Guppy's tail turning red

[mtncrux]

I have a Whisper 10i internal filter and it is setup so that the outlet is slightly above the water so that it agitates the surface. I also have a small airstone in the tank. I just turned up the air to the airstone to see if more oxygen will help. I'll also lower the temperature a little and see if that helps.

My regular local fish store recently closed up shop, so I drove to the next nearest LFS and asked their advice. They said that I was doing everything right and didn't have any solid suggestions. Had my water tested again, and once again water quality is perfect. He recommended medicating with Ampicillin at 1/2 capsule every other day for three days in case there is a lingering bacterial infection. Is this going to kill my BB and cause me to cycle all over again?

Thank you, Thank you to all of the people who have read through this long thread and given me advice. I really appreciate it. Without this community I would probably just give up.

Thanks gain,
-David

 

[Fishfur]

I don't know. Hopefully someone does.

But in case it might kill the filter BB, I would take a good size chunk of healthy media and try to keep it alive on its own. I'd fill a gallon container with water, some plants and drop in the media. Feeding it pure ammonia, as for fishless cycling, should keep it going.You would have to test to be sure of course.

I think it would work, so that should allow you to reseed the filter if in fact the antibiotic does kill the BB. Or if you have a friend with a healthy tank, maybe they would loan you some media or rinsings.

 

[Cactuspixie]

The scales in that guppy appear to be sticking up somewhat. I don't think there is much that you can do for a fish that is pineconing. It's normally too advanced to recover from. Sorry
If that is the last guppy left, I would blitz the tank when he passes. Wash everything with a bleach solution rinse well and start over with a fish less cycle. Except for biological filter media- those I would wash in hot water and allow to dry out in the sun.

If he isn't the last, then I'd go hard with antibiotics. Certainly don't add any more stock until a free weeks after your tank has stabilized.

 

[Cactuspixie]

From this site:http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/aquariummedication2.html#penicillin

PENICILLIN, AMPICILLAN; USE: Belonging to the group of beta-lactam antibiotics, ampicillin is able to penetrate Gram-positive and some Gram-negative bacteria. Even though this a commonly used antibiotic family in humans and other warm blooded animals, this is a family of antibiotics that has shown to be generally useless in fish (especially Penicillin). About the only effectiveness comes in the treatment of some fungal eye infections. All medications, antimicrobials, antibiotics, chemotherapeutics work differently in differently in different organisms, even if the processes are similar. An example I often use is for Quinine Sulfate; this is a generally safe and effective treatment for fish, but not at all for invertebrates.

 

[mtncrux]

The scales in that guppy appear to be sticking up somewhat. I don't think there is much that you can do for a fish that is pineconing. It's normally too advanced to recover from. Sorry
If that is the last guppy left, I would blitz the tank when he passes.

The blue guppy is as strong as an ox. He has never shown any signs of stress or disease (other than his tail changing colors) throughout this whole ordeal. I'm sure he will be fine at the end of this whole ordeal so I can't really do the whole "scorched earth" thing. If the last guppy ever dies, then I think that is good advice.

Sounds like my LFS didn't make a good recommendation for antibiotics. What should I be using?


-D

 

[Fishfur]

If there is some pineconing, raised scales on a fish, best thing is to euthanize. It is dropsy, and there is no cure for it. Fish just get bigger and bigger until they die of the pressure on the organs. They are no longer able to osmoregulate properly, so the fluid just continues to accumulate. It can pop the eyes out if allowed to progress.

I have lost 3 danios to dropsy, for no reason I could ever determine. First one died while I attempted to treat it. The others I euthanized. It can be related to water conditions being poor, but it can show up at any time. The organisms are in tanks always, and are opportunistic, taking advantage of any weakness they may find.

It's not a nice way to go for the fish.

 

[VOZIE]

I had a similar problem with neons in the past. I do think that you can often just go through a bad spell of fish with a low gene pool. Do you try different shops to get fish from as they may have different suppliers. Just a thought cos other then that I can't think of what the problem is.

 

[mtncrux]

Thanks everyone for your advice. The yellow/red guppy has died.

I still have my original two guppies left. The blue one that is healthy, and the red/black one that is a little bloated.

I am sure that my water quality is good, and my technique (water changes, acclimitization) are OK. I don't think it is a problem with bad stock as I have gotten guppies of different varieties and from different stores. The guppies in the store tanks seem fine even after a couple of weeks. That seems to only leave disease as the culprit.

My new fish starting having problems within 2 hours of being in the tank. Can diseases (or parasites) attack that quickly? The speed of their demise seems to point to a water quality issue, but I haven't been able to identify a single thing wrong with my water (and I had my water re-tested at 2 different fish stores to confirm my readings)


Out of desperation, I am going to continue treating the tank with antibiotics.

I am wondering if I should also treat for parasites for good measure since I don't know what is killing my fish. Do you think I should put some Tetra Parasite Guard or Seachem Paraguard in there at the same time as the antibiotics?

Should I switch my antibiotic from the Ampicillin the LFS sold me to something like Maracyn-2 (or another?)?

I also have four nerite snails in the tank that I would like to save. Should I move those to fish bowl while I am treating the tank, or do I need to treat the snails too so that they do not carry the bacteria (or parasites) back to my tank?



Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[Tuck]

If you have a small tank/container something around 5g I would move all your stock and treat them in there, transfer your current filter running in that too so you keep your BB.

Then just completely strip down your current tank and wash/boil all the ornaments, gravel, tank, everything. Then leave it for a few days without water just to try and kill off anything that might be lingering. Then refill and put your medicated stock back into the new tank. It's easier to treat a smaller tank than a large one, I know it's not ideal but even a 5g bucket would do for a temp home and a few bad days is better than losing the fish.