# Guppy Problem



## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Hello all, new here! 

My wife and I just started in the aquarium world. We currently have a 6 gallon tank with 4 male guppies.

We think.

One of our guppies, a fancy yellow who we call Lemonhead, seems to be acting strangely. He looks more 'robust' than the others, and after a few days of happily swimming with the others, has now taken to hiding in the corner behind the filter's water intake tube. From LOOKING at this guppy, it is tough to make a distinction as to whether it is male or not. I know that sounds like a noobish statement, but it really is - he appears to have the appendage fin AND an anal fin.

We also have a little fin nippage going on from our tequila sunrise (Cuervo) and our turquoise (Bluey) on our other fancy (Crazyquilt).

So, we're a little worried. Any suggestions/advice?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Welcome to the forum, Darthfoley.:wave:

Please provide us more details about your problem. Tank maintenance schedule? Equipments? Water parameters? pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are the parameters you need to watch out for.

All male livebearers like the guppies should have a pointed fin near their anus which is actually a gonopodium used to insert sperm in the female's vent. Females should have a triangular shaped fin near their anus as well.

Male guppies are very easy to distinguish. They are far more colorful and sporting elegant tails compared to the females.


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 0
Hardness: 120
Alkalinity: 80
pH: 7.6

I don't have an ammonia measure at the moment. The tank is about 5 days old - it was set up and sat for two days, then we bought/added the guppies. The temp seems a little low - it was ok when we set it up but has dropped down to 74 or so at the moment. 

I understand Melafix will help with the fin nippage.


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## mHeinitz57 (Jun 9, 2007)

Test the ammonia as it is the first thing to spike in a new tank. 4 fish is actually a lot to start with in a 6 gallon tank and it can spike somewhat fast. Melafix can treat damaged fins but it is a strong medication if it is not that serious. It won't stop fish from nipping eachother though, it just heals damaged fins. Plus, the initial nitrogen cycle is stressful enough...medication would just add to that. If you can remove the fin nipper or add hiding spots to reduce the nipping then you shouldnt require a medication. Just use a stress coat, make sure water quality stays good, and the fins will grow back naturally.


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Quick update:

According to an ammonia tester we bought, we're at 1ppm. 

The water in this tank has become cloudy as well, basically overnight. I'm afraid we might have issues. =/


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## lioness501 (Jan 9, 2007)

i suggest u do daily water changes of 15%/??? to get the ammonia down. also cloudyness can happen with overfeeding. how much do u feed them and how often?


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

I've been feeding them twice a day, about 1/8tsp each feeding.


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## mHeinitz57 (Jun 9, 2007)

cut the feeding down to maybe just once a day and see if problems subside. Cloudiness is often a bacterial bloom often associated with overfeeding and occurs a lot in newer tanks. Continue doing water changes as needed, about 15-25% at a time.


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Well, we lost the yellow fancy this evening. We were starting a 25% water change and found him. I feel like a bad fish parent. =/

We'll keep up the changes and see how things go.


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## mHeinitz57 (Jun 9, 2007)

you;re not a bad fish parent..everyone experiences some issues and fish loss at some point. Just resist the urge to replace the little guy till the tank cylcles and everything is in control. The worst thing you could do is replace a fish in the middle of a cycle...it would probably mean a quick death for the new fishy. I hope the ohers do well though, please keep us updated.


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## lioness501 (Jan 9, 2007)

awww so sorry to hear that. i think everyone feels awful if a fishy friend dies. dont b disheartened tho, ur not a bad fish parent. ive lost many many fish, i should have a special grave yard for them!! keep ur tank well maintained and ull have happier healthier fish. i feed mine every other day, that way it all gets eaten  good luck with it!


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Well, we've changed things around a bit. Unfortunately, we've lost more fish in the process.

The remaining 3 of 4 original guppies we had were moved to a 20 gallon tank, along with 1 new black phantom. In the original 6 gallon tank, we rebooted - drain, clean, start from scratch, with a new yellow and a golden delta.

Within 3 days of the newly established 6 gallon reboot, the second yellow was dead - with no warning. Since these new tanks had been established at the same time, we decided to move the golden delta to the 20 gallon. All's well for a few days, then one morning I wake up to find the poor delta's tail split in two. We moved him to a small hospital tank, where he remained for 2 days, but he didn't make it.

