Poor Genevieve :( Anything that could cause this?

[madrhy]

So my poor little guppy had part of her guts sticking out a hole in her side. The only thing we can think could have caused it is a run in with the filter intake (we have lost another guppy who was stuck to the filter intake cover so it was obvious what happened to her). We have fixed the filter problem, it was already turned right down so we have put some filter wool and a bag over it to stop the poor little things getting sucked in to it but I wanted to check if there is anything else that could cause something like that? it was a hole in her side (behind her left fin) and she had been perfectly fine, happy and healthy until it happened and still swimming about for a bit after (we helped her a long poor thing ) Is there anything we should be looking out for with the others?

Lauren

 

[dkpate]

Do you have any other fish in there that would bite her? Does it look like the flesh is rotting away? AKA the hole getting bigger?

 

[madrhy]

No there were only a few other guppies and a small school of neon tetras in with her and I had never seen any of them be at all aggressive. it was a neat little hole, looked like a tear in her skin (which is what makes us suspect the filter). Just thought it was best to check if there were any diseases that could look like that before anyone else gets sick! so far so good, everyone is swimming about happily. Oh and should have mentioned - ammonia is at 0, nitrites at 0, nitrates at around 5-7ish (lots of plants), no new tankmates... I think it was just a terrible accident

Now that I am thinking about it I'll also pull out the drift wood and check for any sharp spots but I don't think it has any.

 

[dkpate]

Well, if the hole isn't getting bigger, I would say injury also. If it was getting bigger, I would think bacterial or fungal infection. If a fish gets stuck to the filter intake, that usually means they are sick, well fish can swim away.

 

[madrhy]

hmm well fingers crossed it was a one off and no-one else gets hurt. Thanks for your help

 

[glassbird]

Turning down the flow on your filter is a good temporary fix, but it (obviously) will also cut down on the filtration for your tank. I had a similar problem when I was raising an unexpected batch of goldfish fry. Go to your local craft store and take a look at craft mesh...it is a fine plastic mesh used by crafters with yarn (and other stuff). It can be easily cut with scissors, and curled into various shapes and then held together with fishing line or zip ties. Or even crazy glue, although I usually go with the zip ties. It comes in lots of colors, but I usually buy the black which is less visible.

My first attempt involved rolling the craft mesh into a cylinder about 4 inches in diameter and 6 inches long, with a circle of mesh cut to fit each end. Sewed it all together with fishing line, and then cut a hole in one circle just big enough to stuff the filter intake into the cylinder. Worked like a charm and kept the babies far enough away from the suction to keep them safe.

Later, I discovered that the craft mesh is also available in shapes (stars, hearts, etc.) and one of those shapes is a three dimensional egg! Perfect! I cut out 3-4 rows from the pointy end of the egg, and slid it over the filter tube. Done! Only problem is that the eggs only come in white, but you can paint them with Krylon Fusion spray paint. And if you use an egg, be sure to zip tie or sew the top and bottom halves of the egg to each other. Otherwise the bottom might pop loose and leave your fish completely unprotected.

 

[madrhy]

Oh great idea! Thanks