Help with a sick guppy?

[ryanoh]

Sorry for that bad picture, but I haven't quite got the settings right to get pictures of my fish.

Hi everyone, I just had a quick request to see if anyone could help me identify what's wrong with my fantail guppy. I had this fish for about four months now, and for about the last month I noticed that his tail looks like it's been chewed off. He is in a 55 gallon tank with about ten other non aggressive fish, one of which is another guppy. None of the other fish seemed to have fin problems, and his weren't getting any worse so I ruled out that another fish was chewing on his fins, unless it might have been the other guppy.

I recently left town for a week, and upon returning I noticed that the guppy in question is swollen near the front of it's body, and has spent the majority of the last two days hovering in the same spot (next to the heater at the very top of the water). Today, the guppy seems to have some scales missing, or an open sore on his side.

I tried some other sites to try and see what might have been wrong, and some charts led me to maybe fin/tail rot, or dropsy. Does anyone have any better advice on what it might be, and maybe even how to cure it? Also, does it look contagious to my other guppy, or even to the rest of my other species? Also, I can try and get some better pictures if this one isn't clear enough to make a good diagnosis.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bassbonediva]

It does look like he has dropsy and fin rot, both of which are generally caused by poor water parameters. What are your parameters right now?

I have heard of people treating dropsy successfully with Jungle Labs "Fungus Clear" (available at Walmart, usually). As for the fin rot, since he's in such a large tank and none of the other fish have been affected by it, I would QT him and treat him with Melafix to help the fin rot heal.

 

[ryanoh]

I'm pretty new to fish tanks. What do you mean by water parameters?

 

[lauraf]

Water parameter questions - that means you need to tell all the experts here (I'm not one of them ) about what your water reads for the immediately important balances - that would be ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. You should have your own test kits to measure these levels on your own, as many local fish stores won't give you a proper read on your parameters when you bring in a sample.
If you don't have that kind of test kit, you can't tell us what your 'parameters' are. And that's gonna be the first question that most expert fishkeepers on this site will ask you when you inquire about specific fish issues.
Do you have a full water test kit? Can you get one?

 

[littletankbigworld]

You really need a liquid test kit. Also, how often do you do water changes? Just out of curiosity...what other fish are in the tank with him?

 

[ryanoh]

Well, I had him quarantined starting last night, and he didn't end up making it through the night. I'm going to water change later today and I can post the parameters then so maybe someone could tell me if there's any risk to my other fish?

 

[ryanoh]

Okay, here's the rundown on water according to the test strips I have
Nitrate is around 20, which it says is safe.
Nitrite is at .5, which is on the cautious side of safe. How can I bring this down to the safest?
Hardness is anywhere between 75 and 150, but it doesn't say what the hardness for the water should be.
The total alkalinity is at 120, which according to this is ideal.
And the pH is at 7.2-7.8

How am I doing on this?

As for other fish in the tank

one remaining guppy
three goldfish
three platies (one of which was born three weeks ago)
one blood tetra
three neon tetras
and
1 plecostamus (who I'm contemplating giving to a friend)

I have plenty of cover for them as far as hollow things to hide in and fake plants, but I only have one live plant. Should I get another?

Also, two of my tetras died within hours of me doing the water change. Obviously I did something wrong, so what should I do next time to prevent fish from dying after a water change?

 

[littletankbigworld]

Get rid of your goldfish. They are coldwater fish, not tropical fish. Also, they create a lot of waste and will dirty your water very quickly. And, to make things worse, when your goldfish grow, they will eat your other fish.

 

[ryanoh]

The goldfish were tester fish that are left over, so when they're gone I'm not getting any more. They are dirty, but none of them are the kind that get very big.

Since the water change I've had all 3 of my glow tetras die.

I just bought the Jungle antifungal tablets and put them in the tank, so that's a start, right?

 

[OrangeCones]

Nitrate is around 20, which it says is safe.
Nitrite is at .5, which is on the cautious side of safe. How can I bring this down to the safest?

20 is the maxium for nitrate. If its at 20 AFTER the water change, you need another water change.

0 is the safe level of nitrite, there is no 'cautious side of safe.' A water change will bring that down too.

You need to get a test for ammonia too. That is the first level that gets out of balance and causes damage to fish first.

Also, two of my tetras died within hours of me doing the water change. Obviously I did something wrong, so what should I do next time to prevent fish from dying after a water change?

To have the fish die right after the water change usually means a temperature shock or chlorine. Did you match the water temperature of the change water to the tank water? Did you dechlorinate the water before adding it to the tank?

The goldfish were tester fish that are left over, so when they're gone I'm not getting any more. They are dirty, but none of them are the kind that get very big.

'Tester fish'? Do you mean you bought them to cycle the tank?

They need their own tank and if you can't provide that for them, please find another home for them. They are cold water fish and can't be housed with tropical fish. You didn't say what size tank you have. Three goldfish will need at least 40 gallons alone. To simply keep them until 'they're gone' is cruel. There are no goldfish that stay small, not sure who told you they were a kind that doesn't get very big. The small ones (fancy types) get 8-10 inches, the common comets get 1-2feet.

Since the water change I've had all 3 of my glow tetras die.

Again, temperature changes or chlorine still in the water. What brand of dechlorinator do you use? *What glow tetras? You didn't list that fish in your list earlier. *

 

[littletankbigworld]

You said it, OC. Goldfish or any fish for that matter do not "grow to their tank size." Their growth might be stunted, but they will still get huge, or die of organ failure from not having enough tank space. Fish are animals that depend on you to take care of them, just like any other pet. I suggest you rehome them, or take them back to the store ASAP.

