# Guppy sick? Or just lazy?



## iamntbatman

My male guppy has been acting weird the past couple of days. He just sits on the bottom of the tank, motionless (except for the breathing motions). He has no other signs of illness. When I stick my finger near him or if one of the females bumps into him, he "wakes up" and starts behaving normally.

These are normally pretty active fish, and I've never seen them "sleep" before. I know some of my other fish tend to just kind of sit in one spot at night while they sleep, so is he just being lazy and sleeping during the day, or does this sound like he's sick?

The tank is a 5g hex. Water parameters are zero ammonia and nitrite, about 15 ppm nitrate, pH 7.2, temp 78. Haven't checked the hardness lately. The other occupants are 2 female guppies and a pond snail.


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## onefish2fish

hangin out in a corner, by itselt usually means sickness and if you want to get technical its called lethargic
this can be a symptom of many sicknesses so it would be hard to tell, especially since no other signs are being shown, your best bet is just to keep you eye on the guy. ( i guess there could be a lazy fish, although ive never experienced it )
its been 3 days hows he hangin?


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## iamntbatman

He's still acting pretty lethargic, but still no signs of other illness. Usually this guy's zipping around the tank or trying to mate with the females constantly, but he's been just sort of sitting in one place treading water for a few days. He still perks up at meal times, though.


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## onefish2fish

hmm :dunno: 
i know how those male guppies get, they cant keep to themselves, i separated my males and females.. after they drop the next batch of fry though ill prob. put em back together
i mean its obvious somethings wrong, but its weird that he's not showing any other symptoms of anything and excepting food.

maybe a severe case of depression? :lol:


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## 1077

Are you crumbling up the food really well? As I'm sure you Know some fish food especially Flake expands up to three or four times the amount offered. He may just be a little bloated?


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## iamntbatman

He doesn't look bloated at all. He doesn't eat nearly as much food as the females, who are absolute pigs. Today, still lethargic, but still no other signs of illness. He's still eating as usual.


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## zerlinafish

*Guppies...*

What is it with Guppies :roll: ??!! I woke up really early this morning, and my guppies were "laying" on the bottom of the tank too, and now they are zippy and normal and eating. I wish I could get into their little guppy minds...

Hmmm....


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## okiemavis

Perhaps internal parasites? Does he look skinny?

Zerlinafish, it's normal for them to be lying on the ground in the morning, they're probably just still sleeping, especially if the lights haven't gone on yet. They don't have very good eyesight in the dark, so they need to stay put or they'll swim into things.


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## iamntbatman

He's definitely not as chubby as his female friends, but he looks to be about the right size for an adult male guppy.


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## iamntbatman

Just a little follow-up: I only do weekly 50% water changes on this tank, as the nitrates never break about 15 ppm. Even though all of my water parameters were perfectly fine, right after the scheduled water change the little guy perked right up. He's been back to his old, guppy-casanova self ever since.


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## aunt kymmie

It's great that he perked right up. Glad to hear the little guy made it thru...


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## 1077

Water changes also bring trace elements that fish need depending on what type of water is being used. I have observed many fish who become more active after water changes. In fact whenever i see any of my fish behaving out of the ordinary I perform a water change whether it has been only a couple days since the last one or about time for one. It is a quick first line of defense. If after twenty four hours I see no improvement I perform my water tests. If they are within acceptable range then I let thefishes immune system do what it can. I sometimes think a water change is like a refreshing shower to the fish though I cannot confirm it.


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