make sure it's not too strong for your size of tank.


It seems to be only the livebearers that are dying, correct? Do you add any aquarium salt to the water? You mostly have livebearing fish and they really do better if you use aquarium salt when setting up your tank and with each water change, only add salt to water if you have removed water, not for topping off since the salt is not removed by any other means than by physically removing some water. Do you notice any of the mollies, swords or guppies just sitting still and wagging? They will look like they are wobbling side to side, and they usually get less active when the salts in their tank are not sufficient. Livebearers need those electrolytes to stay healthy. As long as you dose per directions on the box of salt, it won't do the other fish any harm either. I add it to all my tanks. If you're not familiar with it, API has aquarium salt in a blue carton. It's for freshwater fish, not saltwater fish.

Not sure if these are really your issues, but I'm just trying to help you figure out what the problem is. Best of luck!
 
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