Hello.
My problem probably requires a little bit background information (carefully, long story...):
I "adopted" a 10gallon/40liter aquarium from a friend in october last year, with a male harlequin rasbora ("survivor") as the only inhabitant. I bough 2 female guppies ("lady" and "Beauty")and 2 male guppies ("Bluey" and "Explorer"), as well as a red snail and a female rasbora ("crazy lady") as a companion for "survisor".
Everything went perfectly fine until late december (guppies were happily breeding, babies stayed alive), when I got an algae problem (now fixed) after putting in a feeder stone for a week while I was on holiday. I bought two small catfish (same size as all the other fish) in early january (which together with a bit less light (now 12 hours) and feeding (now only very little once a day) solved the algae problem).
However, shortly after introducing the catfish (without prior quarantine...), "Bluey" (the more dominant of the 2 males, always around the females, while "Explorer stayed very much by himself) got sick - it took me a few days to diagnose it as dropsy - he went down very quickly and finally I euthanized him by freezing him. Two days later, one of the two catfish died (he behaved perfectly normal until then, just one morning lay dead on the bottom of the tank). Since then, I didn't have any more fish dying (I also gave 7 baby female guppies to a friend as my tank was overcrowding, and they are fine in his tank, no fish getting sick)- so maybe the catfish brough some disease in, and "Bluey" just happened to be susceptible...
But the death of "Bluey" caused a very different problem: Suddenly noone kept "Explorer" in check anymore - he went like crazy after the females (particularly "Beauty"). At about the same time, I noticed a funny lesion on one side of "Lady's" tummy - the scales seem to be gone, and she was now maninly floating just under the surface (none of the other fish do that, oxygen in the tank thus seems to be fine, it's just her). And then I noticed that she and "Beauty" were bickering a lot, biting involved, so maybe the lesion was an injury from that fighting... Also, none of the females has given birth anymore since about mid january.
The, on sunday now 2 weeks ago, I suddenly saw "Explorer" go mental: He went after all the young males (two of them already have colour, were about 3 months of age at that time, the others younger) - four of them were hiding being the suction plug of my thermometer for hours, and "Explorer" was nearly ripping another young male apart: He had his back fin in his mouth and was shaking him back and forth and nearly broke his back...
What I did to calm the situation down was to set up a "fish hospital" with slightly salty water (1.5 teaspoons fulll of normal non-iodized household salt in 4 liters of aquarium water in a white bucket with some gravel and two artificial plants as hiding space) and put the little broken male in there, together with "Lady" - to heal his tale and her tummy without harassment from other fish. I further inserted my "baby tank net" (="fosh prison" into the main tank to isolate "Explorer" so he couldn't harm the other fish anymore.
I though, I leave it like that for two weeks, then put the little male (who has beautifully recovered and even his tail fin has grown back and he can swim properly again) and "Lady" back in the main tank - and then think about what to do with "Explorer". He is the more beautiful male guppy and I would hate to give him away - but now it seems the best solution... but to that later.
Both last and this week, I put "Beauty" to "Explorer" in my "fish prison" - but while he showed his now normal and failry assertice mating behaviour - both curting and very close body contact), she started to go after him, with biting and everything - similar as she used to bicker with "Lady" and she has done this with him before, I thought maybe to tell him off to leave her alone). Anyway, I didn't want to make it difficult for her, so after a while, I put her back outside the "prison".
But Beauty's agressive behaviour goes further - a few days ago I suddenly saw her eating one of the younger fish (not the very little one, but one about 1/3 to 1/2 her size) - only his head was sticking out of her mouth - and when she was finished, all the other little fish went after the head and finished it off.... Now, I do not know if maybe that fish died beforehand, or if she killed it....
Today, I put "Lady" (lesion still there, she is also getting bigger - but no dark pregnancy spot - I am thinking maybe a tumour??) and the little male back into the main tank (from the "fish hospital") - the little male is doing fine, but "Beauty" went immediately after "Lady", lots of biting involveld, both clearly distressed, so I put "Lady" back in the hospital tank.
That leaves me with a really stupid situation": An agressive male in "prison", and agressive female in the main tank - who apart from that one fisheating maneuver is behaving okay there, as long as no "Explorer" and "Lady" in sight - and a possibly sick or wounded (or yet pregnant) female in "hospital". And apart from the fact that this can't be a long term solution anyway, I am going overseas for a month in 10 days - and while I have somebody to look after cleaning the main tank weakly and my flatmate feeding the fish for me - I really don't want to leave the "prison" and "hospital" set up, way too complicated for my Helpers - and not good for the fish. I have that friend whom I gave my 7 little female guppies - but they are still relatively small (2-3 month old and not fully grown) - I would give "Explorer" to him, but I am afraid he might go mental again and maybe kill the little females (in his rampage he also injured one little female guppy) - and I feel like he might need some other adult males present to balance him. And "Beauty" can't go with him, as they might fight... I also can't put "Lady" and "Beauty" together again - and I do not want to give a potentially sick fish ('Lady") to somebody else or back to the aquarium. "Beauty" is an outstandingly pretty female and I would hate to give her away...
Okay, has anybody (who has bravely read this long long threat" any suggestions?
I will move back to Europe in the end of the year and want to get a bigger tank then - so more room for more fish, i.e. bigger guppy community so hopefully the death of one fish won't completely destroy the social network - but for now I have this aquarium and want the best for all the fish involved - and a peaceful aquarium back so when I give it to the friend who'll look after them next month, for adoption when I leave for good, that girl shouldn't have to deal with these problems anymore...
Any help would be grearly appreciated!!!
