MaddieLynn

I have a 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater. I bought 3 guppies and an algae eater for it, and the algae eater died the enxt day, but he didn't look diseased, so I thought it was probably from the stress.

But now two of my guppies have died, and I think the third is dying. He just sits at the same place all day long with his mouth open. This is the way one of my other 2 guppies acted before he died. I don't know what's wrong with them, and I feel terrible because I've done something to cause them to die and I don't know what it is.

Someone said ammonia poisining, and to do a 50% water change immediately, and I did, and that evening was when my second guppy died.

I am still wanting to keep fish, but after this experience with guppies I don't know if I want more guppies. I had guppies before this, and they were really easy to keep, but I had to give them away when we moved, and now for some reason I can't seem to keep guppies.

Does anyone have any reccommendations on what kind of fish I should get? My tank is 10 gallons with a filter and a heater.

Amanda

Ever thought about a betta?

2lucky

Yeah, a betta they have loads of personality. You could add a couple of corydoras too. But only add fish once the tank is cycled

Guppies are getting more and more sensitive these days, due to the inbreeding etc, so don't let this experience discourage you.

You know what, if you get the tank cycled first, and then add guppies, you could try them again.

M

CHoffman

There are several kinds of fish you could get for a 10 gallon. Bettas are very neat but if you don't like the thought of having just 1 fish in a tank then look into some community fish, barbs, tetras...
Before adding any fish I would recommend checking out this link
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
and since you have no fish in there right now you could do a fishless cycle which is WAY easier then cycling with fish.
If you have any questions just ask. Also it would be a great idea to invest in a API master test kit. They are wonderful to have and make fishkeeping easier and more enjoyable.

Shawnie

guppies are usually hardy but before you get anything, id read about the nitrogen cycle...heres the link http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm ... its probably why the fishies didnt make it and it was probably ammonia...I hope you have better luck


by choffman! great advice!!!!!

MaddieLynn

Oh, I forgot to say this:

It's been 2-3 weeks since I set up my aquarium, and yes, I did know about cycling, which is why I started out with fewer fish than I wanted to have in the end.

I also bought a bottle of bacteria culture, and I used it in my tank. BUT, I only used half of the ammount specified, because the fish worker at PetSmart, who was knowlegable about fish, told me to use half of the ammount because when the whole ammount is used ammonia spikes are common.

Also, the only test kits I saw at WalMart were expensive, like $40 expensive! Is this the normal price for test kits?

CHoffman

You won't know your tank is cycled until you are able to test for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate

Bacteria in a bottle isn't what you need and will actually harm your cycle, It's the wrong kind of bacteria, unless it's Tetra Safe Start or Biospira, those are the only two that have seemed to contain the right kind of bacteria. I'm not sure if the API test kit at Walmart is he right one. there has been some debate about that..If it contains test for Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH it's the right one. They are around 35-40 dollars.

MaddieLynn

All 3 of my guppies came down with a mystery ilness, and 2 have died I looked at the freshwater fish disease page, and it sounds a little like Nitrate or Nitrite poisoning, but my fish have/had some extra sympoms that are not listed.

Fish #1: The first odd thing I notice is that he got a spot like one a gravid female would have a few days after I brought him home. It kept dissappearing and reappearing over a few days. Then I notice that he has a split in his tail fin, but I think that was just from the other fish.

Anyways, the next day he's dissappeared, and I hoped he wasn't dead. But that night, he reappears and swims arround with the otehr fish. He keeps doing this for a couple of days, but the weird thing I notice is the fact that his mouth appears to be stuck open. He looks like he's trying to eat, but I don't see anything going into his mouth.

A couple of days later he's dead.

Fish #2: After fish #1 died, my other 2 just seemed so hang arround in the same exact spot all day long. They were lethargic and they weren't really eating. I was told it was probably ammonia poisining and that I should do a 50% water change right away, and I did. That night, fish #2 also got a spot like a gravid female, but his was red. He also had a thin pale string dragging rom his vent and his mouth appeared to be stuck open. He had trouble staying upright at the surface (his back end kept sinking while his nose stayed up) and he was dead the enxt morning.

Fish #3: Basically the same as fish 2, but he's not dead yet. He has the red spot, and the string, and the stuck open mouth, and he looks a little bloated, but he's not sinking like fish 2 was, and he's hanging on longer than fish 2.

Any ideas what happened?

