Michelle

I have a fancy guppy that is acting strange. the last couple of weeks this fish has had a full stomach, is still eating acting normal and pooping normal but the stomach never shrinks. now the last couple of days there is a spot on the side of his belly that was sticking out, it was the same color of him, now its like its a hole and is darker. his poop today was long and stringy. he is now at the top of the tank just swimming slowly around with his head right at the surface. what does this sound like and what should i do? the other fish are normal.

I have a 5 gallon tank with 2 cory catfish and 3 fancy guppies. the guppies tails are looking a bit rough but they are almost a year old, maybe more. i clean the tank every 2 weeks or so. and i am having a problem with ALOT of green algae lately, and i'm trying to clean it as often as possible. (once a week)

Butterfly

Weekly 25% water changes will make your fish very happy and also heal your guppys tail. Iwill also help get rid of the algae. Algae is usually a sign of over abundant nutrients.
Could you test your water for us and post the readings please? Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate?
Carol

Michelle

i dont have a test kit, i will try to clean the tank more then, thanks, but what do you think is wrong witht he guppy? he's just sitting at the top of the tank, do you think he is going to die? should i get medicine or something, he has that weird hole in his side.?

Butterfly

I think the best thing you can do for him is a large partial water change. He may die anyway. A water test kit would be a great help to you in judging when you need to do extra water changes. In a small tank like that water parameters can change quickly thats why you need to be able to keep such a close eye on it.
Carol