Anja
My problem probably requires a little bit background information (carefully, long story...):
I "adopted" a 10gallon/40liter aquarium from a friend in october last year, with a male harlequin rasbora ("survivor") as the only inhabitant. I bough 2 female guppies ("lady" and "Beauty")and 2 male guppies ("Bluey" and "Explorer"), as well as a red snail and a female rasbora ("crazy lady") as a companion for "survisor".
Everything went perfectly fine until late december (guppies were happily breeding, babies stayed alive), when I got an algae problem (now fixed) after putting in a feeder stone for a week while I was on holiday. I bought two small catfish (same size as all the other fish) in early january (which together with a bit less light (now 12 hours) and feeding (now only very little once a day) solved the algae problem).
However, shortly after introducing the catfish (without prior quarantine...), "Bluey" (the more dominant of the 2 males, always around the females, while "Explorer stayed very much by himself) got sick - it took me a few days to diagnose it as dropsy - he went down very quickly and finally I euthanized him by freezing him. Two days later, one of the two catfish died (he behaved perfectly normal until then, just one morning lay dead on the bottom of the tank). Since then, I didn't have any more fish dying (I also gave 7 baby female guppies to a friend as my tank was overcrowding, and they are fine in his tank, no fish getting sick)- so maybe the catfish brough some disease in, and "Bluey" just happened to be susceptible...
But the death of "Bluey" caused a very different problem: Suddenly noone kept "Explorer" in check anymore - he went like crazy after the females (particularly "Beauty"). At about the same time, I noticed a funny lesion on one side of "Lady's" tummy - the scales seem to be gone, and she was now maninly floating just under the surface (none of the other fish do that, oxygen in the tank thus seems to be fine, it's just her). And then I noticed that she and "Beauty" were bickering a lot, biting involved, so maybe the lesion was an injury from that fighting... Also, none of the females has given birth anymore since about mid january.
The, on sunday now 2 weeks ago, I suddenly saw "Explorer" go mental: He went after all the young males (two of them already have colour, were about 3 months of age at that time, the others younger) - four of them were hiding being the suction plug of my thermometer for hours, and "Explorer" was nearly ripping another young male apart: He had his back fin in his mouth and was shaking him back and forth and nearly broke his back...
What I did to calm the situation down was to set up a "fish hospital" with slightly salty water (1.5 teaspoons fulll of normal non-iodized household salt in 4 liters of aquarium water in a white bucket with some gravel and two artificial plants as hiding space) and put the little broken male in there, together with "Lady" - to heal his tale and her tummy without harassment from other fish. I further inserted my "baby tank net" (="fosh prison" into the main tank to isolate "Explorer" so he couldn't harm the other fish anymore.
I though, I leave it like that for two weeks, then put the little male (who has beautifully recovered and even his tail fin has grown back and he can swim properly again) and "Lady" back in the main tank - and then think about what to do with "Explorer". He is the more beautiful male guppy and I would hate to give him away - but now it seems the best solution... but to that later.
Both last and this week, I put "Beauty" to "Explorer" in my "fish prison" - but while he showed his now normal and failry assertice mating behaviour - both curting and very close body contact), she started to go after him, with biting and everything - similar as she used to bicker with "Lady" and she has done this with him before, I thought maybe to tell him off to leave her alone). Anyway, I didn't want to make it difficult for her, so after a while, I put her back outside the "prison".
But Beauty's agressive behaviour goes further - a few days ago I suddenly saw her eating one of the younger fish (not the very little one, but one about 1/3 to 1/2 her size) - only his head was sticking out of her mouth - and when she was finished, all the other little fish went after the head and finished it off.... Now, I do not know if maybe that fish died beforehand, or if she killed it....
Today, I put "Lady" (lesion still there, she is also getting bigger - but no dark pregnancy spot - I am thinking maybe a tumour??) and the little male back into the main tank (from the "fish hospital") - the little male is doing fine, but "Beauty" went immediately after "Lady", lots of biting involveld, both clearly distressed, so I put "Lady" back in the hospital tank.
That leaves me with a really stupid situation": An agressive male in "prison", and agressive female in the main tank - who apart from that one fisheating maneuver is behaving okay there, as long as no "Explorer" and "Lady" in sight - and a possibly sick or wounded (or yet pregnant) female in "hospital". And apart from the fact that this can't be a long term solution anyway, I am going overseas for a month in 10 days - and while I have somebody to look after cleaning the main tank weakly and my flatmate feeding the fish for me - I really don't want to leave the "prison" and "hospital" set up, way too complicated for my Helpers - and not good for the fish. I have that friend whom I gave my 7 little female guppies - but they are still relatively small (2-3 month old and not fully grown) - I would give "Explorer" to him, but I am afraid he might go mental again and maybe kill the little females (in his rampage he also injured one little female guppy) - and I feel like he might need some other adult males present to balance him. And "Beauty" can't go with him, as they might fight... I also can't put "Lady" and "Beauty" together again - and I do not want to give a potentially sick fish ('Lady") to somebody else or back to the aquarium. "Beauty" is an outstandingly pretty female and I would hate to give her away...
Okay, has anybody (who has bravely read this long long threat" any suggestions?
I will move back to Europe in the end of the year and want to get a bigger tank then - so more room for more fish, i.e. bigger guppy community so hopefully the death of one fish won't completely destroy the social network - but for now I have this aquarium and want the best for all the fish involved - and a peaceful aquarium back so when I give it to the friend who'll look after them next month, for adoption when I leave for good, that girl shouldn't have to deal with these problems anymore...
Any help would be grearly appreciated!!!
Anja
