Desperate For Help! My Guppy Is Sick!

[OilerFan1019]

Sorry for the repost. I desperately need help. My guppy is looking pretty ragged. He is lethargic and not eating. His head is up and tail is down. The bottom fin is looking flaky. I really want to help him...​

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I have a pH level of 7.5, Ammonia and nitrite of zero and a nitrate level of 10 ppm. I have two otos and four other guppies. They are normal and playful. It's a partially planted ten gallon. Thank you! <3​

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p.s, I have no isolation tank, so I just put him in the bowl for tank changes. Sorry about the bad photo quality.​

Tank​

What is the water volume of the tank? 10 gallons​

How long has the tank been running? 3 months​

Does it have a filter? Marina S10​

Does it have a heater? yes​

What is the water temperature? 77 Fahrenheit​

What is the entire stocking of this tank? Five guppies, two otocinclus​

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Maintenance​

How often do you change the water? 1-2 weeks​

How much of the water do you change? 50%​

What do you use to treat your water? top fin water conditioner for the new water​

Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Both​

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*Parameters - Very Important​

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? yes​

What do you use to test the water?Api master test kit​

What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.​

Ammonia: 0​

Nitrite:0​

Nitrate:10ppm​

pH:7.5​

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Feeding​

How often do you feed your fish? once a day​

How much do you feed your fish? couple sprinkles of flakes, bloodworms​

Do you feed frozen? no​

Do you feed freeze-dried foods? no​

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Illness & Symptoms​

How long have you had this fish? one month​

How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Yesterday​

In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? lethargy, drooping and mouth stuck open.​

Have you started any treatment for the illness? no​

Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? no, he was normal upon purchase​

How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? he looks droopier and doesn't eat​

Attachments​

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[Fishfur]

Sorry for the repost. I desperately need help. My guppy is looking pretty ragged. He is lethargic and not eating. His head is up and tail is down. The bottom fin is looking flaky. I really want to help him...​

​

I have a pH level of 7.5, Ammonia and nitrite of zero and a nitrate level of 10 ppm. I have two otos and four other guppies. They are normal and playful. It's a partially planted ten gallon. Thank you! <3​

​

p.s, I have no isolation tank, so I just put him in the bowl for tank changes. Sorry about the bad photo quality.​

Tank​

What is the water volume of the tank? 10 gallons​

How long has the tank been running? 3 months​

Does it have a filter? Marina S10​

Does it have a heater? yes​

What is the water temperature? 77 Fahrenheit​

What is the entire stocking of this tank? Five guppies, two otocinclus​

​

Maintenance​

How often do you change the water? 1-2 weeks​

How much of the water do you change? 50%​

What do you use to treat your water? top fin water conditioner for the new water​

Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Both​

​

*Parameters - Very Important​

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? yes​

What do you use to test the water?Api master test kit​

What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.​

Ammonia: 0​

Nitrite:0​

Nitrate:10ppm​

pH:7.5​

​

Feeding​

How often do you feed your fish? once a day​

How much do you feed your fish? couple sprinkles of flakes, bloodworms​

Do you feed frozen? no​

Do you feed freeze-dried foods? no​

​

Illness & Symptoms​

How long have you had this fish? one month​

How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Yesterday​

In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? lethargy, drooping and mouth stuck open.​

Have you started any treatment for the illness? no​

Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? no, he was normal upon purchase​

How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? he looks droopier and doesn't eat​

Attachments​

• 
  IMG_20240523_130455.jpg
  177.1 KB · Views: 4

Welcome to Fishlore. Sorry to see the fish is not well.

The picture doesn’t show anything terribly alarming though he looks a bit thin.

I’m not quite sure what you mean when you say the bottom fin is flaky.

Do you usually remove the fish for water changes?

If so there is no reason to do that - they don’t mind us working around them and it is quite stressful for them to be caught and moved every time you do a water change,

Where did you get the guppies?

Do you know or can you find out what the GH & pH of the water is?

