What now??

[Keeper]

This may belong in the unhealthy fish forum! If so, mods please move!

My 2 male guppies are hanging out in the top corner of the tank...not really moving. All the other fish are just going about their business.

Parameters

ph 7.6

Ammonia - 0ppm

Nitrite - 0ppm

Nitrate - 2.5ppm

It seems to be my 2 days of lots of question asking. Thanks to all that have helped me so far.

 

[Endgame319]

There are many possibilities.

- Fungal or bacterial infection
- parasite of some sort
- chemical came in contact with water
- the fish are dying of old age
- tankmates are bullying them
- lack of oxygen
- too hot/cold
- etc

you need to be more specific, are there any other symptoms?

 

[Keeper]

They are not being picked on. The one male has a split tail fin, but that is all. They ate well tonight and seemed to be okay around 6pm. They have just lost all energy. No chemicals that I am aware of have come in contact with the tank. Filtration is good with a aquaclear mini running at full. No bullying that I have seen. I am in the process of setting up the QT tank, which will be ready in the morning if needed.

 

[Menagerie]

I thought I told you to relax!! Where is Keeper's_girl?? Tell her to tell you to RELAX!!

Now on to the possible problem at hand.
Please remind me of the tank size and who else is in there.
*edit*

5.5 gallon freshwater, 2 x 10W PC, planted tank, Aqua clear mini. Little beginner tank! 5 guppies 2 oto cats 2 Amano Shrimp

Okay, since you said the two males are in the corner, are the rest female? Ottos and Amano shrimp are not on Canada's most wanted, so I rule out aggression.
They may be feeling under the weather, they may be aging, they may be bored, they may be having a tiff with the ladies, they may be ill....
The best you can do is watch them. If you are concerned, QT them in the morning and monitor them closely. Please post (I know you will) if something changes.

 

[Keeper]

I thought I told you to relax!! Where is Keeper's_girl?? Tell her to tell you to RELAX!!

RELAX....i've seen that word before. *looking up in dictionary*. OHHH, that's what it means.....oops.

Anywho....They are a little worse for wear this morning. The second male has a split fin while the first is showing signs of fin rot 8O . QT is on it's way for them. Is "melafix" ok to dose with or should I use something different.

Anyone else SOOOOOO addicted to their fish that whenever they look or act just a bit different you freak out? Or am I the only nutcase on this site?

 

[Essayons89]

Finrot is a bacterial infection and can be treated the same way that Flex is treated since it is one of the bacteria that is associated with finrot.

You can treat a couple of different ways. One way would be to do a malachite green dip. The other is to QT the infected fish and treat with an erythromycin based antibiotic.

Malachite Green Dip
Malachite Green is the main ingredient in most Ich remedies (such as Quick Cure). To perform the dip, fill a container with 1 liter of dechlored water matched to the temp and pH of the main tank. Add 1 drop of a malachite green based Ich remedy. Carefully net the infected fish out of the tank, while still in the net, dip the fish into the solution. Leave the fish in the solution for exactly 20 seconds-no more, no less. After the 20 seconds have expired place the fish back into the main tank. Repeat this treatment every other day for two weeks or for a few days after any sign of infection is gone.

The reason the fish is dipped for no more than 20 seconds is because the solution is highly concentrated. Most Ich meds are dosed 1 drop per gallon. While this is strong enough to kill the Ich parasite it isn't strong enough to kill flex (which is essentially what finrot is). Adding 1 drop of the med to 1 liter of water concentrates the solution making it effective against flex/finrot. However, due to this concentration, leaving a fish in for too long can kill the fish.

Maracyn/Maracyn 2
The other option would be to place the fish in a QT or HT and dose with an erythromycin based antibiotic. This is an effective drug and is what Maracyn is made up of. The Maracyn is the main trreatment. Maracyn 2 will kill off any secondary bacterial infections that may be present. Dosing is as directed on package. These drugs are photosensitive so the tank lights should be turned off. They will also cloud the water and an airstone should be added to the tank.

Treat for 5 days following the package instructions for dosing. After the fifth day, perform two 50% water changes 12 hours apart and repeat the treatment for another 5 days.

Even if it looks like the infection has disappeared it's always good to treat for a few days longer just to be sure.

HTH,
Bryan

 

[Menagerie]

Keeper, how are the other fish in the tank?

Or am I the only nutcase on this site?

I think you know the answer

 

[Essayons89]

I'm a Pepper, don't you want to be a Pepper too!

...but my doctor says that I'm getting better. If I'm a good boy they will even take the white coat off once a day.

bryan

 

[Keeper]

Other fish in the tank are looking "a ok". I am just in the process of moving the 2 guppies and will be treating with Super Sulfa from Aquatronics. This is what I had in my trusty little fish container.

BTW Menagerie....keepers_girl wanted to let you know that I drive her batty as well with all my worrying!

Essayons89 - thank you for the informative post....lotsa good info there!

 

[Menagerie]

keepers_girl wanted to let you know that I drive her batty as well with all my worrying!

I hope you worry about the kids as much as the fish

 

[Keeper]

keepers_girl wanted to let you know that I drive her batty as well with all my worrying!

I hope you worry about the kids as much as the fish

OMG, the kids!! I knew I was forgetting something!

Well, the 2 gups are in the QT tank...we'll have to see how they do.

 

[Menagerie]

As long as the kids aren't in the QT tank with them

 

[Keeper]

ok...the 2 gups seem to be doing fine. I did my first dose yesterday and will do the 2nd tomorrow! How long do you all think before I start to see any results. One of their tails looks horrible and the other is just "browning" at the end!

 

[Essayons89]

Depends on how bad the infection and damage to the tails are. In severe cases it can take quite a while before the fins grow back completely-if all of the way at all.

Bryan