Guppy's tail turning red

[mtncrux]

Tank specs:
10 gallon aquarium
Wisper 10i filter
Temp = 78F
Ammonia = 0, Nitrite = 0, Nitrate < 5ppm
PH = 7.4

Tank is stocked with two guppies, four cherry shrimp, 10 pond snails, 2 nerite snails, 1 assassin snail.

I am a newbie and have had this tank setup for 9 months. I have had a lot of fish die over the 9 months. I have gone through 5 guppies, and 9 pygmy cories (not all at the same time, I try to keep the bioload low).

I test the water regularly and have never had any ammonia or nitrite spikes. I do a 30% water change every 2 weeks and have never had nitrates go above 10ppm.

I have a blue guppy that has been a survivor since day one. He has thrived while his tank mates have gone on to greener pastures. When I got the guppy 9 months ago its tail was 100% blue. One month ago his tail started looking a bit ragged and started turning red. It has been like this for a month now and he seems healthy otherwise.

Is the red color a sign of disease? If so could that explain why I keep having fish die even though my water quality is good? If so, how do I treat it?

Here is a photo of the blue guppy its tankmate. The black and red guppy has not had any color changes, but its tail is also frayed.

 

[Fishforlife]

There's no such thing as color disease but only fin rot and your guppy look healthy as ever. I never saw a guppy changing color but something new maybe

 

[Fishdude3233]

What test kit do u use buy the APi master kit

 

[mtncrux]

Yes, I use the API master kit. I have also had the LFS test my water and they got the same readings so I am pretty sure that my water quality is good.

So it sounds like I shouldn't worry about the slightly frayed fins or the color change??

So far these two guppies seem healthy, but I can't figure out why I have such a hard time keeping fish alive.

 

[Cactuspixie]

If you haven't been losing shrimp, then I would say that rules out toxins as a cause. Maybe the guppies you have purchased have been too inbred and therefore weak? Is there a big ph swing after changing 30% of the water after two weeks? That may be affecting the cories. What symptoms have the cories shown before they died?

 

[mtncrux]

I did a 30% water change last Saturday. Everything seemed fine, so yesterday I bought two more guppies from Petsmart. I already had two guppies, so now I have a total of 4 fish in a 10 gallon tank.

Now, (less than 24 hours later), the new guppies and one of my existing guppies are struggling. They spend their time either at the surface gasping, or lying on the bottom.

I acclimated the fish slowly: Floated the bag for 15 minutes, then replaced 20% of the bag water with tank water. I repeated this 4 times at 10 minute intervals before releasing the fish.

Water specs are:
PH7.6,
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate < 5ppm
KH = 3 degrees
GH = 6 degrees
Temp = 78F

All tests were done with an API master liquid test kit.

The yellow and red guppy came from the store with a little bit of fin damage, but the wound seems to have gotten bigger overnight. Are there any signs of fin rot or other diseases in the photos below?

The only fish that is dong well is the blue guppy that has been fine since day one (other than the aforementioned color change)

I am sure that I am using my test kit correctly and that I do not have an ammonia or nitrate problem. That seems to only leave a disease as the culprit.

Should I medicate my tank? With what? Should I add salt?

I will go ahead and do a 30% water change today even though the tests don't show any water quality issues.

Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to loose any more fish.

-David

 

[Fishfur]

The fin damage looks like it may have been the result of fin nipping, which is something guppies sometimes do. I don't see any fin rot in the pics. Assuming the water is as good as it sounds, they should be ok. Why they are behaving as they are is hard to say. Good quality guppies are usually fairly hardy.

But they are also highly inbred. All the new colours that are around nowadays are the result of techniques that rely on inbreeding to fix desired traits.

But they might also simply be unhealthy fish, either due to poor handling during shipping or poor handling by the store. If so, some salt may be of help. It should assist to heal the fin damage.

But if they are genetically inferior there may not be much, if anything, you can do. Try buying fish from breeders or from another store, perhaps, if you can. Never buy fish that have only just arrived in a store. They need some time to adjust to the store tank, before they have to adjust to yours, and often the weaker ones will die during that time, so the ones left after a week are probably the stronger ones.

 

[mtncrux]

I just did a 30% water change and added 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt (for 10 gallons of water).

I also took a water sample (before the water change) to petsmart where they tested it using test strips. Their tests matched the results from my API master test kit at home so I am sure that my tests are accurate.

The new guppies continue to deteriorate. I think they are dying.

One of my old guppies (the red and black one in the photos) is having trouble regulating its swim bladder. It spends all of its time at the surface and has to swim downwards to maintain its buoyancy.

 

[Fishfur]

That's unfortunate, and I'm sorry this has happened. But it is very likely not anything you have done or failed to do. Some fish are just not healthy, and for what reason is not all that important. I hope the salt will help, and I hope at least some of the fish will be ok.

Btw, hope you dissolved the salt in the new water before you added it ? Just adding dry salt to a tank can result in toxic exposure for any fish who gets near it before it has dissolved, and it can take a bit of time for it to completely dissolve too.

