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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Sick guppy!!! help diagnose!
i just got a new 10 gallon tank and added the fish (guppies) yesterday. they already have babies  but while examining them today, one of the males has cottony stuff around his mouth. i think this is the fungus cotton mouth but im not sure. he has not been eating and has been hovering near the surface of the water. i separated him from my other fish. is this the cotton mouth fungus? i probably bought him with it so i dont know how long it has been there. is it too late to treat? will the others be infected (he was with them for about a day before i moved him)
My tank:
3 male guppies
7 female guppies
9 guppy fry
one apple snail
temperature: 79-80 degrees
Another fish has funny looking scales. the scales on her stomach are sticking off a bit but i dont think its dropsy. shes not bloated and seems healthy. another male has discolored scales. should i be worried? | 
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello GuppyLove and Welcome to Fish Lore. Sorry to hear your fish is ill. Do you know your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Just to make sure you aren't having tank cycling issues.
As for the cotton mouth...Melafix is listed for the treatment of cotton mouth. I don't see any reason it wouldn't be safe for your guppy. However, let's get some more responses first.
I hope it gets well soon!
Ken | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hi welcome to FishLore
I've had luck with Jungle's Fungus Eliminator.
I don't have experience with live bearers, I'm sure other members will be able to give some advice about your female.
I see the tank is new, do you know your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
If you're cycling with fish, the toxins weaken their immune system and makes it harder to fight off disease and illness.
Best of luck, I hope your fish feel better. | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| im really sorry and i dont have readings for my levels. i need to get the reader things in the past i havent had them and the fish have been fine but i want to do this the right way.
do you think the male has cotton mouth? what about the other two fish (discolored scales and one with scales sticking out on its belly)
i have only had them a day so any problems existing were there when i got them probably | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| If you can post some pics, it might help the other members ID whats going on. | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| okay thanks so much im going to get the readings of my tank by monday. i need to know if i should quarantine the other two that may be sick. are there any contagious diseases involving scales sticking up? | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| ill post a pic of the quarantined one but the other two are moving too fast i cant get a good pic | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| It will help all your fishies to do daily partial water changes with a water conditioner. If your pet store carries a bottle of Prime, I suggest using that as your water conditioner. Prime (with daily partial water changes) neutralizes ammonia that builds up with fish poo and rotting food. This will help any sick fishies feel better, keep healthy fish healthy, and fry need pristine water.  | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| sorry i dont have my camera and my phone is malfunctioning the pics wont upload. 
ill describe it the best i can. my fish is sitting at the surface of the water with his mouth out and he isnt moving. theres a cottony, clearish slime attached to his mouth and floating around it
the girl has scales sticking out on her belly (not bloated) and the area is a little pinkish more so than usual. shes moving around just fine
the other male has a section between his body and tail where the scales are cloudy and white/discolored. he hangs out closer to the bottom of the tank and isnt as active as the others. maybe hes just old hes really big
additional observations that may be helpful:
the girl with the strange scales has a really flat belly while the other girls are round. she swims around and is active though. the other fish arent bothering her
the boy with the discoloring sometimes has his front half float up he was vertical for a minute. hes still staying at the tank bottom. should i quarentine them   I've merged your two back to back threads to save some space. Don't forget there is an "edit" key that you can use for additional thoughts and or corrections.
Thanks!
Ken
Last edited by aquarist48; October 11th, 2009 at 12:58 PM.
Reason: Back to back | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by guppylove23  sorry i dont have my camera and my phone is malfunctioning the pics wont upload.
ill describe it the best i can. my fish is sitting at the surface of the water with his mouth out and he isnt moving. theres a cottony, clearish slime attached to his mouth and floating around it
the girl has scales sticking out on her belly (not bloated) and the area is a little pinkish more so than usual. shes moving around just fine
the other male has a section between his body and tail where the scales are cloudy and white/discolored. he hangs out closer to the bottom of the tank and isnt as active as the others. maybe hes just old hes really big | welcome to fishlore! im sorry its because your fish babies are sick tho
sounds like ammonia poisoning with the water surface slime maybe around his face? do you have the surface of the water moving around? sounds the same with your girl
I think you need to get some prime or amquel+ as soon as possible and start with daily water changes so the fish dont die...in a 10 gal tank, thats a very large bioload and im sure the ammonia/nitrites are going to be really high! | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| is this contagious? | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| if its ammonia poisoning, no its not but all the fish can get sick with ammonia/nitrites....the tank needs to be cycled and the daily water changes will help them survive... | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| is it my tank that has the problem or did i buy them with the problem? ive only had them a day. is that long enough for poisoning to develop? i know that teh two males with the problems were bought that way.
the girls stomach has a little indent in it she looks like shes rly skinny but she eats | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| The girls stomach sounds like she may have been picked on. However, if this is the case then she is probably ill from something else. Possibly ammonia poisoning but until we know the readings it's hard to say.