 

[ryanoh]

Sorry, I forgot to say it's a 55 gallon tank. Is it really not okay to have three goldfish in that big of a tank?

After everything dying, here's what's in the fish tank right now.

1 guppy.
3 goldfish, and I can't tell you what kinds they are other than to say that one's orange, one's white, and one is brown and black, and they're all fairly small.
1 plecostomus
2 mickey mouse platies
1 mickey mouse platy fry (sorry, I don't have another tank for him, but he's big enough not to get eaten)
1 neon tetra (the blue and red kind)
1 neon tetra (it's orange and brown)
1 blood fin tetra
1 bleeding heart tetra
1 fish that resembles a bleeding heart tetra but is transparent and doesn't have a "heart" (Walmart had it listed as "neon tetra")
1 bright orange tetra (which I *think* is a glow tetra, also, I thought this one was dead but I found it swimming later)
1 plant, and I'm not sure what kind

I just want to say this too, I inherited this fish tank, and I don't know a lot about taking care of fish, and the only place in town to go to get anything related to fish, including advice, is Walmart. Apparently I need to do another water change, but seeing as how I just put in a dose of fin-rot medicine, should I wait for that to take effect before I go and change some of the medicated water out?

As for why the fish died after the water change, I used the right temperature water, and I put dechlorinator in it beforehand. I live in a city with *heavily* chlorinated water, and I'm not sure if that means I should use more than the dose of dechlorinator than the bottle says. I'm not sure. It's never been a problem before.

Here's my two immediate questions if anyone could just answer them:
1. I put medicine in the water. Should I still do another water change right now?
2. I have my thermometer set to 75 degrees, as was recommended to me. Is this harmful to the coldwater goldfish?

Since I think I was very clear about all the details, if someone wanted to give me a plan to fix whatever mess I made, I'm totally open to it.

 

[OrangeCones]

Sorry, I forgot to say it's a 55 gallon tank. Is it really not okay to have three goldfish in that big of a tank?

Three goldfish would do well in a 55 gallon tank. The problem is that you have coldwater fish (goldfish) and tropical fish (the rest), in the same tank. You can't provide for them both in the same water. The goldfish need water from the high 60s to the low 70s. Tropicals need mid-high 70s to 80s.

I just want to say this too, I inherited this fish tank, and I don't know a lot about taking care of fish, and the only place in town to go to get anything related to fish, including advice, is Walmart.

I think you'll do better listening to the folks here, than at Walmart (no offense if anyone works there, I know from experience that those I've been to do not know a thing about fish).

Apparently I need to do another water change, but seeing as how I just put in a dose of fin-rot medicine, should I wait for that to take effect before I go and change some of the medicated water out?

Fin rot is CAUSED by poor water conditons. Regardless of what the bottle of medication says, you need to do water changes to get the toxins at an acceptable level. But, you need to find out why the fish are dying after a water change.

As for why the fish died after the water change, I used the right temperature water, and I put dechlorinator in it beforehand. I live in a city with *heavily* chlorinated water, and I'm not sure if that means I should use more than the dose of dechlorinator than the bottle says. I'm not sure. It's never been a problem before.

What brand of dechlorinator do you use? It's possible that your water company uses chloramine (my water company does), which is a compound with chlorine and ammonia. If the dechlor you use doesn't also detoxify ammonia, then using it on water with chloramine will ADD ammonia to the water, basically making the ammonia level worse.

1. I put medicine in the water. Should I still do another water change right now?

Yes, with the right dechlorinator. Seachem's Prime is an example of one that will take care of chlorine and ammonia.

2. I have my thermometer set to 75 degrees, as was recommended to me. Is this harmful to the coldwater goldfish?

75 is at the high end of the range for a goldfish, and low end of tropical fish.

Since I think I was very clear about all the details, if someone wanted to give me a plan to fix whatever mess I made, I'm totally open to it.

The first thing, in my opinion, is to decide if you want goldfish or tropical fish, and either get a 2nd tank for the others or rehome them. The tropical fish you've mentioned need to be in schools of 5+, but that's another topic!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Just my 2cents.
OC

 

[ryanoh]

Three goldfish would do well in a 55 gallon tank.

How small of a tank would you go for them? I have a friend who has an empty tank, I'm just not sure if it would be big enough. I'm not sure, but I'm going to guess it's around 20 gallons.
EDIT>> Nevermind, someone already said atleast 40. Looks like I'll have to split them up to different people.

I think you'll do better listening to the folks here, than at Walmart (no offense if anyone works there, I know from experience that those I've been to do not know a thing about fish).

Exactly. I feel very ill-informed about everything, and I was just going with the answers I got from the people at Walmart about the questions I had from reading online. She seemed confident in what she was talking about, but it's really clear that all you guys know more.

Thanks everyone.

 

[lauraf]

Hey, don't feel badly - everyone starts somewhere. I still make mistakes and listen to the wrong sources. People here just want your fish to live and thrive, like you do.
You do need to rehome your goldfish - sounds like that was your decision about what kind you want to keep in your 55g. But while you are focusing on that, can you also very quickly (like tonight or tomorrow?) get to Walmart and buy liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Things like hardness and pH are also important, but your tank is in crisis here, so let's focus on the most crucial aspects. Also, buy the product recommended above called Prime and use that as your water conditioner/dechlorinator.
Tell us what your readings are - knowing the ammonia will be a big help. After you do the water test, try a 20% water change using Prime, and see if any of your fish seem to suffer from it.
People here can advise you of the next steps once your water parameters are known and how that water change goes.
Chin up!
Laura