# Bubble on guppy's belly



## RedPodGurl (Jan 23, 2012)

Hi,

I am having a problem with 2 of my 3 guppies! I set up a 10 gallon freshwater tank up about a month ago, cycled for a week and a half, added 2 male guppies (a tequila sunrise and a black fancy) then waited a week and added a third. Now (about a week after the third was added) my first two both have what looks like dropsy! 

I used a 5-in-1 test strip and it looks like all my levels are fine. 
Nitrate - o
Nitrite - less than .5
hardness - 150
akalinity - 120 
ph - 7.5

I do a 15% water change bi-weekly, but did a 20% just now to be safe and have been using StressZyme each week. 

All three have been spending a lot of time towards the top of the tank the last few days and the two bloated ones are a little slower than usual, but otherwise they are all eating and swimming fine. 
I would resolve myself to plain dropsy and hope for the best, but my tequilla guppy also has a clear bubble where his belly meets his tail. It has a little red to it and looks like you can see into his abdomen through it. I've googled as much as I can but cant find anything... Does anyone have any ideas what it could be or what i can do to help them????

Thanks in advance.

*** I attached some pictures. They're as clear as I could get, but you can see the bump on the tequila. I also forgot to mention the black tail has had a clear filament-like thing hanging from his rear for a few days now, which you can also see in his pic. Thanks again!


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Long stringy poo, probably parasites. Swelling falls in line with that, though your fish look kinda pregnant too. You need to test your ammonia levels as well as the other things you reported. Hanging at the top could be low oxygen levels. What does your tank have for filter and air? Change half your water right away since the nitrItes are not zero and we have no idea what the ammonia levels are. What have they been eating, they could be constipated. How much do you feed and how often? Pregnant females look allot like that too, but without the bubble.

I'm not sure what to make of that bubble. Google gas bubble disease for fish and see if that could be an explanation. I'd treat them for constipation (try peas) and internal parasites for a couple of days and see if they start expelling some things. I am not a vet or any kind of expert, I just like to try to help.


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## RedPodGurl (Jan 23, 2012)

I wish they were just pregnant, but they are all boys :-/

I have a top fin 10 gal powerfilter and a moss ball, but no air stone because i was told i wouldnt need one. Maybe they were wrong about that? I feed them flakes, a small amount twice a day.

This morning the black tail has taken a turn for the worse. His belly is bigger and he is having a hard time staying afloat, sometimes sinking with his head first or even turning upside down. Also, part of his tail seems to be gone. I'm not sure if he may bhave gotten stuck to the filter (i've seen him get stuck once while writing this) or if the third guppy is just harrassing him.

I'm not holding much hope for him, but maybe something can help the tequila.... What would you suggest if it is parasites? And should I treat the third even if the other two die?


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Tetra Parasite Guard seems to be a decent combination of drugs for parasites. I don't have any experience with Clout, but some people seem to really like it. 

Not being able to float properly is due to the swim bladder being affected. Since there is not much spare room inside a fish, pretty much anything in there that doesn't belong could start to affect the swim bladder.

I'd just treat them all together.


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## RedPodGurl (Jan 23, 2012)

Well, I just came back from the store with quick dissolving parasite clear and my black tail was dead. On a positive note the bubble seams to have gone down a little on the tequila, though the guy at the fish store was just as puzzlwd by it as I was.


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## afremont (Nov 17, 2011)

Sorry to hear that. Did you google "gas bubble disease" for fish? It could be where the bubble came from and why it went away. It's not a good thing to allow to happen and it can be easily avoided.


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