Wishing you the best. Great advice about doing some water changes and adding some Prime or Amquel +.
Ken | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by guppylove23 is it my tank that has the problem or did i buy them with the problem? ive only had them a day. is that long enough for poisoning to develop? i know that teh two males with the problems were bought that way.
the girls stomach has a little indent in it she looks like shes rly skinny but she eats | that many fish in a 10g tank, could be ammonia...if you bought the fish that way, why? did they have the fuzzys around their mouth before you got them? the raising of scales and redness is probably ammonia....it wont take long to spike it in the smaller tanks..especially with the fish you have...hence the water changes with prime or amquel+ is needed asap...it will detox the ammonia/nitrites and help keep the fish safe for 24 hours until another water change..thats going to have to be daily until the tank cycles which takes a few weeks with fish..... | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| okay thanks! i didnt get to examine them before i got them i didnt notice till today | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| is the only way to fix ammonia to do water changes?
i changed the water and after i did one of the females (not the sick one) started racing up and down the side of teh tank. is she sick? should i be worried or is she just scared? | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Yes, a bottle of Prime (or Amquel +) that we suggested earlier will neutralize the ammonia in between water changes. That means the ammonia will not hurt your fish, but it will allow the tank to cycle properly. Most pet stores carry Prime or Amquel +.
She may be acting like that because of the new water. Having fresh water makes them happy and gives them more energy. | |
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October 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| ok thanks. soetimes the adults hang out around the top of the filter. is this odd? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| yes it is odd...they need the prime or amquel+ ..do you use water conditioner and keep the water the same temp as the tank when you change it? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| yeah i do and i watch the thermometer it doesnt change when i add water it stays stable. both of the ones hanging out by the filter died but the rest seem fine | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| oh no im sorry for the loss | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| its really sad.. the one with the fungus around his mouth died too when the stuff grew around his whole face i was about to go buy something to help but too late..
question: guppy fry are fragile. if this is a problem with my water, wouldn't they all be dead? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| slowly they will pass unless you get the tank cycled and the daily water changes with one of the products recommended....im sorry for all your losses...allot of us have been there and started out the same way...trying to find the prime or amquel+ will save the rest of the fishies and help you to get it cycled safely ..good luck! | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| i have this stuff called Stress Zyme+ but i dont know really what it does so i hesitate to add it. it says under the title "biological filtration booster" then "dual action: speeds the development of the biological filter for a clean aquariam"
i put some in when i got the tank. should i add some again?
if i add it with the fish in the water, will it hurt them? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by guppylove23 i have this stuff called Stress Zyme+ but i dont know really what it does so i hesitate to add it. it says under the title "biological filtration booster" then "dual action: speeds the development of the biological filter for a clean aquariam"
i put some in when i got the tank. should i add some again?
if i add it with the fish in the water, will it hurt them? | no the stress zyme wont cycle the tank...the bacteria wont self sustain and it has to be added forever....the amquel+ or prime will keep the fish safe as stated before , with the daily water changes....the tank will cycle naturally in a few weeks by doing that..if you can find tetra safestart, thats the type of bacteria needed to cycle the tank but with fry, id go more of the daily water changes with either amquel+ or prime added with each change.....I would try to find some asap before the fry start passing as the ammonia/nitrites get much higher | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| can you send me a link to a picture of a bottle of prime so i know what to get? thanks so much for the help im going to get some right now
and is there a kit to test my water for nitrate/nitrite/ammonia/ pH tht u recomend? again, i dont want to get the wrong thing.
Last edited by Shawnie; October 12th, 2009 at 12:55 PM.
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| As has been suggested by others ... Prime or Amquel+ along with daily PWC's is in order ASAP.
As Shawnie mentioned, if you can find - or order online - Tetra Safe Start, that is the bacterial additive you want to use to cycle a tank ... and would help quite a bit. If you pick some up, make sure to follow the directions to a T.
If the fry drop ... the Prime or Amquel+ w/ daily PWC's is the way to go with the little ones.
Lastly, it's always a good idea to have some meds on hand. I have a livebearer community (all male), and though I haven't had to medicate much at all ... I have had a couple of fish I rescued that had issues, and used Pimafix/Melafix combo in my QT as both a preventative and/or a lighter form of medicating. Of course, I also employ frequent partial water changes (PWC's), as clean water is of the highest importance concerning fish health.
If the fish won't eat and thus aren't taking in vitamins and getting nutrition ... a supplement like Vita Chem can help. | |
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