 

[LeafsFan]

Do you use a conditioner after water changes? I had a similar issue and it seemed I had high chlorine issues with my tap water due to construction in my area. I would do a water change and my fish would sure or be in bad shape. Since I have used a conditioner during a water change no issues.

Do you find that issues occur around water changes?

 

[mtncrux]

Yes, I mixed the salt into the new water and let it dissolve completely before adding it to my tank.

Yes, I always use Tetra Aquasafe to treat my tap water when I do a water change. I fill a clean bucket with 3 gallons of water, adjust the temperature to match my tank, add the conditioner, stir, then let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before adding it to the tank. I know that a lot of people on here prefer Prime to treat tap water, and I just picked up a bottle of that today that I will start using.

I don't usually have any problems right after a water change. Most of the guppies that I have dies have died within 72 hours of adding them to the tank. I also tried pygmy cory catfish. They would always start out perky, then they would stop eating, and then get more and more listless until they died 2-3 weeks later.

I can't help but think that there is some lingering disease in my tank that keeps killing the new fish, but I also don't want to go medicating my tank unless I have some clue as to what I am treating.

-David

 

[Cactuspixie]

I would opt for a broad spectrum antibiotic, lower the temp a little, and increase the salt level.

 

[Fishfur]

There are a few bacteria that have been associated with ragged looking fins in guppies, but I am not sure I can find that article again. I don't always bookmark everything I run across. The pygmy cories should have been ok, even though they are small, they are not particularly delicate.

Do you always make sure the temperature of new water matches the tank water ? Do you put conditioner in first and mix it up, or add it afterward ? Do you pour new water in fast, like dumping the bucket, or gradually ? Just thinking out loud.. wondering if any of these things might be part of a problem.

How often do you clean the filter ? what kind is it and how exactly do you clean it ?

 

[Cactuspixie]

I did a 30% water change last Saturday. Everything seemed fine, so yesterday I bought two more guppies from Petsmart. I already had two guppies, so now I have a total of 4 fish in a 10 gallon tank.

Now, (less than 24 hours later), the new guppies and one of my existing guppies are struggling. They spend their time either at the surface gasping, or lying on the bottom.

I acclimated the fish slowly: Floated the bag for 15 minutes, then replaced 20% of the bag water with tank water. I repeated this 4 times at 10 minute intervals before releasing the fish.

Water specs are:
PH7.6,
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate < 5ppm
KH = 3 degrees
GH = 6 degrees
Temp = 78F

All tests were done with an API master liquid test kit.

The yellow and red guppy came from the store with a little bit of fin damage, but the wound seems to have gotten bigger overnight. Are there any signs of fin rot or other diseases in the photos below?

The only fish that is dong well is the blue guppy that has been fine since day one (other than the aforementioned color change)

I am sure that I am using my test kit correctly and that I do not have an ammonia or nitrate problem. That seems to only leave a disease as the culprit.

Should I medicate my tank? With what? Should I add salt?

I will go ahead and do a 30% water change today even though the tests don't show any water quality issues.

Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to loose any more fish.

-David

Those pics are good. Not the fish- just the pics
The wounds definitely don't look good- they may have been caused by nipping, but they look infected. The second one looks deformed- has he always had the curved spine? The third one (I think- I can't see the pics while I'm replying) looks to have a fuzzy white patch on top? Could be bacterial infection or secondary fungal infection. The last one with the red patch and streaks- is that part of its natural coloration, or could it be something like septicaemia?
You can't go wrong by doing more water changes- the cleaner the better. I would gradually add dissolved salt with your water changes while you decide what medication to go with.

 

[mtncrux]

Yes, when I do water changes I make sure that the new water is the same temperature as the tank (78F) and I use Tetra Aquasafe to treat my tap water.

My filter is a Wisper 10i internal filter, and I have only cleaned the filter twice in the 9 months the tank has been setup. I am paranoid about accidentally killing my bennificial bacterial, and since I don't have a nitrite problem I didnt think there was any reason to clean it. When I do clean it I just swish is around in the tank water I vacuumed out of the tank (never tap water).

One of my new guppies has died. It started out with a pure yellow tail, and started getting red spots on the tail right away. It spent all of its time either at the surface of lying on the bottom (gasping for breath). I have included a photo of the dead fish showing the red spots. What do the red spots mean?

Currently I have:
*1 blue guppy that seems healthy. I've had this guppy for 9 months. It survived a fish-in tank cycle, and has never gotten sick even though many of his tank mates have come and gone.

*1 Black and red guppy that is about 3 months old. This guppy is at the surface and may be having some respiratory problems, and seems to have buoyancy problems, and seems to be a bit bloated. May just be constipated. It stays near the surface and has to swim down to get to the bottom of the tank.

*1 Yellow and red guppy. Added to the tank 24 hours ago. This is the guppy with the wound on its tail. It is near the surface gasping.

My test kit still shows 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, <5 ppm nitrate.

If I treat with antibiotics, what should I use? My tank also has cherry shrimp and nerite snails. Will the meds harm the inverts?



-David

 

[mtncrux]

I should also add that one week ago I added a new guppy to my tank and that guppy also died within 24 hours with respiratory problems (gasping at the surface).

