Guppies not doing well in new tank

[fish.head]

I got my first 70 gallon tank. I cycled the water for about a week before adding 6 guppies yesterday. They stayed at top for while after I added them. But in the morning two of them were at bottom, one not moving at all and one barely moving fighting to swim.

After I came back from work, I realized that the one that was not moving at all (I thought it was dead) has moved about a inch from where I remember it in the morning, though I see no movement at all. I am not sure if its dead or alive but sick.


Would appreciate any advice on diagnosing whats going on with the one which is not moving at all. I thought it was dead, but now that I realize that it has moved a bit, I am not sure if its just sick and not moving. Don't wanna give up on it and take it out but don't want to let it decompose in the tank either.

The other one is laying down sideways with slight fin and gill movement.

Three of rest seem to be swimming well in the tank, and fourth is always at top in one corner.

I am newbie so your advice would be helpful.

 

[giants1249er]

I am not an expert but this should be helpful:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

 

[librarygirl]

I got my first 70 gallon tank. I cycled the water for about a week before adding 6 guppies yesterday. They stayed at top for while after I added them. But in the morning two of them were at bottom, one not moving at all and one barely moving fighting to swim.

After I came back from work, I realized that the one that was not moving at all (I thought it was dead) has moved about a inch from where I remember it in the morning, though I see no movement at all. I am not sure if its dead or alive but sick.


Would appreciate any advice on diagnosing whats going on with the one which is not moving at all. I thought it was dead, but now that I realize that it has moved a bit, I am not sure if its just sick and not moving. Don't wanna give up on it and take it out but don't want to let it decompose in the tank either.

The other one is laying down sideways with slight fin and gill movement.

Three of rest seem to be swimming well in the tank, and fourth is always at top in one corner.

I am newbie so your advice would be helpful.

Your tank isn't cycled. You can't cycle a tank in a week. Do you have a good water test kit? If not you need one; the API Master Kit is best. Before you even do that I woudl do a large water change and use a good dechlorinator (whatever you have on hand is OK but in the future Prime is the best if you can get it; most pet/fish stores sell it) and match the temperature of the tank water as closely as you can. Do this every day. Get your test kit and test the water every day for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Any time ammonia or nitrite are over 0.25, do a water change to get them down to as close to 0 as possible; same with nitrate over 20. You'll need to do this for a good month or two until the tank fully cycles. There are links in my signature: what is cycling, and new tank with fish. Those will help you.

The link Giants gave you is a good one (it's in my sig also) but you can't do it unless you return the rest of your fish. If you can return them and cycle the tank first the proper way, it'll be easier on you and the fish.

Good luck.

 

[absolutangel04]

A week is not long enough to do a full cycle. Have you been measuring your water parameters? Did you read the cycling article?
Guppies are awesome little fish. A lot of people on here keep them. Good choice.
How did you acclimate them? Try to pick up the sick/dead ones with a net. If there is not movement at all from the gills or fins when you do this, they are dead. Sorry about that.
If you want to keep the guppies, you are going to need to do a water change. Do you have a way of measuring your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?
Sorry for all the questions! But we are all here to help you.
Edit: Whoops, she beat me to some questions. Sorry about the redundant info.

 

[jetajockey]

6 guppies into a 70 gallon isn't going to produce enough ammonia to cause a toxin issue this quickly, I'd chalk it up to bad stock or some other underlying issue. The cycling links given in previous posts are good info and will help you understand what to do to get the tank in order.

 

[fish.head]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for you advice. After struggling for two days two of my little guppies died. I took them out of the tank this morning. Rest looks good and are swimming all around in the tank.

I got a test kit and a new Aquaclear with biofilter.

Here's the stats of tank:
pH = 7.6
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Carbonate hardness = 89.5 ppm
General hardness = 125.3 ppm

Tank: 70 gallon freshwater, 6 guppies

@librarygirl: I got Prime and added a cap full to the tank during cycling process. The guy at Petsmart suggested me that. How often should I add them in a running tank? Instruction on the bottle says after every water change.

I did a 25-30% water change just two days back ( a day after I added the fish). How frequent should I change the water.

I only have artificial plants in the tank. Should I get some live plants?

 

[jetajockey]

Live plants are always a good idea as long as your lighting can support them.

Like I mentioned earlier, 6 guppies in a 70g tank is not going to produce a ton of waste. That's a good thing, though, because it means the water quality will stay better for longer.

Prime is a water conditioner, it's main use is to treat tap water to make it safe for fish.
Read up on the nitrogen cycle to get an understanding of how it works and you will get a better idea of what to do to keep things going well.

At this point, since the tank is still cycling, ammonia readings can help determine when you should do water changes, I would personally do a w/c every 3 to 4 days of about 50% or any time the ammonia/nitrite tests over .50, whichever comes sooner.