ahastings300

I just got four guppies. 2 died the day after they came home so I replaced them and fixed the water levels again. Everything has been a little bit crazy ever since. One of my males keeps acting up. I don't know if he's chlosterphobic or what, but he keeps floating on his back or vertically with his head toward the surface and he sometimes looks/acts like he's dead right after swimming around crazily. Now, the female that survived the first night with him is acting similarly. Sometimes, I even have to flip them over with my finger to get them going again. It's kindof like SIDS for fish. Can they just stop breathing like that? That's how it seems...
One minute they're fine, the next they're "dead."
Any suggestions?

NewBKaeK

Hey there.

I had a similar situation with some of my guppies (three of them). Unfortunately they have all passed on now (they were pretty too =[).

Basically they would swim into the filter current whenever the lights are on, until they get tired and they just float around, lifeless. Repeat for a week or two and I had three dead guppies.

My reasoning behind the strange behavior is that my tank was not completely cycled when my parents decided to throw some fish in. It was almost exactly at the point where ammonia and nitrite equalize therefore highest toxicity levels in the tank when they did it, so I suppose it scarred those fish to death =\.

As to your case, how long have you had your tank? I have a hunch that it is not fully cycled yet.
IMO your tank is overstocked. 4 guppies for a 2.5g tank is too much. There is not really much you can do except to make sure your tank is actually cycled. Maybe someone with a bit more knowledge could help you with this as I am pretty new to this game myself =\

Lucy

Hi ahastings300, Welcome to Fish Lore

You have a couple of things going on.

Are you testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? If so, what are your readings? Are you using a water condition?

1. Your tank is too small for 4 guppies, (that's 8" of fish in 2.5g) it's recommended that you have 1" of fish (their adult size)per gallon of water. 4 guppies would need at least a 10g tank.

2. Your tank is not cycled. My suggestion is to do a 50% water change now and continue daily water changes until your tank is cycled.

This article will help you learn about the nitrogen cycle:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Good luck, others should be along shortly to help you further.

ahastings300

Aaawww. Unfortunately, I spent all my money on my little 2.5 gallon tank! Everyone at the petstore said it would be fine. What am I supposed to do about that?? I want my guppies to be happy, but I can't blow my budget!
Oh, and, by the way... is it normal for guppies to play dead? Mine seem to like doing that to me.... they never actually die, though.... weird. I try to change my water, but I'm not exactly sure how to.....

Lucy

I don't have guppies, but it's not normal for fish to play dead.

You should consider returning a couple of them because really, I think you will always have problems in such an over stocked tank.

Water changes are pretty simple. You can use a small gravel vacuum to suck up any extra food and fish waste. This will also remove the water. You don't have to vacuum daily, so you can just scoop out about 50% of the water using a cup.

Replace the water with tap treated tap water (use a conditioner that removes chlorine and other harmful stuff)

Make sure the water that you put back in the tank is approximately the same temp as the water you took out.

NewBKaeK

No it is absolutely not normal for the guppies to "play dead". Unless when the lights are out and they are sleeping. Most likely your fish are on the verge of dying, like mine were. You really don't have to spend that much more money on your tank.

Do you have a water conditioner? To get rid of chlorine and chloramines from the tap water which are harmful to fish and good bacteria. If not you need to get some ASAP. It only costs about 10 bucks (or less) for a small bottle.

Do you have a water test kit? This is not absolutely necessary but it is useful, so you know what stage of the cycle your tank is in. It is also a good thing to have anyways for peace of mind, so you know that your fish aren't swimming in poison. I suggest an API Freshwater Master Kit. This might be a little more expensive about $30-40.

For now, like Lucy said, do 50% water changes daily, until the tank is cycled, which will take a long time due to the water changes unfortunately.
Basically you empty out half the tank, and then refill it with CONDITIONED tap water. Do not throw in plain ol' tap water as it will further harm your already scarred fish.

Edit - lucy beat me to it >_>

ahastings300

*sniff sniff* but I'm gunna miss them...
I guess I'll bag some up and bring them to the pet store tomorrow...

Lucy

Yeah, I'm sorry, I know you'll miss them, but I know you want what is best for your fish.

Although I agree the API master kit is the best, I have to disagree with NewBKaeK about not needing the test kit. I believe it's a necessity. When your fish start acting differently, I think the first thing you should do is test the water, then go from there.

Keep your eye and Craig's List, you can pick up a tank fairly cheaply and sometimes free and check out Freecycle.org.

Best of luck to you.

ahastings300

....only one's alive now.... I'm gunna get a refund on the other three and just let this female live alone for a while..... Maybe after a few weeks I'll get another male from a different store. Until then, I'll change the water and try to keep her happy (if she makes it til 4 today).

I suck at this.... ><

NewBKaeK

Don't get a male. If you are going to get another guppy get a female. If you have one male and one female, the male will chase the female to death.
Guppies should be kept at a 1male:3female ratio or more idealistically, so that the male has more females to chase around and the female can hide away when she is tired.

ahastings300

Haha. Maybe I'll have enough money later to get a bigger tank to keep parents in and keep the smaller tank as a breedery/nursery.

Evelyn1919

also make sure you don't add any more fish until your cycle is done which will take more than a few weeks.

good luck + welcome to fishlore!

Lucy

I'm sorry about the loss of your fish. The nitrogen cycle is hard on them. That's why fish less cycling is recommended.

I agree with Evelyn, no more fish until the cycle is completed.

Keep doing daily water changes, I hope the little guy makes it.

tkfury

You might want to see if you can return the tank. I'm not sure exactly the price you paid but the 2.5g tanks I've seen are usually only $5-$10 less than the 5g-10g kits. Not sure how stores do it but when I contacted the Petco I got my 22g from, they said as long as I have the recipt and have the tank washed out very well -I could return it up to two months after the purchase date.

Saddly fishkeeping is a live and learn hobby, you might not start out on the right foot but after a little work, its well worth the heartache. Best of luck with your little girl.

LetDiceFly

Yes, sadly a 2-1/2g tank is virtually useless to keep fish, it really isn't even enough room for a betta and they contend with small tank better than just about anything. Plus with that small of a tank it is nearly impossible to keep water parameters in line. I would suggest a 10 g if you have room or a 5 if you don't. Generally the prices are not significantly different.

ahastings300

It's been 3 days and she's still alive!! YAY! She's still alone in the 2 1/2g, but I got a 5g from a friend and cleaned it up all nice-like. I filled it with water and put the chemicals in it, but I'm going to let it run for a looooong time before I get more fish. I saw that a 10g is only, like, $8 without the filter and everything.
I'm a little confused on how much to feed my little guppy.... So far, I've been feeding her once a day--in the evening--but I fed her a little bit this morning. She eats very hardily and is always scrounging for food. I'm at work all day, so I can't really feed her at lunch. She's still pretty active and seems to be doing alright by herself in there. ^__^

ahastings300

Aaah! OMG
After reading other people's posts, I have pretty much determined that my very own little guppy is pregnant. I'm happy, yet nervous at the same time. I hope she only has a few fry so that I can put them into the 5g tank. If she really is pregnant, then I'll most likely give the fry to the petstore. She has a little dark spot right at the beginning of her tail, so it's probably a gravid spot... and she eats like crazy...

Shawnie

did u get the 5 gallon up n running yet? if so, take the filter media from the 2.5 gallon and it will cycle it alot faster...then you can keep the fry in the lil tank and mama can move it on up to the 5gallon..goodluck with her