So we now have 4 males in the 20 gallon, and an empty 6 gallon. The 4 remaining guppies all seem happy and healthy, but I admit to being very frustrated with the losses so far.


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## Steffiweff (Apr 22, 2007)

Hi Darthfoley

Guppies used to be the most hardy of species. I remember when my father got his first tank (many moons ago) and added his first fish. He got half a dozen zebra danios, some neons and some guppies.

Unfortunately, they've been bred and interbred so many times that the hardiness has been bred out of them - breeders have been looking for other qualities instead.

If you're going to start your tanks from scratch you will need to get some zebra danios (which are still hardy) but don't add them to your tank until it has been cycling for at least 1-2 weeks.

Don't give up. I know how tempting it is.


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## Julie's Julies (Jun 11, 2007)

"get some zebra danios (which are still hardy) but don't add them to your tank until it has been cycling for at least 1-2 weeks."

While you should let your tank adjust for a few days after set-up, unless there is already ammonia in your water or you are adding small bits of food to the tank to build up the ammonia count, the tank won't cycle in that first one-two week period since there will be nothing for the bacteria to feed on. Steffiweff is right, though, Zebra Danios are your best bet for tank cycling. I personally enjoy the long-finned variety - I find them to be really attractive fish.


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## mHeinitz57 (Jun 9, 2007)

Julie's Julies said:


> While you should let your tank adjust for a few days after set-up, unless there is already ammonia in your water or you are adding small bits of food to the tank to build up the ammonia count, the tank won't cycle in that first one-two week period since there will be nothing for the bacteria to feed on. Steffiweff is right, though, Zebra Danios are your best bet for tank cycling. I personally enjoy the long-finned variety - I find them to be really attractive fish.


This is true, it won't cycle until you drop the fish in or add ammonia in some other form. ALso, 1-2 weeks into the cycle you will probably have high ammonia or nitrite...a bad time to add new fish. With some supplements you can cycle a tank that fast but usually it will take 3-4 weeks...sometimes more. Zebra Danios are usually the cheapest and strongest fish to start with but White Clouds also work great. They are about the same price and hardiness. Some people claim cories are delicate but I have found them incredibly resilient and also great to start with as are gouramis. Both are labyrinth fish that can withstand water quality and even temperature shifts well.


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## yippee (Jun 26, 2007)

i don't know that it helps any, but i was just going to say that i started my wide 20 gallon with white clouds. i saw them at the store and for the price decided i would try them out. after starting this tank out on them, i decided to transplant them and use them for my new 55 gallon as well. i used to use the zebra danios to start my tanks, but now i would suggest using either. just thought i would throw my experience with the white clouds out there. good luck, take your time, and don't get discouraged. in the end, the pay off will be worth the struggle.


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Well, another update. 

We've added a few fish in the month or so since the last post. We added 3 albino corys about two and a half weeks ago, after allowing the tank to finish cycling. Seemed ok, but about a week after being added we lost one of the corys overnight. Gave it a day or two, monitoring the ammonia, and decided to add 2 more corys and one more guppy to make a total of 9 fish (5 guppies/4 corys) in our 20 gallon. Again, everything was smooth for about a week, then boom - newest guppy overnight, one of our original 4 guppies the next day, and lastly one of the new corys the next day. Ammonia level atm is about 1.0ppm; we've been using cycle and ammolock but I'm not sure what else to do with it, aside from weekly 25% water changes/cleaning, which we've been keeping up with. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We're currently at 3 guppies and 3 corys in the 20 gallon.

Our second tank, a 6 gallon, now has 3 white clouds and 1 betta...everything there has been fine for about a month or so. The clouds definitely seem to be hardy little guys.  Unfortunately the light on this tank has gone wonky on us - it's an Eclipse 6 gallon, and the light socket under the hood has somehow gotten corroded - so the light only comes on 'halfway' in the manner that fluorescents do.


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

Lost another guppy overnight.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I think you should stop using ammolock. What are your water parameters right now? Do water changes when you detect again your ammonia and nitrites.


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## GW (May 25, 2007)

Darth, Just a question but what is the process you use to transfer the new fish into the tanks?


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## darthfoley (Jun 8, 2007)

nitrate: 20ppm
nitrite: 5ppm
Hardness: 120
Alkalinity: 80
pH: 7.0
Temp: 80F

As far as adding fish - we float them in their bag inside the tank for about 20 minutes, then move them to a small container full of the tank water...another 20 minutes and in they go.


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