Hi, I have a few guppies in my 100ltr tank and one of them is not swimming right. It is cork screwing all around the tank but other than that he looks ok. He is feeding well but has been doing this for about 24 hours now. My readings seem fine, and am just about to do a clean and it's weekly water change, so I don't think I have done anything wrong. It does float/hover normally it's when it swims fast it cork screws about. I have read that it could be bladder problems. Is my fish dying?
Is my guppie dying?
- Thread starter Ollymoran
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Cactuspixie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Test your water again, and post your results.
Do you only have the guppies in the tank?
In the meantime I would do a large (40%+) water change and add salt as well as dechlorinator to the new water.
Cactuspixie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looks like ammonia/nitrite poisoning. You need to get them lower than that. Do another pwc as soon as you are able, and add some extra prime to detoxify them.
Cactuspixie
Aquarium Advice Addict
100 litres= 26 US gallons. How many of each type of fish do you have in the tank, and what filtration are you running?
I have all pond solutions activated carbon. Have had going for about 2 months. I have 15 fish, 5 tetra, 5 gups and 5 mollies
Fishperson
Aquarium Advice Addict
What filter do you have? When those fish grow, your tanks going to be way overstocked. Mollies can easily grow well over 4 inches, so if you only had the 5 mollies thats all you could have, if anything 5 mollies would overstock that tank. I think you should get rid of the mollies, then you'd probably be fine. What kind of tetra is it? Is the tank cycled?
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
Indeed, the first question is, was the tank cycled.
But when you say the filtration is 'all pond solutions activated carbon', do you mean that is the only kind of media in the filter ? If so, you need some proper media, sponge or floss or ceramic or a combination of these.
Carbon is not good biomedia, compared to the other types, and it is usually only used if there is a problem with odour, colour or medication that needs to be removed from the water. Otherwise, it is best replaced with another media type that will hold a lot more of the BB [beneficial bacteria] that convert ammonia and nitrite in the filter.
The odd swimming might be swim bladder, it might also be neurological, in which case there is probably nothing you can do about it. If the fish eats and seems otherwise ok, you can wait for awhile to see if it resolves on its own. If it does not, you might want to euthanize the fish, if it appears to be suffering or it affects its ability to eat.
But when you say the filtration is 'all pond solutions activated carbon', do you mean that is the only kind of media in the filter ? If so, you need some proper media, sponge or floss or ceramic or a combination of these.
Carbon is not good biomedia, compared to the other types, and it is usually only used if there is a problem with odour, colour or medication that needs to be removed from the water. Otherwise, it is best replaced with another media type that will hold a lot more of the BB [beneficial bacteria] that convert ammonia and nitrite in the filter.
The odd swimming might be swim bladder, it might also be neurological, in which case there is probably nothing you can do about it. If the fish eats and seems otherwise ok, you can wait for awhile to see if it resolves on its own. If it does not, you might want to euthanize the fish, if it appears to be suffering or it affects its ability to eat.
Bichir Bro
Aquarium Advice Addict
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I recommend removing the mollies as fish person said, they grow large and chain petstores usually do not tell people of this. Removing them will Open up room for some more tetras or guppies. You could also do some peacock gudgeons. They're amazing little fish, pretty easy to care for and do not take up much space at all. They are bottom dwellers too, I recommend getting 2 males and 3 females. They won't overstock your tank because they don't grow over a few inches. However if you do, do peacocks you must have a tank with plants, enough rock work and caves so they may set up little territories. It doesn't matter if they're live or fake plants, just that there's enough.
Have 2 sponge filters there as well. It only cork screws when he tries to swim fast. When he is swimming slow along the bottom say he is absolutely fine. The tank has been set up for about 2 months. Also I got some bio rings and also some bio balls when I bought the tank. Should I keep the activates carbon for a while or replace with one of these?
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
If the fish only has issues when trying to swim faster, I would leave it to see how it does. Salt might help, might not, but if he is eating and pooping and otherwise seems ok, just wait to see what happens. I don't think it's dying, but it might have a neurological issue that only shows when it tries to swim quickly.
If carbon is the only thing in the filter, you would have to remove a small portion of it, replace with the ceramic rings if that is what you have. A couple of weeks later, remove some more carbon, add some bioballs in place of it.
Those rings and balls were provided because you have to provide living places for the bacteria that keep the ammonia under control. By not using them, you have really compromised the ability of this filter to do its job.
But, those sponge filters are very good biofilters and it's very good news you have them. The only thing they can't do is remove larger particles from water.. so they are not so good at what is called water polishing, and may not provide crystal clear water. Filter floss is one of the best things for water polishing, and it last long, only has to be replaced when it falls apart into small raggedy bits.
Eventually, for the other filter, you want to remove all the carbon, to replace it with biomedia, which can be rings, bioballs, sponge and ideally, some filter floss. All last a very long time, years and years except the floss. Clean by squeezing or rinsing thoroughly in old tank water, that you have removed for a water change. Never rinse in tap water, you might kill the bacteria with the chlorine. Same for the sponge filters, but only do one at at time.
You're still going to have the overstocking problem once the mollies grow some.
If carbon is the only thing in the filter, you would have to remove a small portion of it, replace with the ceramic rings if that is what you have. A couple of weeks later, remove some more carbon, add some bioballs in place of it.
Those rings and balls were provided because you have to provide living places for the bacteria that keep the ammonia under control. By not using them, you have really compromised the ability of this filter to do its job.
But, those sponge filters are very good biofilters and it's very good news you have them. The only thing they can't do is remove larger particles from water.. so they are not so good at what is called water polishing, and may not provide crystal clear water. Filter floss is one of the best things for water polishing, and it last long, only has to be replaced when it falls apart into small raggedy bits.
Eventually, for the other filter, you want to remove all the carbon, to replace it with biomedia, which can be rings, bioballs, sponge and ideally, some filter floss. All last a very long time, years and years except the floss. Clean by squeezing or rinsing thoroughly in old tank water, that you have removed for a water change. Never rinse in tap water, you might kill the bacteria with the chlorine. Same for the sponge filters, but only do one at at time.
You're still going to have the overstocking problem once the mollies grow some.
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
Best of luck. In future, keep the carbon just for the things it's good for, odour, colour, medication removal. It used to be thought it was needed always but that has changed, along with many other things that used to be done with fish.
It is too bad that filter manufacturers continue to put carbon in most of the pre made inserts they make, that they would have you throw away every few weeks and buy new, but it's just not needed and at least one article I've read recently suggests it may in fact be harmful to fish used continuously, as it used to be. Then again, you can't believe everything you read online
.
It is too bad that filter manufacturers continue to put carbon in most of the pre made inserts they make, that they would have you throw away every few weeks and buy new, but it's just not needed and at least one article I've read recently suggests it may in fact be harmful to fish used continuously, as it used to be. Then again, you can't believe everything you read online
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