 

[OilerFan1019]

Well I got the guppy from a good LFS. The fin looks kind of torn and he got droopier. Sometimes I remove them, but not often. The pH is 7.5, and GH is not included in the test kit...

 

[YorkshireTex]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I hate to say it but looking at your tank stats and your post your pretty much there with the up keep of your tank.

The PH levels, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia seem fine for guppies.

I'd say that you just have a naturally poorly fish that is just poorly and your doing nothing wrong.

Sometimes fish will just get sick and it's nothing you have done.

My only advice for the future would be more frequent water changes, you state once every one to two weeks try every few days (fresh water changes do wonders).

Other than that, you keep doing you and what your doing with your tank!

This is just my view but others will step in if it's wrong.

 

[OilerFan1019]

Ok thanks. He looks a bit off compared to his brothers which is why I was alarmed. He kind of ignored his food, when weeks ago he was the chunkiest boy in the tank.

 

[Fishfur]

Well I got the guppy from a good LFS. The fin looks kind of torn and he got droopier. Sometimes I remove them, but not often. The pH is 7.5, and GH is not included in the test kit...

Does the LFS do water testing? Most of them do it for free though not all. It would be useful to learn the GH & KH. API makes them available either individually or both in one box for less than the two individually.

By bottom fin do you mean the analfin?

 

[OilerFan1019]

Yup. Thanks. Heres a more recent photo of Tangy...

 

[Fishfur]

Since the analfin of a male guppy has become its gonopodium by the time it is sexually mature, I’m not too sure how it can look flaky or split.

A well focused closeup image of the area might help reveal more details.

But the fact he stopped has stopped eating snd isn’t behaving normally is more concerning.

It is possible that he might have mycobacteriosis and if he does, the bad news is that there is no way to treat it successfully.

It would not be a good thing if he passed away in the tank. That would spread the infection and it is fairly contagious by way of fish to fish contact as well as bacteria released from deceased fish.

It would be best if he could be placed in QT
even if only in a plastic storage box that’ll hold at least five gallons or so.

Loss of appetite can have other causes but none of them are good.

 

[OilerFan1019]

Ok. Like I said, he is in a three gallon bowl right now. I am not sure what I can do for him. He was in the main tank for a day before I removed him after noticing symptoms. Is that bad...? i'm pretty attentive to them.

 

[Fishfur]

Ok. Like I said, he is in a three gallon bowl right now. I am not sure what I can do for him. He was in the main tank for a day before I removed him after noticing symptoms. Is that bad...? i'm pretty attentive to them.

A 3 gallon bowl isn’t the worst QT so I’d leave him in there for now and change half the water daily, since it can’t hurt and might help.

One of the not-so-great sides to keeping fish is times like these when a fish is clearly not well but we don’t know why and there isn’t anything specific we can do to help the fish.

 

[OilerFan1019]

Thanks. He got a little worse. His gills are puffy and deep red…it might be his time soon.

 

[OilerFan1019]

He passed last night.

 

[Fishfur]

He passed last night.

I’m very sorry to hear that - my condolences.

 

[OilerFan1019]

Thank you. I am going to later get some females for my males to see some guppy kin. My friend also wants to set up a tank because I asked her if she would like to take any.

 

[Fishfur]

Thank you. I am going to later get some females for my males to see some guppy kin. My friend also wants to set up a tank because I asked her if she would like to take any.

You need at least 2 females per male fish especially in this size of tank.

A lone female or females well outnumbered by males will be harassed, possibly to death in the worst case scenario,, by too much pesky male attention. Unfortunately, the males have one track minds.

A female is going to have fry every month for her entire life, and while early broods are usually small - maybe only 5 fry, the numbers typically increase each time and while the average brood size might be around 30, broods can be twice that size.

The point is that a 10G tank just hasn’t got room for with the existing 5 make guppies and two Otos.

If you want to have a couple of females that’s fine but to do it you’d have to move at least 3 and better 4 of the males into some other tank or find them new homes.

I would give this idea a bit more thought.