Fish tb or paranoia

Hi there. So about a week ago I found one of my female guppies swimming vertically at the top on the water (head up, tail down). She had red puffy gills and was a bit red and swollen around the analfin. I did a water change of 75 percent and by afternoon she was fine though still swimming a bit off.

The next day I checked on her she had a pretty severe curve but swimming and eating. I kept up daily water changes and went to research. Today she is lying on the ground barely swimming. She could have been pregnant since I believe this female had her first batch of fry about a month ago and was pretty late on delivery.

Another concern is fish tb. She is thin of course since she is just lying still and not eating but looks fine beside the curve and still a little raise anal area. No missing scales or bumps.

The guppies are in a no filter, no heater tub with a ridiculous amount of plants. I've had them healthy and happy for about six months. This is the first sign of illness. I cannot provide parameters since I have no test kit rn but I have been struggling to kept the water clear since moving them to a new location and changing tubs. A gazillion babies have taken over qt tub and all other spares so I can't isolate her at the moment.

I am prepared to euthanize today in case of an outbreak but the others look fine. I worry though since I have had cuts on my hands and don't wear gloves but do avoid water touching me when doing water changes since I am a bit of a germaphobe.

 

If you suspect TB, I strongly recommend that you buy some gloves from the supermarket- the ones they sell for washing dishes. It is transmissible to humans, especially if you have cuts on your hands.

 

If you suspect TB, I strongly recommend that you buy some gloves from the supermarket- the ones they sell for washing dishes. It is transmissible to humans, especially if you have cuts on your hands.

Currently euthanizing the fish in question. Wether or not it's tb i don't think it'll make it. The question left is, should I euthanize the entire tub? I'm not a 100 percent sure what it is.

Also, I'm equipped with gloves and bleach today. No chances.

 

Mycobacteria are ubiquitous in aquatic environments so culling and sterilization are ineffective.

 

Currently euthanizing the fish in question. Wether or not it's tb i don't think it'll make it. The question left is, should I euthanize the entire tub? I'm not a 100 percent sure what it is.

Also, I'm equipped with gloves and bleach today. No chances.

I would not. Doing so would be an overcorrection, IMO. Fish die. Whether it's TB or not, we'll never know for certain.

 

I would not. Doing so would be an overcorrection, IMO. Fish die. Whether it's TB or not, we'll never know for certain.

Do you have any guesses on what you think the illness is based on the symptoms?

 

The sunken belly could indicate internal parasites, ditto with the redness around the anal area. I dose all my tanks with Levamisole periodically to deworm them.

I would not. Doing so would be an overcorrection, IMO. Fish die. Whether it's TB or not, we'll never know for certain.

I agree. You always want to be concerned if a fish is sick and want to treat if you can figure out what it is, but sometimes fish just die and you don't know what happened, and it's a one-off.

I would very strongly recommend you get a test kit, such as an API Master Test Kit, especially considering there is no filter other than the plants. Red gills are often a symptom of ammonia poisoning. Water parameters are such a huge part of keeping healthy fish, if you have a problem you want to test the water first to either identify toxin levels or eliminate them as a source of the problem. Your plants might have been absorbing all the toxins, but with changes in bioload and tubs, that balance could easily change.