Beeker

My bet is that your fish are dying because they are being poisoned by the Nitrogen Cycle. If the poisoning isn't killing them, the stress of going through the cycle is.

What are your Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite readings?
How often do you change the water?
What water conditioner do you use?

MaddieLynn

I don't know what the readings are...

I changed 50% of the water a couple of days ago....

And I used some Tetra brand of water conditioner that also provides a stress coat.

Lucy

I merged your threads.
Your question and the answers will be easier to following in one thread.

Along with the other member's good information, it would be a good idea to raise your temp. to about 75-76F.
The temp of your tank seems to be on the low side.

MaddieLynn

Oops, that's the info for my old tank that I don't have any more. The temp in this one is about 78 degrees.

Beeker

Get a liquid test kit.
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit is the one most of us use and recommend here.

You need to be able to test your water on your own. Pet stores will always tell you, "yep, your waters fine, lets get you some fish." They are in the business to sell.
If your fish act odd or get sick, the first thing to do is test your water. Having your own kit will make it much easier for you.

Is the water conditioner called Stress Coat +? That is a good conditioner. If not, you would probably want to get Prime, which is the best, if you can get it. If you cannot get Prime, get Stress Coat +. Make sure it is the + version. That is important.

Those two items, a test kit and Prime, are the only things you need to buy. I would recommend doing a 50% water change now and adding the water conditioner, and going out and getting those two items. Test your water, and post the numbers here.

Lucy

Thanks for updating your aquarium info.

MaddieLynn

Nope, not Stress Coat Plus. It's called Tetra-Fin, I think.

An update on my fishie - I did another water change today. I think he's getting better! I was sure he was going to die because he was acting just like my other fish did before it died, but now the red spot is getting smaller and he's a little more active, and he's responsive. As in, responsive to me lifting the lid, or to a drop of water falling. The only thing is, he still won't eat, and he still looks a little bloated. Any ideas on what I should do?

And how many times can you use a water test kit? $40 seem really steep... is there anything not so expensive?

MaddieLynn

OK, this is pretty much the story of my guppies. I copied it off of one of my other posts:

Fish #1: The first odd thing I notice is that he got a spot like one a gravid female would have a few days after I brought him home. It kept dissappearing and reappearing over a few days. Then I notice that he has a split in his tail fin, but I think that was just from the other fish.

Anyways, the next day he's dissappeared, and I hoped he wasn't dead. But that night, he reappears and swims arround with the other fish. He keeps doing this for a couple of days, but the weird thing I notice is the fact that his mouth appears to be stuck open. He looks like he's trying to eat, but I don't see anything going into his mouth.

A couple of days later he's dead.

Fish #2: After fish #1 died, my other 2 just seemed so hang arround in the same exact spot all day long. They were lethargic and they weren't really eating. I was told it was probably ammonia poisining and that I should do a 50% water change right away, and I did. That night, fish #2 also got a spot like a gravid female, but his was red. He also had a thin pale string dragging rom his vent and his mouth appeared to be stuck open. He had trouble staying upright at the surface (his back end kept sinking while his nose stayed up) and he was dead the next morning.

Fish #3: Basically the same as fish 2, but he's not dead yet. He has the red spot, and the string, and the stuck open mouth, and he looks bloated. He's hanging on longer than fish 2, and he is changing colors a little bit on the front. He used to be just yellow, and now he has some blue and green, but I'm not sure if he's just showing his true colors or if it's a disease like Velvet. Today his back end is sinking, and I'm afraid he'll be dead tomorrow :-(

I'v been told multiple times that it was probably ammonia poisining, but I do not think that is what it is. Because my fish have (had) several symptoms not listed on the ammonia poisining page here or on any other page that I've looked at, and because I've been doing daily 50% water changes, and my fish isn't getting any better. If anything, he's getting worse.

ANYWAYS, to get to the point of this very long post, wether this last fish survives or not, I'll be wanting to get more fish, becasue who wants only one male guppy in a 10 gallon? Not me!

But my dilema is this: I don't know if my fish has a contagious disease or if, despite the strange symptoms, it's ammonia poisining. If I get new fish and just put them in with him, I'll risk contaminating them, but if I change all of the water and clean everything to kill the germs, I'll have to completely start from scratch on the cycling.

What should I do?

TennThunder

Sorry about your loss. Is your tank cycled? What are the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings?

MaddieLynn

My tank is 3 weeks old and is going through the cycling process. I don't have a tester, and I can't get to the store to get one right now.