The total death toll for this tank is:

1. Guppy that died within 24 hours when tank was cycling. Pretty sure this fish was sick from the pet store. It bloated and died. This may have been the "typhoid Mary" of my tank.

2. 9 pygmy cory cats that died one at a time over a period of 3 months. They all just stopped eating, got lethargic, then went into frantic death spirals just before dying. The longest lived cory lasted 3 months, some died after one week.

3. Two guppies that were in the tank for 6 months and died unexpectedly one month ago. No signs of distress until I found them both dead on the same morning. One had its tail missing, but it may have been eaten off after death.

4. One guppy that I added one week ago. Died within 24 hours after gasping at the surface.

5. One guppy that died yesterday after 24 hours in the tank. (Yellow guppy in the photos)

During all of this time, I have not had any water quality problems. Ammonia is always 0, Nitrite is always 0. Nitrates have never gone above 5ppm. I do a 30% water change every 2 weeks.

I always had fish tanks through high school and college, but I then life got in the way and I got out of the hobby for about 15 years. Back then, I had no idea about the nitrogen cycle then and overcrowded my tanks, and I never had problems like I have had with this 10 gallon tank. This time around I feel like I am doing everything right. I have read every "getting started" article that I could find, keep my tank lightly stocked, do regular PWC, etc byut I can't seem to keep my fish alive.

 

[mtncrux]

Here is a better pic of the guppy with the wound on its tail. It is starting to swim vertically with its head down. I think it is going to die soon.

 

[Tuck]

Do you have plenty of surface agitation? Its extremely highly unlikely but maybe the fish are 'suffocating' in the tank, it would explain the respiratory problems and why they seem fine after water changes and first addition etc... Because both the actions cause surface agitation. And the red spots could be burst blood vessels.
But it's only a guess since everything else has been ruled out.

 

[Fishfur]

I have a similar history with fish keeping. Had to stop when I finished school, now back into it again. I did guppies back then so have no real desire to keep them now. I do have Endlers, closely related fish that look like tiny guppies, and so far, no issues with them at all. Thankfully so.

I might consider lowering the temperature a couple of degrees, gradually.. but it's not high enough to cause issues like this. Most of my fish are cooler water species, so unless it is very hot, temps are around 72 or so. Fans to keep it cooler in the heat, but it will get up to 76 or so. Higher temps can make it easier for opportunistic bacteria in a tank to cause problems. I do wonder if maybe that one fish that died soon after purchase left something unpleasant behind that is now affecting other fish. But I have never had to use antibiotics, so I can't tell you what to use. There are two types of bacteria though, gram positive and gram negative, and if you don't know which one you have, the antibiotic has to be able to deal with both, broad spectrum, as was said.

I can tell you the worry over the BB is needless. Unless you use heavily chlorinated water, or boil them, or something else like that, you cannot clean all the BB off the media no matter how hard you squeeze or swish it. BB quite literally glue themselves to solid surfaces, and are not that easy to dislodge in great numbers.

Certainly some number of them get washed off, but not enough to harm the cycle at all. There are billions of them in the filter, so even if a million get washed off, it won't have any real effect. I have cleaned all the media in my filters a few times when I've been away too long and they could not wait, without any dire results. If you have to change media, certainly you should only change one kind at at a time, not all of it, as then you would be tossing out all the BB. What media do you have ? Sponge, ceramic, carbon ?

Carbon is not needed and unless required to remove meds, odour or colour from water, should not be used. If you have it, should be replaced with more biomedia instead. It can always be added if needed at any time.

Sponge can be squeezed and wrung out very hard in used tank water and it will get a lot of clogging tiny particles out of it. I'm always mildly amazed at how much sheer gunk comes out of a sponge. It will last many, many years. Floss can be squeezed and wrung out over and over until it begins to fall apart, then replace it.

Ceramics, just swish vigorously and bang on the side of the bucket. Filter should be cleaned at least once a month, I do mine about every two weeks. I try not to do all the media at one time. Sponge one time, ceramic the next. Floss is a great water polisher and does clog up fast, so should be rinsed out every time. Floss is what I use to seed new filters.. drop a wad of dirty floss in a new filter. Maybe pour in the rinsings from a filter cleaning if handy. The new filter will be cycled in no time.

 

[Fishfur]

One thing you might try, before going the antibiotic route, may be using some Indian Almond leaves. They have pretty well known antibiotic properties naturally, and are frequently used to help heal torn fins, wounds, even fungal problems.

They add tannins and humic acid to water, may lower pH very slightly, but not enough to be a problem unless you use a huge number of them all at once. Have about the same effect as wood does on pH. They will leach a bit of colour, but not so much as wood will.

There are online sources, some stores may have them, hobbyists often have them. They might be worth a try, they can't do any harm, and may help. I'd use two or three small ones, , one or two if they are quite large. You can boil them first, to remove some colour and sanitize, or soak in warm water for a few hours. But you can also just rinse and put them in. Leave 'til they are skeletons, then replace.

They do break up, may make a bit of mess, but nothing you can't get out with a net or the filter, and it may well be worth it.