iloveengl

Hello,

I have 4 male guppies (and a snail) in a 13g cycled freshwater tank. One gup (Leroy) has been picking on another (Frankie). Frankie is normally timid, but these past couple days, he's been hiding and only coming out for food. Yesterday I saw his tail had been nipped. This morning it was shredded! I watched them for almost twenty minutes and finally I saw Leroy chasing Frankie. I put Frankie in a quarantine tank, but otherwise that's all I've done about the situation. Frankie is the only one Leroy picks on. Everyone else gets along fine with each other.

1. How long until Frankie's fins heal?
2. What else should I do for Frankie?
3. What should I do about Leroy?
4. Any other suggestions?

Thanks. I'm new to being an aquarist and I love my fish; I really want them all to be happy.

UPDATE:
OH NO!!!! I just saw Leroy FLASHING!!! Okay, so this means he has the ICH, which means they all do, which means I should turn the temp up on their tank, right? (I'm gathering this from what I've been obsessively reading these past few days....) What temp should I put it on and what else should I do?

Tony G.

Hi
sorry you are going through trouble. To remove ich, you have to treat the WHOLE tank. Fo not put Frankie back in the tank, so he can recover from his tail. Its really hard to know if it really is fin rot without the pictures
AS for treating the tank, I would raise the temp into the lower 80's. Syphon your tank vigourously to remove the white balls from the gravel. For frankie, i would add some Vita-chem. some Garlic Guard to make sure his tail doesnt get infected.

Lucy

Does Franky show signs of ich? Any white dots that look like salt?
Flashing can be a sign of other parasites, not just ich.
Sometimes stress.
For a few more details from Tony's suggestion, if it's ich:
Slowly raise your temp to about 84F leave it there for at least 2 weeks, increase aeration to make up for less oxygen in warmer water.
Do water changes and gravels vacs to pick up all the spores.

iloveengl

Thanks for your quick replies; this is really upsetting. I just did a 40% water change & gravel vac. I increased their heater one notch. Leroy seems to be the only one freaking out. I didn't see any white things. Their water is clear, no algae, and Leroy seems to be the only one flashing (all over the tank and against the rocks). He's being aggressive with the other two now! I just got a snail a couple days ago; if it is itch or a parasite, could it have come from the snail?


UPDATE:
Leroy started picking on the other two, so I moved him to the quarantine tank and I put Frankie back with his other brothers in the 13g. As of this morning, Frankie seems to be doing much better; he's swimming around with his brothers and his tail (though nipped to pieces) looks like it's on the mend. I'm keeping the tank temp. high just in case.
Leroy is still wigged out and flashing and bumping against the quarantine tank. Is there such thing as fish psychosis

iloveengl

Frankie passed away this morning (I think the stress of his injuries and being bullied by Leroy was too much for him - he was a very gentle fish). Leroy is still quarantined and I am taking him back to the LFS this afternoon. Marty & George are absolutely fine and healthy, but it's just them now (and the snail). It's so crushing to have this happen.

Lucy

I'm really sorry you lost Frankie. Sometimes the stress and injury is too much for them.
Sounds like you're doing the right thing, taking Leroy back, sometimes you just get ann aggressive fish.