Also, $40 (which is about what I saw them going for at WalMart) seems really steep for a test kit. Are there other options, and how amny times can you use a kit?

Minnow

I'm sorry you've lost your guppies, I hope the last one hangs in there. I don't really know what you should do about your guppy, hopefully someone else can give you the answers you need.

Don't get any new fish until your tank is cycled (0 for ammonia and nitrite, some nitrate) Otherwise, you will be putting them at risk, too. If your guppy dies, maybe you could put some fish food in the tank as a source of ammonia to keep any bacteria you already have from dying off. Then, you'd have to do a fishless cycle with either fish food or pure ammonia before getting any new fish.

This link has instructions for a fishless cycle with ammonia: Ammonia instructions for a fishless cycle

Minnow

As for the API master test kit, I think it's the best one out there. It may be a little pricy, but it is very accurate, and lasts much longer than the test strips (which are not very precise). In the long run, you'll be glad if you get the API kit.

Amanda

The API kit can be used hundreds of times.
And, as previously stated, it's very accurate.

Lucy

Hi MaddieLynn I see you're getting plenty of good advice.

I've merged your thread again. As was said before it's easier for you to keep track of the responses and the members helping will know what's already been suggested. If you have a new question, feel free to start a new thread.

I'm sorry that the questions and responses may seem disjointed. When 2 or in this case 3 threads are merged they're auomaticall arranged in the the order of the time posted.

tom28

hey i have a tank to start off and killed 5 tetras and a pleco before i figured everything out...

so instead of getting the whole kit you can always get just a nitrite test kit...once the nitrite is 0 you know the ammonia is 0 and you will also know that the nitrate will start going up..a once a week water change of 10% will keep this down. but the tester kit is pretty good..my nitrite one has 120 tests in it so it lasts a while. so you should really get the whole one. also has anyone mentioned prime to you? you can use it to lower you amonia levels. just keep testing the water and see how the levels are..when i had 0 nitrite then i put fish in. if you can possibly get an extra filter from someone else from a cycled tank then you can pretty much grab some of there benificail bacteria and then it will help harvest your own fast or maybe if you can even some of the carbon in the filter it might help your bacteria to grow faster...and it wont hurt your friends tank to do that. also you need to make sure that you are using something to neutralize the cholorine in the water your using, prime will do this along with the ammonia. youll think prime is expensive too but really you get your moneys worth and the stuff lasts a long time especailly if have only a 10 gal (it will be like a drop out the bottle)

so i hope that all that helps out a bit and dont be discouraged. i almost gave up this fish thing but now i have a great tank even with live plants in it! so give it some time and just do some reading and ask questions...these people have helped me lots and will help you lots too. welcome to fishlore.

tom

sorry about the book i wrote you

Lucy

This isn't necessarily true. You can have ammonia and still have a 0 nitrite reading.
Especially if you're just starting the cycle, it's important to know what your ammonia reading is.
This is also true if for some reason you go into a mini cycle.

Testing for nitrates is also important for 2 reasons. When you begin to have nitrate readings, you know your tank is getting close to the end of your cycle. High nitrates are harmful to your fish.

It's important to test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

MaddieLynn

*Update on my little survivor fishie*

Well, he's still hanging on today, but he got more red on him. Maybe it is ammonia poisoning, but I'm changing 50% of the water every day and he's just getting worse. What else can I do?

P.S. My forum avatar is a picture of him before he got sick.

Lucy

Keep up what you're doing. If you use Prime or Stress Coat+ that'll detox the ammonia for 24hrs between water changes but make it available to the bacteria.

Good luck, I hope he starts to get better.

Minnow

Lovely guppy, I hope he pulls through. He looks a lot like my own guppy.

Beeker

Wow. $40 for a test kit is a lot.
Here is the one most of us use:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...rmastertestkit

A much better price.

Lucy

Great Price!

hkirchen

I bought mine at petsmart for 29.99, and it is well worth it. You will know instantly what is going on in your tank and when your tank is fully cycled.

Mine says that it has over 800 tests, and I believe it.

I would not buy any more fish for your tank until it fully cycles and you have purchased the test kit. If you do not, I am afraid that you will waste more money on fish than you would have investing in the API test kit.

Also, if you do not buy the kit, you will have to rely on the store's testing, and I urge to look at this blog on fishlore. It will hopefully help.

Good luck, and I am pulling for your guppy! I have some as well, and they are entertaining!


Dozey messes with the LFS

Heather